Senior Manager of Workday Operations, Benefits Lead

About the role

The Senior Workday Manager, Benefits Lead within Information Systems and Computing (ISC) provides leadership and oversight for the Workday Operations Team, directing and supervising a team of Workday professionals responsible for system support, optimization, and continuous improvement of Workday systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and develop the Workday Operations team, including overseeing work assignments, prioritization, workload management, and quality of deliverables.
• Manage the full employee lifecycle for direct reports, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, coaching, mentoring, and professional development, while fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, continuous learning, and adoption of best practices.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations, providing constructive feedback, identifying growth opportunities, and recognizing individual and team achievements.
• Partner with the Director of Workday Operations to develop strategic priorities, establish operational objectives, and drive process and system optimization initiatives.
• Provide functional leadership for the Workday Benefits module, serving as the subject matter expert and owning the end-to-end configuration and optimization of benefit plans, eligibility rules, rates, event types, and related business processes.
• Lead the configuration, enhancement, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Workday modules, ensuring solutions align with business needs and organizational goals.
• Oversee the planning, testing, execution, and post-launch support for two annual Open Enrollment cycles within Workday, including coordination of communications and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Collaborate closely with HR Benefits, Integration Services, Payroll, and benefits vendors to ensure accurate system configuration, data integrity, and successful benefits integrations and vendor feeds.
• Establish, maintain, and promote Workday governance standards and best practices across the Penn Workday ecosystem.
• Monitor, assess, and communicate the impact of Workday releases and feature updates, proactively evaluating opportunities, risks, and required tenant changes to support system stability and continuous enhancement.
• Collaborate with the Director of Workday Operations to craft strategies, set objectives, and optimize operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 4 to 6 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Demonstrated success leading complex programs, governance initiatives, and operational improvements through cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and influence.
• Prominent ability to lead through influence and drive strategic outcomes within a highly matrixed organizational environment.
• Experience managing, developing, and coaching direct reports.
• Deep functional and configuration expertise in two or more Workday modules.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and organizational levels.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to assess complex issues and develop effective solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize work, manage multiple competing priorities, and consistently meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving organization while maintaining a high level of accuracy, accountability, and customer focus.

Preferred Experience

• Supporting Workday in a higher education environment is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge and experience with the Workday Benefits module.