Director, Workday Systems (HCM, HRIS)

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the nation, operating 25 high-performing, middle and high schools that educate nearly 13,000 scholars who make up the heart of Los Angeles’ Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and the California Department of Education. Since opening our first school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high school. We strive to uplift our scholars and their communities by fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication, mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, visit www.LAalliance.org.

ROLE SUMMARY

Reporting to the Vice President, Human Resources, the Director, Workday Systems will manage efforts to support members of the Talent and Finance Departments with system configuration, metric monitoring, reporting, and analytics tied to the HR Information System (HRIS), Workday.  The Director is responsible for leading a cross-functional group of subject matter experts through system improvements, maintenance, and defect management. They will also work collaboratively to support change management efforts when new features or updates are released to Alliance staff members. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Management 

• Provide the vision to maintain the current Workday features as well as identify opportunities for future modifications and enhancements grounded in best practices;

• Maintain a roadmap of system enhancements and adoption items, and reprioritize when necessary;

• Offer domain expertise in Workday functionality and system design;

• Partner with Talent, Finance, and Operations team leaders to improve current processes, and promote standardization, efficiency, and standard methodologies;

• Help define and coordinate vendor-offered training or turnkey information when the platform updates; 

• Work with Functional team leads to ensure documentation of existing processes related to Workday are centrally located and accessible. 

System Design

• Perform Workday administrative functions which may include security maintenance, business process configuration, tenant configuration, report building, and support for integrations;

• Excellent troubleshooting skills and capable of fostering strong relationships with end-users including Principals, Home Office leaders, and subject matter experts;

• Can provide accurate estimates for configuration changes and rapidly provide solutions;

• Support Workday feature release updates and enhancements, while communicating the implied impact on business process requirements;

• Develop the overall systems design, architecture, deployment, support, and life-cycle activities, methodology, and processes

• Collaborate with other teams on processes as needed to test and implement effective solutions

• Communicate with technical architects to ensure the system meets strategic architecture requirements, functional flexibility, connectivity, and supports efficient growth of the business/ enhance and improve processes in collaboration with all department leads in Talent, Finance, and School Operations

Network Leadership 

• Implement software update and enhancement processes (test updates, communicate the impact of changes, update documentation and processes) with functional partners

• Define, scope, and schedule projects to deliver timely and regular value

• Deeply understand goals and use cases for Workday and propose system design/enhancements based on product capabilities;

• Work with Business Process Owner(s) to understand and encourage the long-term vision for the platform.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to network leadership teams on cross-departmental projects,  opportunities for cross-collaboration, process improvement and problem solving;

• Lead and prepare for Workday Governing Committee meetings that support cross-functional collaboration,a commitment to strong outcomes,  and monitor progress against Network KPIs;

• Provide relevant and constructive recommendations to senior leaders, colleagues, and school sites on “best in class” Workday practices;

• Support network-wide Workday initiatives that require change management.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE

• Commitment to Alliance’s core beliefs and mission;

• Knowledge of urban school systems, school environments, and school culture;

• Experience related to implementation and management of enterprise HR or Financial applications;

• Deep understanding of Human Resources, Payroll, and/or staffing processes and their interdependencies;

• Exceptional project management skills and experience in a context of competing priorities with limited resources and infrastructure; with the ability to efficiently manage multiple projects and deadlines, work across departments and functions, and translate strategies from plans to action;

• Proven track record of effective leadership and ability to navigate complex issues and drive strong performance results;

• Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered organization and build strong relationships with a variety of home office and school-based colleagues, as well as external stakeholders;

• Strong strategic thinking skills with an understanding of the impact that different approaches have on organizational culture and performance;

• Strong conceptual, analytic, and organizational/systems thinking necessary to interpret data, develop strategy, and lead implementation/execution;

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey information to a variety of audiences (e.g., large groups, staff meetings, executive briefings, public board meetings, memos, etc.);

• Fluency with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and other office and project management software;

• Willingness to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of a dynamic team committed to a new future for urban education.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• At least four (4) years of progressive professional work experience in a related field with at least two (2) focused on Workday functions (compensation, human resources, payroll, recruitment, talent, benefits, etc.) and a Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university in human resources, education, public administration or policy, or a related field

OR

• At least 6 years of progressive professional work experience in a related field with at least two (2) focused on Workday functions (compensation, human resources, payroll, recruitment, talent, benefits, etc.) and a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g. GED)

BENEFITS

In alignment with our commitment to equity for our scholars, Alliance is committed to equity and transparency for our team and offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience as well as generous retirement and health benefits. This position is exempt.

• Relocation: Individuals residing outside of the Greater Los Angeles area are eligible for a relocation bonus of $5,000 for individuals and $7,500 for new staff with families/partners.

• Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision plan options that are covered at 100% of monthly premiums for individual employees and at least $1,000 per month towards medical family plan premiums. Please click HERE for more information on health insurance.

• Retirement: Alliance Home Office employees are eligible for a retirement allowance equal to 7.5% of their regular yearly earnings. Please click HERE for more information on retirement.

• Paid Leave: Regular full-time 12-month employees receive 8.5 weeks of vacation and paid time off. Full-time employees accrue 3 weeks of flexible paid time off per year and receive 27 other paid holidays as part of our network calendar.

• Professional Development: At Alliance, we believe in supporting staff growth and development. Home Office staff are allocated $500 per year for professional development expenses.

COMPENSATION

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit an application. If you advance to the next step, you will be contacted for a phone screen and/or interview. Only candidates who advance will be contacted.

If you would like to view the progress of your application, you can log in to your Candidate Home Account by signing in at the top right of our jobs page.

Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor or support applicants on visas at this time or in the foreseeable future.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, anti-racist, pro-Black community that celebrates diversity, equity, and the unique identities of all scholars and staff. Nearly two-thirds of our teachers and administrators identify as people of color, reinforcing our commitment to representation and the power of diverse role models. We recognize the richness of the cultures and communities we serve, and we believe that embracing and empowering these identities is essential to the success and pride of our scholars. Working at Alliance means joining a movement to drive transformative change, nurture resilience, and build lifelong, meaningful connections with scholars and their communities.

Champion Alliance’s Anti-Racist, Pro-Black Mission: The strongest candidates will bring a commitment to Alliance’s mission of building an anti-racist, pro-Black community that prioritizes the success and well-being of Black and Brown scholars. Candidates should have a passion for promoting equity through anti-racist, student-centered teaching practices that celebrate racial and cultural identities. This role is rooted in service to systemically underserved communities in Los Angeles, helping scholars graduate “college-ready” with pride in who they are.

This job description is subject to change at any time based on the evolving needs of the organization.

• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are tuition-free public charter schools that do not discriminate against any scholar, parent, community member, or staff member based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools requires that all team members complete a LiveScan background check and TB clearance.

• Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they match every criterion. If you think you meet some of the qualifications, but don't necessarily check every box in the job description, we encourage you to still apply. If you have questions contact the Talent Acquisition Team at [email protected].