Accounting Support & FDM Governance Manager

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

About The Position

Finance, Planning, and Budgeting (FPB) encompasses the major central financial, planning, analytical, and budgeting functions for the University of Washington, including: Finance Stewardship & Operations Institutional Analytics & Decision Support Budget, Policy & Strategy University Business Services The Accounting Support & FDM Governance Manager plays a pivotal role in overseeing the primary point of engagement for campus stakeholders for the Controller’s Office and ensuring the integrity, consistency, and usability of financial data across institutional systems. This role serves as the primary contact for change requests to the Foundation Data Model (FDM) framework, evaluating their impact and aligning them with financial reporting and institutional needs. The manager is responsible for resolving data-related issues, maintaining governance standards, and collaborating with cross-functional teams, including units within FPB, HR, and IT, to ensure seamless data integration and compliance with regulations such as GAAP and federal/state reporting. Success in this role requires a deep understanding of Workday Financials and the University of Washington’s FDM architecture, along with strong operational discipline and stakeholder engagement skills. The manager leads strategic projects involving financial data transformation and system upgrades, while also driving process improvements to enhance data workflows and reporting accuracy. Technical proficiency in Workday configuration is essential, along with experience in accounting and financial data operations—ideally within a higher education setting.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or a closely related discipline is , with a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation, either active or lapsed within the past six months or a Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA) credential strongly preferred.
To include five (5) years of progressive responsible accounting experience, including substantial leadership roles within higher education or large-scale organizations, and demonstrate expertise in external financial reporting, financial auditing, regulatory compliance, and financial enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, including at least three (3) years of progressively responsible management experience is required.
Commitment to developing others into leadership roles, possess demonstrated experience collaborating with diverse groups and teams, and be able to foster a culture of inclusion and equity throughout the team while supporting the overall values and culture of FPB.
Comprehensive understanding of enterprise systems design, configuration, analysis of downstream impacts, and reporting.
Proficiency in Excel pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and data visualization for financial analysis as well as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint), SharePoint, Teams, and other documentation and collaboration tools.
High - level problem-solving, analytical and communication skills with an ability to collaborate across business user , accounting, and technical teams.

Nice To Haves

SQL
PowerBI

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic design and evolution of the FDM to support institutional goals and operational efficiency, and works to expand the UCO’s core data program.
Define and maintain FDM standards and governance framework for unit-level and enterprise-wide data models, ensuring consistency across units and alignment with enterprise-wide reporting needs.
Drive data integrity, usability, and adaptability within the Workday ecosystem through cross-functional collaboration and continuous process improvement
Develop financial policies and standards that guide unit ‑ level and institutional accounting structures
Lead institution ‑ wide financial data analysis, modeling, and forecasting to evaluate the financial implications of proposed FDM and governance changes
Lead and manage strategic initiatives involving financial system upgrades, data transformation, or new Workday functionality, ensuring alignment with FDM architecture
Collaborate with business stakeholders and leaders, alongside technical partners, to continue to develop the University’s Core Data framework.
Provide leadership and manage the Accounting Support & FDM Governance Team .
Manage the day-to-day operations of the Accounting Support & FDM Governance Team
Develop and maintain a customer-centric culture within the team
Manage a team of professionals who will act as the first point of contact for change requests to the FDM and related core data frameworks, evaluating requests for adherence to existing methodology , and ensuring timely resolution of these requests
Work with a diverse group of individuals to create an inclusive environment and culture
Lead Accounting, Compliance & Governance’s Accounting Support & FDM Governance Team, including guidance and oversight of projects and workflow, and general project timelines
Responsible for management, staff development, career enrichment, and training
Partner with the Enterprise Accounting & Governance Director to address complex campus stakeholder requests
Ensure incoming tickets are addressed timely manner and items, including the development of escalation pathways for complex or cross-functional issues
Enforce and manage data governance policies and ensure Workday & core data configurations comply with internal controls, GAAP, and external reporting requirements
Proactively evaluate change requests, assess downstream impacts, and develop scalable solutions that support both internal financial planning and external compliance requirements
Oversee resolution of FDM-related tickets and inquiries. Act as an escalation point for complex data issues and coordinate with technical teams to troubleshoot and resolve
Work with ACG’s Education & Outreach team to develop and deliver training materials and documentation to guide units on proper FDM usage and configuration practices
Monitor data integrity and identify opportunities to streamline financial data workflows, reduce errors, and improve reporting accuracy
Leads financial program evaluation activities, ensuring consistency of financial data used in institutional reporting, audits, budgeting, and compliance processes
Conducts statistical and analytical reviews of financial data to identify trends, assess risks, and determine financial impacts of system or policy changes
Ensure training and cross training on business processes and systems
Oversee financial summaries and analysis to support program evaluation, resource planning, and policy updates
Other duties as assigned