Associate Vice President for the Workday Solution Center

Summary

The Associate Vice President (AVP) for the Workday Solution Center is a strategic and operational enterprise leader responsible for three interrelated outcomes: leading the development and execution of MCW’s enterprise Workday strategy, leading MCW’s institution-wide Workday Solution Center, and ensuring MCW realizes sustained value from Workday. The Solution Center brings together HR, Finance, ITS, and departments as shared stakeholders in the design, use, and continuous improvement of Workday, creating an integrated institutional capability that improves how MCW works and maximizes the value of the platform. The AVP ensures effective service delivery, platform reliability, governance, adoption, and continuous improvement; leads a high-performing, cross-functional team; and maintains trusted relationships across the institution. The AVP advances the Solution Center as a mature strategic partner that supports MCW’s missions and evolving needs.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Lead the development, execution, and ongoing evolution of MCW’s enterprise Workday strategy and multiyear roadmap, aligning priorities with institutional needs, operational insights, and MCW’s strategic objectives

• Position Workday investment priorities within MCW’s broader institutional planning process, clearly articulating value, risk, resource requirements, and tradeoffs.

• Lead Workday governance and planning through the Workday Development Council, bringing together HR, Finance, ITS, and departments to establish priorities, guide decisions, and advance shared accountability for Workday’s ongoing improvement

• Lead the Workday Development Council in identifying and advancing opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and improve Workday-enabled processes, with clear priorities, ownership, progress tracking, and results.

• Ensure barriers to Workday priorities and process improvements are escalated promptly when resolution requires broader leadership action

• Ensure MCW realizes measurable, ongoing value from Workday through platform optimization, user adoption, process improvement, simplification, automation, and ease of use for day-to-day operations

Operational Leadership & Team Performance

• Lead and continuously develop a high-performing, cross-functional team, exercising decision authority for Solution Center operations, staffing, resource deployment, service delivery, and execution within the approved Workday strategy and governance framework

• Establish and enforce Solution Center operating standards, service expectations, and development practices, with performance measures for responsiveness, issue resolution, first-contact resolution, and user experience

• Oversee Workday release planning, ongoing configuration, tenant management, testing, and production support to ensure the platform remains current, stable, secure, and reliable

• Ensure effective case management, self-service resources, performance metrics, service-level expectations, standardized operating procedures, and knowledge management

• Ensure the Workday Solution Center effectively uses AI, automation, and other emerging tools provided in partnership with ITS to improve user support and training, increase team efficiency, and accelerate the delivery of Workday improvements

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Leadership

• Serve as the senior enterprise leader accountable for the Workday strategy, Solution Center performance, value-realization framework, and transparency of institutional progress

• Maintain trusted relationships with HR, Finance, ITS, mission leaders, and departments to align Workday priorities with institutional needs and objectives

• Ensure stakeholders, including functional, technical, and user representatives, actively participate in process design, testing, adoption, and continuous improvement

• Lead change management efforts that ensure stakeholder readiness, effective adoption, and sustained use of Workday enhancements while navigating competing priorities and organizational complexity

Talent Development & Culture Building

• Provide direction, coaching, performance management, and clear accountability to direct reports, including Product Owners and End User Support, Platform, Reporting, and Security leaders

• Build a team culture of shared ownership and cross-functional collaboration

• Inspire and motivate the team around a shared vision for the Workday Solution Center and its role in delivering institutional value.

• Develop team capabilities by identifying skill gaps, supporting employee growth, planning for succession, and reducing dependence on individual intervention

Organizational Scope

This role oversees a multi-disciplinary team structure with cross-functional and matrixed alignment, including:

• Governance and Change Advisory Board support

• End-user triage and support

• Architect, configuration and release management

• Data, reporting and analytics

• Integrations and Workday Extend

• Security policy and administration

Knowledge – Skills – Abilities

• Enterprise leadership and strategic judgment that balance institutional goals, functional needs, user experience, risk, and long-term platform integrity

• Deep understanding of system configuration, incident and issue resolution, and enhancement cycles

• Knowledge of Agile (Scrum, Kanban) and ITIL service management practices

• Experience with shared services, business process optimization, and user-centered design

• Exceptional communication, listening, influence, and facilitation skills across executive, technical, functional, and operational audiences

• Proven ability to manage vendors, service levels, budgets, and team performance

• Demonstrated ability to develop leaders, hold teams accountable, and sustain a high-trust, feedback-driven environment

• Ability to identify and responsibly apply AI, automation, and emerging Workday capabilities to improve efficiency, service, and institutional outcomes.

Qualifications

Appropriate experience may be substituted for education on an equivalent basis

Minimum Required Education:  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Minimum Required Experience:  

• 10+ years of relevant leadership experience in enterprise systems, ERP, or shared services environments.

• Proven success managing or implementing Workday in large, complex institutions.

• Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing enterprise-level stakeholders

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in higher education, healthcare, or research institutions.

• Familiarity with Workday HCM, Payroll, Financials, Security, and Integrations.

• Experience operating in matrixed reporting environments.

Preferred Certification/Licensure(s): PMP, Agile, and/or ITIL certifications

Preferred Knowledge & Skills

• Enterprise leadership and strategic judgment that balance institutional goals, functional needs, user experience, risk, and long-term platform integrity

• Deep understanding of system configuration, incident and issue resolution, and enhancement cycles

• Knowledge of Agile (Scrum, Kanban) and ITIL service management practices

• Experience with shared services, business process optimization, and user-centered design

• Exceptional communication, listening, influence, and facilitation skills across executive, technical, functional, and operational audiences

• Proven ability to manage vendors, service levels, budgets, and team performance

• Demonstrated ability to develop leaders, hold teams accountable, and sustain a high-trust, feedback-driven environment

• Ability to identify and responsibly apply AI, automation, and emerging Workday capabilities to improve efficiency, service, and institutional outcomes.

#LI-AC1

Why MCW?

• Outstanding Healthcare Coverage, including but not limited to Health, Vision, and Dental. Along with Flexible Spending options
• 403B Retirement Package
• Competitive Vacation and Paid Holidays offered
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Pet Insurance
• On campus Fitness Facility, offering onsite classes
• Additional discounted rates on items such as: Select cell phone plans, local fitness facilities, Milwaukee recreation and entertainment etc.

For a brief overview of our benefits see: Benefits Overview

For a full list of positions see: MCW Careers

At MCW all of our endeavors, from our internal operations to our interactions with our partners, are driven by our shared organizational values: Caring – Collaborative – Curiosity – Inclusive – Integrity – Respect. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that values diversity in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives through merit-based processes and in alignment with all applicable laws. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. Our values define who we are, what we stand for and how we conduct ourselves at MCW. If you believe in embracing individuality and working together according to these principles to improve health for all, then MCW is the place for you. For more information, please visit our institutional website.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination:

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.