Director of Enterprise Data Systems

Colby College•Colby, KS

1d•$125,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

Colby College is seeking an experienced technology leader to oversee the stability, optimization, and continued evolution of its enterprise data systems. Reporting to the Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer, the director is the primary leader for the College’s Workday ecosystem, including Student, Finance, HCM, Adaptive, and Extend, as well as integrations with on-premises and third-party systems. The role partners with ITS staff, functional offices, technology partners, and consultants to align enterprise technology with institutional operations, strategic priorities, and long-term needs. This position is required to work onsite and does not support visa sponsorship. The director leads enterprise data solutions and processes, system administration and support, team leadership and project management, and data and reporting. The role oversees Workday configuration, security, releases, integrations, and system improvements; leads a hybrid team of application analysts and platform support personnel; and partners with institutional research, data governance, and analytics teams to support accurate and useful data. The position also manages vendor relationships and concurrent projects, and supports operational, academic, and regulatory reporting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise applications management, including at least 3 years of direct Workday support in a higher education environment.
At least 3 years of experience leading information technology teams, preferably in enterprise systems, data integration, and/or ERP.
Demonstrated expertise in Workday Student, Finance, and HCM, including configuration, security, reporting, and integrations.
Experience managing system releases, testing, and upgrades in a complex ERP environment.
Strong understanding of higher education administrative processes and compliance requirements.
Strong understanding of higher education culture, including the shared governance model.
Experience leading and developing functional and technical teams in a collaborative, customer-focused environment.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Ability to handle employee information, documents, and sensitive matters carefully and professionally.
Ability to respond to varied timelines, including urgent needs requiring quick turnaround.
Ability to interact professionally and respectfully with members of the public and others.
Ability to move regularly throughout office spaces, hallways, meeting rooms, and other campus locations.
Ability to use a computer, keyboard, and mouse for extended periods.
Vision sufficient to see clearly at close and far distances and adjust focus as needed.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
Certification(s) in Workday administration or Workday modules such as Student Financials or Workday Student.
Familiarity with API-based integrations, middleware platforms, and modern data management practices.
Experience with business process redesign in conjunction with ERP optimization.
Experience with enterprise system project management principles and execution.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and support planning, implementation, integration, and management of cloud-based and on-premises software in service of the College’s business and academic mission.
Serve as the primary leader for Colby’s Workday ecosystem, coordinating configuration, functionality, and adoption across Student, Finance, and HCM modules.
Collaborate with functional leaders across Enrollment, Academic Affairs, Finance, Student Financial Services, People Services, and other College divisions to align system capabilities with institutional priorities.
Promote continuous improvement and industry-standard best practices in enterprise systems, maximizing the College’s technology investment.
Work with functional areas to review system processes that may pose internal control risks and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
Manage vendor relationships, including post-production support with Workday and third-party software providers, to ensure service quality and resolve issues.
Represent Colby in relevant industry groups and stay current on industry trends and technological advancements.
Oversee Workday configuration, security administration, and release management for Student, Finance, and HCM.
Coordinate and prioritize Workday functional requests, defect resolution, and process improvements with ITS leadership and institutional functional teams.
Lead planning, testing, and deployment of Workday releases while minimizing operational disruption and supporting adoption of applicable features.
Manage Workday integrations with institutional systems, including Adaptive, learning management systems, Workday Extend, identity management, advancement solutions, reporting, data archive, data warehouse, and analytics platforms.
Lead creation and maintenance of system documentation, including business processes, data flows, integrations, and security configurations.
Serve as an escalation point for internal functional and technical resources and use external support resources as needed.
Lead, mentor, and develop a hybrid team of application analysts and platform support personnel in a collaborative, service-oriented environment.
Oversee concurrent projects and initiatives to support on-time and on-budget delivery.
Use structured project management and change management methods to guide system enhancements and institutional rollouts.
Review monthly external support utilization, identify recurring needs, and assess opportunities to handle work internally.
Partner with institutional research, data governance, and analytics teams to provide accurate, timely, actionable data from Workday and integrated applications.
Support standardized dashboards, operational reports, and compliance reporting for academic, administrative, and regulatory needs.
Perform additional duties as assigned; responsibilities and activities may change.