Senior Manager, Workday - Uncommon Schools

Uncommon Schools  is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 52 schools serving more than 19,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

Uncommon’s Data & IT (D&IT) team is undergoing an exciting transformation to improve technology operations and systems. We are seeking a skilled Senior Manager with experience in ongoing management of Workday, and management of data housed in the system. This role will act as a domain expert on our ERP projects and collaborate with all levels of the Talent, Accounting, Finance, IT and school-based teams and will oversee the planning, prioritization and execution of the Workday roadmap.

System Management Leadership:

• Manages the maintenance and enhancement of Uncommon’s  Workday system
• Manage and coordinate deployment activities with Information Technology teams and business areas and/or service providers, to ensure system compatibility and cross-department requirements are met
• Management of at least one direct report
• Create and implement best practices around the support and life-cycle management including policies, processes and procedures
• Prepare presentations to senior leadership in the organization with recommendations and decisions about system configuration, supporting processes and policies.
• Guide and review Workday team member's work product (e.g. product roadmaps, product documentation and training, product backlogs, change requests).
• Lead problem-solving for the team: identify trends and pain points with our systems and lead ongoing efforts for system and process improvements that make progress toward the long-term vision of IT at Uncommon.
• Change Management: Help the functional/business unit teams navigate the tension between immediately implementing best practices vs the tolerance for change that is possible at a given time

Program Management:

• Collaborate with other System Managers to design and maintain a technology ecosystem that takes full advantage of the features available in Workday and collectively follow the IT change request process
• Lead future implementation and maintenance of Workday solutions based on strategic and functional needs
• Act as subject matter expert on Workday functionality and system design
• Work closely with Talent, Finance, and Operations team leaders to identify and implement methods for improving current processes, promoting process standardization, efficiency and standard methodologies within the bounds of the system. 
• Manage the software update process (test updates, communicate the impact of changes, update documentation and processes) 
• Stay up-to-date on the latest technology and software for integration to improve processes and user interaction with Workday
• Propose system design/enhancements based on problems and product requirements
• Identify best practices and process improvements, and ensure these are being used and documented
• Work directly with other team members to support and drive larger (more complex) Workday projects
• Understand overall internal processes and systems and how they are interdependent
• Participate in project configuration sessions
• Provide documentation/visibility into key aspects of projects (e.g. progress, achievements, etc.) for senior leadership and other partners 
• Lead in meetings to discuss progress and issues to be resolved

System Management:

• Works with IT Operations leaders and architects to ensure the integrity and acceptable architecture and performance of the systems.
• Maintain the current systems infrastructure and lead the future implementation and maintenance of ERP system solutions based on strategic and functional needs. 
• Management of the overall systems design, architecture, deployment, support, and life-cycle management activities, methodology, and processes.
• Collaborate with IT team members to ensure that processes are in place to achieve unified technical architecture and technology across all systems and regions.
• Actively engages with technical architects to ensure the system is designed to meet strategic architecture requirements, functional flexibility, connectivity and supports efficient growth of the business.

Data Management and Reporting:

• Partner with other IT and functional team members in their day-to-day operations (reporting, auditing, integration) to support processes related to budgeting, reconciliations, ledger entries, audits, etc.
• Under the guidance of the Senior System Manager, create and implement solutions, standards and controls to ensure financial data accuracy and integrity in the  new financial system
• Support the maintenance and upkeep of existing and upcoming technology tools and understand the integration between them to find efficiencies and solve issues related to transactional work 

Education Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree required

Experience Requirements:

• 7+ years of work experience
• 5-6+ years of directly related experience
• 3+ years of Workday system management 
• 5+ years of working experience leading complex, medium to large scale systems projects with a business and technology focus (including experience with at least one financial system implementation) 
• 5+ years of design, implementation and management experience with ERP systems. Thorough understanding of the ERP functional and technical landscapes, that includes the integration with other areas of the enterprise

Travel Requirements:

• Will work on-site, 3 times a week in our Central Office ( Financial District) and or in schools
• Occasional (3 times a year) travel required to Boston, Rochester, Camden

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent.  Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position:  Candidates who meet all job description requirements will likely receive an offer between $111,400-$131,000, and generally, we expect that qualified candidates will be made an offer between $111,400 and $117,900.The starting pay will depend on various factors including but not limited to relevant professional experience, education, certifications, and tenure with Uncommon Schools.  To receive an offer at the top of the range, candidates will need significant experience beyond the job description requirements.  Because we value staff tenure in a role, we do not currently cap salary ranges for current staff members. 

Other Benefits:

• 19 days of paid time off in addition to three weeks of paid winter and summer org-wide holidays
• Extensive, best-in-class training and development  
• Choice of 3 comprehensive health insurance plans
• Pre-tax flexible spending and health saving accounts
• Financial planning & wellness
  • 403(b) retirement savings program + employer match
  • 529 college savings program
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness application assistance
  • Financial  planning tools and assistance
• Dependent Care FSA, back up childcare and daycare discounts, pet care insurance
• Paid leave of absence 
  • Fully paid parental leave
  • Fully paid medical leave
  • Additional paid Short Term and Long Term Disability insurance 
• Mental health and counseling support + wellness benefits

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, Uncommon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email recruitment@uncommonschools.org.