Executive Director, Workday COE

USAA•San Antonio, TX

13h

About The Position

Why USAA? At USAA, our mission is to empower our members to achieve financial security through highly competitive products, exceptional service and trusted advice. We seek to be the #1 choice for the military community and their families. Embrace a fulfilling career at USAA, where our core values – honesty, integrity, loyalty and service – define how we treat each other and our members. Be part of what truly makes us special and impactful. The Opportunity Tasks: Leads the Workday COE team, providing strategic direction and oversight of day-to-day platform operations, including business process configuration, issue resolution, and system optimization across HR practice areas. Oversees Workday security administration, including role-based access, security group design, and role provisioning practices aligned with least-privilege principles and audit requirements. Establishes and maintains Workday platform governance practices, including change management, documentation standards, and risk mitigation protocols in partnership with HRIT, compliance, and audit teams. Leads the intake and translation of business needs into actionable Workday requirements, facilitating requirements gathering sessions with HR COEs, business partners, and cross-functional stakeholders to define scalable solutions. Provides oversight and strategic guidance for Workday testing and release readiness, including test planning, script development, execution, and defect resolution in partnership with HRIT and HR COEs. Ensures documentation of Workday business processes, configuration changes, and operational procedures is accurate, version-controlled, and audit-ready, aligned with governance standards. Drives delivery and optimization of Workday reporting and dashboards to support HR and business operations, promote self-service reporting, and maintain alignment with association data governance standards. Identifies and drives initiatives to optimize HR processes, leveraging Workday functionality, reducing manual work, and improving operational efficiency. Partners with HR Operations, Employee Experience, and Digital teams to enhance Workday usability, navigation, and self-service capabilities for employees, managers, and HR partners. Serves as a strategic advisor to HR leadership on Workday capabilities, platform roadmap, and opportunities to enhance HR service delivery through technology. Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures. The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree; OR 4 years of related experience (in addition to the minimum years of experience required) may be substituted in lieu of degree.
10 years of progressive experience in HR technology, HR Operations, or Workday administration.
Deep expertise in Workday HCM, including business process configuration, security administration, reporting, and operational support.
Experience leading Workday operations, governance, and/or platform support teams.
Strong understanding of internal controls, audit practices, and compliance requirements related to HR systems.
Demonstrated ability to lead requirements gathering, testing cycles, and structured release management processes, delivering scalable, high-quality solutions.
Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and executive influencing skills, with the ability to partner across HR, HRIT, and business functions.
Proven ability to translate complex business needs into strategic, scalable HR technology solutions that enhance HR service delivery.

Responsibilities

Leads the Workday COE team, providing strategic direction and oversight of day-to-day platform operations, including business process configuration, issue resolution, and system optimization across HR practice areas.
Oversees Workday security administration, including role-based access, security group design, and role provisioning practices aligned with least-privilege principles and audit requirements.
Establishes and maintains Workday platform governance practices, including change management, documentation standards, and risk mitigation protocols in partnership with HRIT, compliance, and audit teams.
Leads the intake and translation of business needs into actionable Workday requirements, facilitating requirements gathering sessions with HR COEs, business partners, and cross-functional stakeholders to define scalable solutions.
Provides oversight and strategic guidance for Workday testing and release readiness, including test planning, script development, execution, and defect resolution in partnership with HRIT and HR COEs.
Ensures documentation of Workday business processes, configuration changes, and operational procedures is accurate, version-controlled, and audit-ready, aligned with governance standards.
Drives delivery and optimization of Workday reporting and dashboards to support HR and business operations, promote self-service reporting, and maintain alignment with association data governance standards.
Identifies and drives initiatives to optimize HR processes, leveraging Workday functionality, reducing manual work, and improving operational efficiency.
Partners with HR Operations, Employee Experience, and Digital teams to enhance Workday usability, navigation, and self-service capabilities for employees, managers, and HR partners.
Serves as a strategic advisor to HR leadership on Workday capabilities, platform roadmap, and opportunities to enhance HR service delivery through technology.
Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.