Senior Workday Functional Specialist

Note: Previous applicants need not re-apply. Your previous application will be considered.
Note:
This is for 1 Regular Full-Time vacancy.
This position is deemed a critical replacement vacancy.
Work Mode:
Hybrid - Occasional in-person work at our London, Ontario campus is required
Hours:
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.M. to 4:30 p.M.
Why this Role is ImportantFanshawe College is advancing its digital transformation through the implementation of Workday, a modern cloud-based enterprise platform that is reshaping how we support our employees, finances, and future student services. Having successfully deployed Workday Human Capital Management (HCM), Finance, and Adaptive Planning, the College is now preparing to embark on the next phase of its journey with the implementation of Workday Student.
As Workday becomes the foundation of our administrative ecosystem, access to accurate, timely, and actionable data is more important than ever. To support this evolving landscape, Fanshawe has established a dedicated Workday Sustainment Team responsible for optimizing the platform, driving continuous improvement, and enabling data-informed decision-making across the College.
Reporting to the Manager, Workday Human Capital Management (HCM), the Senior Workday Functional Specialist - HCM provides specialized functional and technical expertise in the support, configuration, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the Workday HCM platform, with a primary focus on assigned modules.
The Senior Functional Specialist leans on their deep Workday expertise and is responsible for analyzing business requirements, configuring and testing system solutions, supporting Workday releases, troubleshooting system issues, maintaining documentation, and ensuring the integrity, security, and reliability of the Workday portfolio functionality. The incumbent collaborates closely within the Workday team and Information Technology to align cross-functional opportunities. The incumbent works directly with Human Resources and other stakeholders to define requirements and outcomes and deliver sustainable solutions that support operational excellence and strategic priorities.
This role supports the ongoing evolution of Workday by identifying opportunities for process improvement, automation, and optimization. The incumbent maintains expertise in Workday's evolving capabilities, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, intelligent automation, and emerging platform innovations, evaluating and implementing approved functionality that enhances operational effectiveness and user experience.
A customer-focused approach, balanced with strong business process knowledge and system expertise, is essential to proactively identify opportunities, improve business outcomes, and support the continued development of the Workday Centre of Excellence through governance, knowledge sharing, standardized practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.
This position is privy to, responsible for, and entrusted with highly sensitive, proprietary, and confidential information. This includes, but is not limited to, employee data, financial data, budget allocations, workforce planning metrics, organizational design, business configuration details, and core operational processes. Safeguarding the integrity, security, and restricted access of this information is a core expectation of the role.
How You’ll Make An ImpactBusiness Transformation, Design, and Configuration
Lead the functional design, process mapping, and configuration of assigned Workday modules and related business processes to ensure alignment with institutional goals
Through an analysis of current-state needs and system deficiencies, establish and confirm future operational goals for assigned functional areas;
make recommendations onprocess modifications to improve data accuracy, user experience, and efficiency
Map end-to-end business processes, identify downstream change impacts for end-users, and provide strategic input into overall project deliverables and workplans
Participate in implementation and post-go-live activities for assigned functional areas including solution design reviews, configuration workshops, testing activities, knowledge transfer sessions, operational readiness planning, and the progressive transition of responsibilities from implementation resources to sustainment
Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve system issues, configuration defects, security concerns, and user-reported incidents
Analyze business requirements and develop sustainable configuration solutions that align with college objectives
Analyze proposed changes, enhancements, and operational issues to identify potential impacts across Workday functional areas, engaging appropriate subject matter experts to support solution design, testing, implementation, and issue resolution
Ensure configuration and solutions activities adhere to governance, documentation, security, and quality standards
Business Analysis and Stakeholder Collaboration
Partner with Human Resources, Information Technology, and business leaders to understand operational requirements and strategic priorities
Act as the single point of contact to identify, collect, and reconcile business requirements from subject matter experts (SMEs) across HR, Finance, and Student Services to ensure unified data alignment
Facilitate root-cause analysis and requirements gathering sessions to isolate existing process bottlenecks, translating college operations into clean, sustainable functional specifications
Provide expert advice regarding Workday functionality, best practices, and solution alternatives
Support prioritization and evaluation of enhancement requests and operational improvements
Evaluate business requests and configuration changes for downstream and cross-functional implications, facilitating collaboration with team members, technical resources, and business stakeholders to ensure solutions are aligned, sustainable, and support enterprise objectives
Lifecycle Testing, Releases, and Quality Assurance
Assess the impact of Workday releases and new functionality on supported business processes
Architect comprehensive end-to-end test scripts, validate results, and coordinate the rapid resolution of system defects, ensuring functional decisions are fully verified by impacted stakeholders.
