Workday BA – HR Systems & Process Improvement

POSITION SPECIFICS

Penn State IT is seeking two Business Analysts to support key Workday functional areas:
Workday Payroll, Benefits, Timekeeping, and Absence Team Workday Recruiting and Talent Team The Business Analyst serves as a strategic liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams, analyzing business needs, identifying opportunities for process improvement, and translating business requirements into effective Workday solutions. This position plays a critical role in enhancing HR technology capabilities, supporting operational excellence, and ensuring that Workday solutions align with university business objectives and compliance requirements.

Experience supporting Workday as a business analyst is preferred. Candidates with significant business analyst experience supporting comparable enterprise HRIS platforms (e.g., Oracle HCM Cloud, SAP Success Factors, People Soft HCM, or UKG Pro) and the ability to quickly learn new systems are encouraged to apply.

Penn State IT is supportive of flexible work arrangements when aligned with the ability to meet the needs of the unit and the essential duties of the position. The location of this position is flexible and can operate fully remote within the United States (restrictions apply). Standard working hours are in the eastern time zone.

• Business Analysis & Requirements Management

  Partner with Human Resources, Payroll, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, and other university stakeholders to understand business objectives, challenges, and operational needs.

  Elicit, document, analyze, and validate business, functional, and non-functional requirements.

  Develop business process flows, use cases, user stories, functional specifications, and other project documentation.

  Facilitate workshops, interviews, and requirements-gathering sessions.

  Ensure requirements are clearly communicated and understood by technical teams.

  Translate complex business needs into actionable Workday configuration and enhancement requirements.

  Collaborate with data and analytics teams to define reporting requirements.

• Workday Functional Support

  Support Workday business processes, integrations, reporting, security, and system enhancements within assigned functional areas.

  Collaborate with functional and technical teams to evaluate system capabilities and recommend improvements.

  Assist with Workday releases by assessing impacts, testing new functionality, and supporting implementation activities.

  Identify opportunities to optimize business processes using delivered Workday functionality and best practices.

• Process Improvement & Solution Design

  Analyze current-state and future-state business processes.

  Conduct gap analyses and recommend innovative solutions that improve efficiency, user experience, and data quality.

  Support continuous improvement initiatives across HR operations and technology platforms.

  Develop recommendations that align with university policies, compliance requirements, and strategic goals.

• Project & Change Support

  Participate in and lead business analysis activities for Workday projects and enhancements.

  Collaborate with project managers, system administrators, and technical teams throughout the project lifecycle.

  support user acceptance testing (UAT), test planning, defect resolution, and deployment activities.

• Stakeholder Engagement

  Build effective working relationships with HR leaders, business partners, IT teams, and external vendors.

  Act as a trusted advisor by delivering data-driven insights and solution-oriented recommendations.

• Strong proficiency in business analysis methodologies and frameworks.
• Experience with Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, or hybrid project methodologies.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio.
• Experience with business process modeling tools and requirements management software.
• Familiarity with Jira or comparable tools is preferred.

• Business Analyst
  - Senior Professional

  Bachelor's Degree 6+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted

  Required
  
  Certifications:
  
  None

• Business…