Senior Specialist, Finance Business Applications (Workday)

University of Ottawa

36d

About The Position

Reporting to the Business Product Manager, provides expert guidance and support to stakeholders by translating complex business requirements into precise technical specifications, with a strong focus on financial management and reporting. Configures, maintains, and enhances Workday Finance and other cloud-based financial applications to optimize finance operations. Leads comprehensive testing and validation of system configurations to ensure accuracy and compliance. Performs advanced data analytics to deliver actionable insights and supports process improvement initiatives aimed at efficiency and scalability. Demonstrates deep financial expertise to design and develop robust reporting solutions that meet strategic and operational needs. Works closely with units across campus and possesses a solid understanding of business operations, policies, regulatory requirements, systems, and priorities. Possesses a customer-centric mindset and directly supports stakeholders and product owners on their requests. Delivers training, develops user guides, and supports change management initiatives. Its work directly contributes to administrative efficiency and service quality. Supports management with insights conducive to strategic and impactful decision-making. Maintains the effectiveness and efficiency of its systems to meet business objectives and reporting obligations.

Requirements

• University Degree in Commerce, Administration, Business Technology Management or/and an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting business units and their system needs.
• Experience in project and change management
• Thorough knowledge and experience of finance business processes, rules, policies, priorities, and regulations.
• Knowledge of the administrative operations of public institutions.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Business Intelligence, or other data management tools to manipulate, convert, clean, and present complex data.
• Knowledge of computing principles and the configuration and development of finance technical applications.
• Experience conducting client needs assessments and prioritizing business requirements.
• Experience writing and maintaining business and technical documentation, and providing training.
• Experience coordinating operational services for clients with diverse needs.
• Ability to negotiate and influence clients in accepting solutions that align both the strategic goals of the University and short- and long-term client requirements.
• Strong analytical skills to convert business requirements into functional specifications, as well as the ability to conceptualize individual requirements and create links between different stakeholders’ needs.
• Ability to adapt to ever-changing requirements and processes, challenge ideas, and accept new methods and procedures.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting Workday Finance (Workday trainings and certifications will be considered an asset).
• Professional designation is an asset (HR, CPA, SCMA, or Business Analysis)
• Bilingualism – French and English (spoken and written).

Responsibilities

• Business and technical support: Intimately understands customers’ operational and strategic needs and provides expert advice to improve procedures or system configurations.
• Offers a simple, seamless, and collaborative stakeholder experience to customers.
• Reviews system capabilities and workflows and identifies ways to simplify the client’s experience.
• Addresses inefficiencies or configuration issues and escalates as necessary.
• Assists clients in the evaluation of their current processes and identifies new techniques to take full advantage of system capabilities.
• Keeps apprised of evolving industry tools and business processes and recommends improvements.
• Business process & system maintenance: Maintains and modifies business processes, workflows, naming conventions, and data masters in accordance with approved design principles, governance frameworks, and institutional business rules, procedures, and policies.
• Assigns security roles and develops custom reports.
• Identifies and resolves quality problems and troubleshoots and fixes bugs.
• Monitors master data relationships, ensures master data integrity (by addressing record duplications, format inconsistencies, incompleteness, inaccuracies, etc).
• Its core system will be the ERP (on modules for accounting, asset management, grants management, the foundation data model structure, financial planning, procurement, sourcing, inventory management, expenses, payroll, human capital management, compensation, time tracking and absence, position control and organization management).
• However, it will also support other Finance and HR applications.
• Change management: Supports continuous improvements and change management efforts across the University and ensures smooth transitions from current to desired business practices.

Benefits

• The University of Ottawa offers a generous pay and benefits package that includes a competitive salary, a defined benefit pension plan, group insurance coverage and an employee and family assistance program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees