Workday OPAL Product Director

Roles/Responsibilities:

• Workday Financial Management Product Strategy & Roadmap Development:
  • Define and maintain the Workday product roadmap aligned with the strategic goals of the organization.
  • Collaborate with senior leaders stakeholders and department heads to prioritize and align Workday initiatives with broader organizational objectives.
  • Manage product lifecycle from concept to delivery ensuring the solutions meet business needs regulatory requirements and user expectations.
• Cross-Functional Team Collaboration:
  • Lead mentor and manage a team of 40 professionals across various functions including functional experts analysts and system administrators ensuring high performance productivity and engagement.
  • Serve as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams translating business requirements into actionable system configurations and enhancements.
  • Provide strategic direction and thought leadership to team members across different Workday modules ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.
  • Develop and implement training programs to continuously enhance the teams technical expertise and leadership skills.
  • Provide guidance on Workday best practices and drive change management initiatives to ensure successful adoption of new features.
• Project Management & Delivery:
  • Lead the execution of Workday implementation projects upgrades and system configurations ensuring projects are delivered on time within scope and within budget.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for stakeholders ensuring transparent communication on project statuses timelines risks and outcomes.
  • Identify and mitigate risks that could affect project timelines or quality taking corrective action as needed.
• Optimization & Continuous Improvement:
  • Work with business stakeholders and technical teams to evaluate system performance monitor key metrics and implement updates or new features that drive efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Lead the evaluation and deployment of new Workday features and functionality ensuring continuous enhancement of the platforms capabilities.
  • Ensure the effective integration of Workday with other enterprise systems managing dependencies and resolving challenges as needed.
• Stakeholder Communication & Training:
  • Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for all Workday-related topics direct training and support to end users across the organization.
  • Regularly communicate project status outcomes and improvements to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Ensure training materials are developed and maintained including user documentation and user support resources to support effective platform adoption.
• Compliance & Security:
  • Ensure that Workday configurations and updates comply with all relevant regulatory requirements data privacy laws and internal policies. Partner with the IT and security teams to maintain data integrity security and confidentiality within Workday particularly for sensitive employee and financial data. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Mandatory Skills:

1. In-depth knowledge of Workday Finance Purchasing and other Workday modules with experience in system configuration deployment and post-implementation support.
2. Strong understanding of public sector finance and purchasing processes regulations and compliance requirements.
3. Ability to lead cross-functional teams and work with senior leaders to drive product success.
4. Excellent project management organizational and time management skills with a focus on delivering high-quality results on time.
5. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with the capacity to make data-driven decisions.
6. Demonstrated experience leading Workday product strategy within a government agency large municipality or similarly complex public-sector organization.
7. Experience working with Workday Studio Workday Integration Workday Reporting and other technical components of the platform.

Desirable Skills:

1. Experience with other ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions
2. Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and build relationships at all organizational levels.
3. Self-motivated detail-oriented and able to manage multiple priorities
4. Customer-centric mindset with a commitment to delivering excellent service and value to the organization.
5. Adaptability and flexibility to respond to changing business needs and priorities.
6. Bachelors degree in Business Administration Information Technology Finance or a related field; advanced degrees or certifications (e.g. MBA Workday Certification).
7. Minimum of 10 years of experience in financial systems management with significant experience in system configuration integration and optimization and with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing large cross-functional teams preferably in a large governmental environment.
8. Proven experience in managing large-scale Workday implementations system optimizations and driving the development of strategic product roadmaps.
9. Knowledge of data privacy laws and regulations specific to public sector operations