Workday Student Test Lead - (Remote Eligible, must work ET hours)

BASIC FUNCTION

The Workday Student Test Lead is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the testing strategy and quality assurance framework for the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) Workday Student Information System (SIS) implementation. This position leads all phases of system testing, establishes testing governance and best practices, coordinates cross-functional testing activities, and ensures the quality, stability, and production readiness of Workday Student solutions. Working collaboratively with functional and technical stakeholders, the Workday Student Test Lead manages enterprise testing efforts, defect resolution, and release validation to support successful implementation and ongoing system enhancements.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the Vermont State Colleges System's lead testing professional for the Workday Student implementation, providing strategic direction and oversight for all testing activities.
• Develop, implement, and continuously refine the enterprise testing strategy, governance framework, methodologies, standards, and best practices supporting the Workday Student implementation.
• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of all testing phases, including tenant validation, workset unit testing, system integration testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), regression testing, end-to-end (E2E) testing, and production readiness validation.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive test plans, testing schedules, test scenarios, test scripts, testing documentation, and quality metrics.
• Coordinate testing activities across multiple functional and technical teams to ensure comprehensive testing coverage and consistent execution.
• Establish testing standards and processes that support long-term operational success following implementation.
• Evaluate testing results and recommend production readiness based on testing outcomes, risk assessments, and quality metrics.
• Partner with functional offices including Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Academic Advising, Curriculum Management, Student Accounts, and other institutional stakeholders to coordinate enterprise-wide testing efforts.
• Collaborate with Workday implementation partners, project managers, technical teams, and institutional leadership to align testing activities with project goals, timelines, and deployment milestones.
• Lead, mentor, and coordinate testers representing diverse functional and technical areas throughout the implementation.
• Facilitate testing workshops, planning meetings, issue review sessions, and readiness discussions.
• Serve as the institutional subject matter expert for testing methodologies, providing consultation and recommendations throughout the implementation lifecycle.
• Oversee the identification, documentation, prioritization, tracking, reporting, and resolution of testing defects and system issues.
• Monitor testing progress, analyze results, identify implementation risks, and provide executive-ready status reports and recommendations to project leadership.
• Coordinate impact assessments, regression testing, and validation activities associated with Workday's biannual releases, configuration updates, and system enhancements.
• Ensure testing documentation, defect logs, quality metrics, and project records remain accurate and current.
• Recommend continuous improvements to testing processes, governance practices, and quality assurance methodologies.
• Participate in project governance meetings and implementation planning activities.
• Support additional Workday Student implementation initiatives as assigned.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

General direction and supervision are received from the Workday Program Director.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

None.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in organizational development, Business Administration, Human Resources, Communications, Information Systems, Project Management, or a related field, plus 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience leading organizational change management, ERP implementations, enterprise technology deployments, project communications, or related initiatives or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Demonstrated experience developing enterprise testing strategies, governance frameworks, testing methodologies, and quality assurance processes.

Experience coordinating testing efforts involving both technical and functional stakeholders.

Strong knowledge of software testing methodologies, including tenant validation, unit testing, integration testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), regression testing, end-to-end (E2E) testing, and production readiness validation.

Experience developing and managing test plans, test cases, testing schedules, defect management processes, and executive-level reporting.

Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex testing initiatives involving multiple stakeholder groups.

Excellent analytical, organizational, written, verbal, and presentation skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience implementing or supporting Workday Student.
• Experience testing Workday Student modules including Student Core, Admissions, Curriculum Management, Financial Aid, Student Records, and Academic Advising.
• Experience supporting higher education enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations.
• Strong familiarity with Workday release management, biannual release cycles, and regression testing.
• Experience using testing and defect management tools including Smartsheet, JIRA, Azure DevOps, or similar applications.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide testing programs for complex technology implementations.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

• Advanced knowledge of enterprise software testing methodologies and quality assurance principles.
• Knowledge of ERP implementation lifecycles and testing governance.
• Knowledge of higher education administrative processes and student information systems.
• Understanding of Workday Student architecture and implementation methodologies.
• Enterprise testing strategy development.
• Test planning, execution, and quality assurance.
• Project coordination and stakeholder management.
• Risk assessment and issue resolution.
• Defect management and reporting.
• Communication, facilitation, and presentation.
• Analytical problem solving and continuous process improvement.
• Ability to develop and implement comprehensive testing strategies for complex enterprise systems.
• Ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional teams without direct supervisory authority.
• Ability to analyze testing outcomes, identify risks, and develop practical recommendations.
• Ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, functional stakeholders, and technical teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced implementation environment.
• Ability to establish collaborative relationships and build consensus across multiple institutions and departments.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when working with sensitive institutional and student information.

Physical Requirements: Duties performed causes light fatigue of eyes, fingers, or other faculties as a result of repetitive motion and/or long periods of standing or sitting. Duties require little physical effort in work with light to moderate (up to 25lbs) easy-to-handle materials.

Working Conditions: Job is performed in general office or comparable working area. Work schedules may vary during high volume periods.

Location and Funding:

This position can be based on any of the Vermont State Colleges System campuses or remote. If remote, the incumbent must reside within a U.S State that the Vermont State Colleges System is registered to do business and onsite travel will be required during critical phases of the Workday Student implementation, including key testing, deployment, and go-live milestones. This position is dependent on the availability of designated Workday implementation project funding. The position is funded through June 2028.

This general outline illustrates the type of work which characterizes the job classification. It is not an all-encompassing statement of the specific duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of individual positions assigned to the classification. 

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