Workday Student, Engagement Manager

At Cognizant, we partner with Australian and New Zealand higher education institutions to deliver large‑scale, outcomes‑driven Workday transformations. As a Delivery Lead / Workday Engagement Manager, you will be accountable for the end‑to‑end delivery of Workday implementations with a focus on Workday Student.  

Leveraging deep Australian higher education student administration experience the Engagement Manager will lead complex, multi‑workstream programs across Recruiting & Admissions, Student Records, Academic Advising, and related Student Administration functions. Acting as the primary delivery owner and senior client contact, you will balance strategic oversight with hands‑on leadership to ensure high‑quality outcomes, regulatory alignment, and long‑term client success. 

This role blends deep functional understanding of higher education and student administration with program governance, financial accountability, and stakeholder leadership across university executives, functional leaders, and delivery teams. 

Responsibilities: 

• Lead and govern complex, multi‑phase implementations across Australian and New Zealand higher education institutions, ensuring alignment to agreed outcomes and delivery standards, including end-to-end accountability for scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk management, decision support and executive-level reporting. 

• While leading initial HCM and Finance deployments for higher education clients, ensure the student deployment methodology is aligned and implementation-ready for subsequent Workday Student delivery. 

• Act as a senior functional process leader across Workday Student areas including Recruiting & Admissions, Student Records, and Academic Advising 

• Guide solution design at a high-level to align institutional policies, student lifecycle processes, and future‑state operating models  

• Oversee that solutions reflect Australian higher education regulatory, reporting, and compliance requirements 

• Actively contribute to the growth of the Workday Student practice through knowledge sharing, capability development, and thought leadership  

• Become an expert in Workday's Implementation Methodology and use it on all engagements.  

• Work with the client project manager to identify/resolve all issues that could impact project scope and/or timeframes.  

• Assist in the transition of the client from professional services to product support.  

• Serve as the first escalation point and trusted advisor for university stakeholders  

• Facilitate executive steering committees, design authority forums, and delivery assurance checkpoints, including support for Workday Delivery Assurance Reviews 

• Lead, mentor, and develop cross‑functional delivery teams, including functional and technical consultants and change workstream leads  

• Support business development activities, including solution shaping, proposals, and client pursuits 

Skills & Requirements: 

• Significant senior operational leadership experience within the Australian higher education sector, with accountability for one or more student administration functions (e.g. Admissions, Enrolment, Student Records, Academic Progression, or Student Finance). Responsibility for policy, process, service delivery, and staff leadership.  

• Demonstrated understanding of the end‑to‑end student lifecycle and its intersection with academic policy, governance, and institutional strategy. 

• Deep, practical knowledge of Australian higher education regulatory, compliance, and reporting obligations including TCSI, CSP and HELP Loan administration (including working eCAF process knowledge), TEQSA, ESOS (including PRISMS process knowledge) and ASQA.   

• Proven experience translating institutional policies, academic regulations, and operational practices into scalable system and process designs coupled with a strong appreciation of the operational impacts of system change on students, staff, and faculties keeping service quality and student experience at the centre. 

• Hands‑on experience leading or sponsoring major student system implementations or transformations is preferred (e.g. SIS replacement, digital admissions, enrolment modernisation), ideally including Workday Student or comparable SaaS/ERP platforms.  

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience 7-10 years of experience leading student administration workstreams in an operational capacity (Admissions, Enrolment, Records, Student Financials). 

• Previous Workday experience strongly preferred but not required. 

• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively manage customer expectations 

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, particularly Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint 

• Minimal travel required, but must be willing to travel on-site if needed 

• Workday certifications desired but not required if significant client-side experience exists including subject matter expertise in one of the required functional areas 

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Why choose Cognizant:

• Entrepreneurial environment that welcomes your ideas
• Opportunity to do great work
• Outreach programs that support communities and tap into your volunteer spirit
• Learning opportunities to help current needs and advancement
• Global operations, with opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific
• An abundance of Affinity groups to meet your needs

Cognizant Core Values:

• Work as One: We think beyond roles, relying on each other’s strengths to win as a team.
• Raise the Bar: We always aim for excellence in how we work and what we deliver.
• Dare to Innovate: We push boundaries and take chances to reimagine what’s possible.
• Do the Right Thing: We all lead with integrity and always make the ethical choice.
• Own It: We own the outcomes for our company, colleagues, and community.