Workday Engagement Leader - Senior Director - Higher Ed

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the program executive and trusted advisor for Higher Education Workday engagements, preferably at R1 institutions
• Build and maintain strong relationships with the c-suite, including CIO’s, CFOs, CHROs, and CIO’s
• Partner with senior client stakeholders to align project objectives with institutional goals and strategic priorities
• Anticipate client challenges and proactively recommend solutions that drive operational improvement and long-term value
• Lead executive steering committees and governance discussions while providing strategic direction and status communication
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex engagement, relationship, delivery, or governance issues
• Partner with Huron Managing Directors/Principles, serve as the Delivery Leader of large-scale Workday transformation engagements including post-production support engagements
• Guide delivery teams through strategic decision-making, risk mitigation, organizational change management, and issue resolution
• Champion Huron implementation methodologies, delivery standards, and Higher Education leading practices
• Oversee program financial performance, including forecasts, margins, resource planning, billing, and overall engagement health
• Ensure delivery teams maintain accountability for project outcomes and client commitments
• Serve as a subject matter advisor on Higher Education administration, operations, and technology-enabled transformation
• Lead conversations around institutional effectiveness, workforce transformation, finance modernization, student administration, research administration, and shared services strategies
• Advise clients on industry trends, leading practices, regulatory considerations, and emerging opportunities within the Higher Education ecosystem
• Facilitate executive-level discussions regarding Agentic AI, future-state operating models, and digital transformation strategies
• Provide strategic guidance regarding Workday roadmap alignment and institutional adoption strategies
• Identify, cultivate, and expand strategic client relationships
• Partner with Managing Directors and leadership to drive account growth strategies
• Lead sales pursuits, executive presentations, proposal development, pricing discussions, and contract negotiations
• Support alliance relationships and collaborate with Workday sales and leadership teams to drive mutually beneficial outcomes
• Contribute to revenue growth through cross-selling, upselling, and proactive business development activities
• Lead, mentor, and develop Engagement Leaders, Project Managers, Directors, and consulting teams
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on client success, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Coach future leaders on engagement management, executive communication, delivery excellence, and business development
• Support recruiting, onboarding, professional development, and retention initiatives across the Workday practice
• Promote Huron's core values and leadership principles while developing future practice leaders

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Information Systems, Computer Science, Human Resources, Higher Education Administration, or related field
• 10+ years of experience in consulting, information technology, enterprise software, or digital transformation leadership
• 10+ years of experience leading complex enterprise application implementations and transformation programs
• 10+ years of experience working with software vendors, alliance partners, and executive sales organizations
• Prior Workday implementation or Workday ecosystem experience
• Previous consulting experience focused on HR, Finance, Student, Payroll, or Enterprise Transformation initiatives
• Experience serving Higher Education institutions, including colleges, universities, research organizations, or academic health systems
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale cloud ERP, HCM, Finance, or Student transformation initiatives
• Experience with contract negotiations, alliance management, and complex sales pursuits
• Demonstrated experience serving as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders
• Strong financial acumen, including engagement forecasting, budgeting, pricing, and profitability management
• Experience managing large, geographically dispersed, and matrixed project teams
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, negotiation, and executive presentation skills
• Proven experience leading multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously
• Willingness and ability to travel as required