Plan, coordinate, and execute system testing activities, including functional integration, and regression testing
Enable and support Business Outcome Validation with impacted stakeholders
Support release readiness planning, communication, and implementation activities
Identify change management impacts for end-users and college stakeholders from system configuration, ensuring comprehensive business outcome validation before deployment
Reporting, Data Integrity and Compliance
Design, develop, test, and maintain standard Workday reports, calculated fields, and dashboards that support operational, regulatory, and business requirements
Analyze reporting requirements and provide reporting solutions that enable stakeholders to access accurate, timely, and meaningful information for decision-making
Collaborate with senior specialized team members and other subject matter experts on complex, cross-functional, or enterprise reporting initiatives requiring advanced reporting expertise or specialized analytics solutions
Monitor, validate, and maintain data integrity across assigned business processes and reporting outputs
Support audit, compliance, regulatory, and operational reporting activities as required
System Optimization and Continuous improvement
Develop and maintain configurations supporting portfolio business processes
Analyze business processes and identify opportunities to increase automation, improve efficiency, and enhance user experience
Deconstruct flawed legacy configurations and recurring system errors to engineer automated, scalable, and standardized workflows that align directly with enterprise objectives
Participate in roadmap planning and continuous improvement initiatives
Innovation, AI Enablement And Emerging Capabilities
Monitor Workday releases, roadmap developments, and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, skills intelligence, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation
Evaluate new platform capabilities and recommend opportunities to improve service delivery, operational effectiveness, and employee experience
Configure, test, validate, and support approved AI-enabled features and intelligent automation capabilities
Complete Workday professional development opportunities supporting AI and automation, participate in Higher Education Community groups and Workday knowledge-sharing activities related to emerging technologies
Documentation, Compliance and Knowledge Management
Develop and maintain configuration documentation, testing artifacts, business processes, and support procedures
Document configuration rationale, process decisions, and operational procedures
Support knowledge transfer initiatives and organizational readiness activities
Collaborate with integration developers, technical resources, vendors, and business stakeholders to define requirements, validate data movement, support testing activities, and resolve integration-related issues affecting assigned business processes
What You'll Bring
Post-secondary 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, or related field with an emphasis on ERP systems or other related discipline
A combination of other relevant equivalent education and/or experience will be considered
Minimum five years of experience supporting enterprise ERP applications
Minimum three years of experience configuring Workday HCM, Benefits, Compensation, or related modules, with demonstrated specialization and advanced configuration experience in Workday Benefits
Workday certification in HCM, Benefits, Compensation, or related modules is considered an asset
Comprehensive understanding of human resources including Benefits, Compensation and related business processes
Demonstrated experience gathering requirements, configuring solutions, performing testing, and supporting production environments
Experience supporting software releases and continuous improvement initiatives
Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders within a large, complex organization
Experience in a post-secondary or public sector environment would be considered an asset
Experience evaluating or implementing automation, artificial intelligence (AI), or emerging enterprise technology capabilities would be considered an asset
Knowledge of AI governance, privacy, security, ethical considerations within enterprise software environments is considered an asset
Strong business analysis, problem-solving, and process improvement skills
Understanding of software testing methodologies and change management practices
Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions
Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills
Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills
Ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Demonstrated ability and willingness to continuously learn emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and analytics
Ability to evaluate new platform capabilities and support business adoption through configuration, testing, documentation, and stakeholder engagement
What This Opportunity Offers
Comprehensive Pension & Benefits: Join a defined-benefit pension plan (through the CAAT Pension Plan) that delivers predictable lifetime retirement income, plus dental, disability, travel insurance and extended health coverage.
Vacation: Enjoy paid time off and benefit from a scheduled holiday closure that offers additional rest and time with family during the winter season
Tuition & Professional Development: Continue your learning journey - eligible employees and their dependents can take select Fanshawe programs or courses at a reduced cost
Inclusive, Meaningful Campus environment: Work alongside passionate colleagues in an inclusive culture that values diversity, drives student success, and connects you to the local community and campus life.
Ready to Apply?If you're a Workday professional with a passion for business transformation, system optimization, and delivering innovative HR technology solutions, we encourage you to apply. Join Fanshawe's Workday Sustainment Team and play a key role in enhancing the employee experience, driving continuous improvement, and supporting the ongoing success of the College's ERP transformation journey.
Fanshawe College uses Workday to manage recruitment and hiring processes.
Educational CredentialsWhile transcripts are not required for the interview, they are mandatory as a condition of employment.
Equity, Diversity and InclusionFanshawe College is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to equity, value diversity, and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.
AccommodationFanshawe College provides accommodations to job applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process. If a job applicant requires an accommodation during the application process or through the selection process, the hiring manager and the recruiter leading the recruitment will work with the applicant to meet the job applicant’s accommodation needs. Accommodation requests per the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act can be emailed to: View email address on ca.hrm.tc
Land AcknowledgementFanshawe College would like to acknowledge and honour the Anishinaabe, Lotinuhsyuní and Lenape people of southwestern Ontario as the traditional owners and custodians of the lands and waterways where Fanshawe College is located.
We thank all applicants for their interest;
however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted.
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