Financial Systems Senior Manager, Workday

Covenant Living Communities and Services•Skokie, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Join our Finance Leadership team as Senior Manager of Financial Systems at Covenant Living Communities and Services. Covenant Living Communities and Services is a not-for-profit organization that has provided senior living and care for more than 130 years. With communities nationwide, we provide a welcoming, supportive, and vibrant environment for both residents and employees Covenant Living Communities and Services focuses on our employees’ entire wellbeing, offering professional development opportunities, career growth and robust total rewards. Our benefits package includes medical, dental and vision insurance, 403b with 3% employer match, paid time off, and much more! The Financial Systems Senior Manager position is a key role on Covenant Living's finance team and is located in the corporate office in Skokie, IL. This position is responsible not only for the administration of the Organization’s financial systems - Workday and Adaptive Planning – but also for driving digital transformation across finance and the broader organization. The Financial Systems Senior Manager will partner closely with Controllership, Financial Planning & Analysis, and cross-functional business stakeholders to expand system capabilities, eliminate manual/excel-based processes, and design scalable, data-driven solutions that support the Organization’s growth and strategic goals. This position acts as both project leader and hands-on configurator – managing the initiatives end-to-end while also executing detailed system work. This Financial Systems Senior Manager is ideal for someone who is equally comfortable shaping vision, leading change, and getting into the operational details needed to deliver results.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance, Info Systems or related degree.
At least 5 years of related experience in Financial Systems, Accounting and Finance
Experience with a combination of Workday’s Financial Accounting, Assets, Expenses, Procurement, Banking, Customers, Suppliers, Sponsors, Grants, and/or Projects modules as a super user or system administrator (required)
Experience with developing and writing Workday financial reports (required)
Deep understanding of Workday Financials functionality, configuration options, reporting tools, and workflow structures.
Strong knowledge of financial processes (e.g., general ledger, procure‑to-pay, revenue, budgeting/planning) and how they translate into system design.
Familiarity with project management methodologies, business requirements gathering, and change management practices.
Understanding of data structures, data governance, and best practices for maintaining a single source of truth.
Analytical and problem‑solving skills: Ability to break down complex processes, identify root causes, and design streamlined, scalable solutions.
Technical skills: Ability to configure Workday reports, dashboards, security roles, business processes, and system integrations.
Project management skills: Able to lead cross-functional initiatives from concept to deployment, balancing timelines, scope, and stakeholder expectations.
Communication skills: Ability to translate technical concepts into clear, business-friendly language and present recommendations to stakeholders at all levels.
Training and facilitation skills: Experience developing training materials, delivering instruction, and coaching end users through changes.
Ability to operate in both strategic and hands-on capacities—setting direction while personally executing detailed configuration work.
Ability to drive transformation by championing new ways of working and encouraging adoption of modern system capabilities.
Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams, build consensus, and guide stakeholders toward system-first solutions.
Ability to manage competing priorities, navigate ambiguity, and maintain progress in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Ability to think proactively and bring forward data-driven recommendations that improve efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making across the Finance organization.

Nice To Haves

Workday Pro Certification in Reporting, Financials, or relevant functional area (preferred but not required)
Experience with Workday’s Adaptive Planning system as a super user or system administrator (preferred but not required)
Experience in Health Care, Senior Living or related field (preferred but not required)

Responsibilities

System Leadership & Administration: Serve as the owner of Workday Financials and Adaptive Planning, ensuring reliable, secure, and optimized operations.
Partner with IT and other Workday analysts to resolve break/fix issues and proactively address system risks
Maintain and monitor system security, business process configurations, role assignments, and user access.
Create and maintain documentation, knowledge articles, and governance standards that support users and future scalability
End-User Support: Act as the primary subject matter expert for Workday Financials, guiding teams on best practices, new capabilities, and optimized configurations.
Provide day‑to‑day support for Finance users, including troubleshooting, report maintenance, and system enhancements.
Translate business questions into system solutions, including reports, dashboards, integrations, workflows, and automated processes.
Configuration and Reporting: Lead the design, build, and deployment of Workday reports, dashboards, scorecards, and data visualizations that drive decision‑making
Partner with functional leaders to identify opportunities to migrate excel-based processes into Workday and Adaptive Planning.
Analyze data, identify trends, and present insights in a clear, actionable format to Finance leaders and key stakeholders.
Champion the organization’s shift toward a single-system source of truth and away from manual, decentralized tools.
Process Improvement: Partner with Controllership, FP&A, and operations to assess current workflows, identify pain points, and design streamlined, automated solutions.
Lead cross‑functional process improvement projects from scoping through execution—including requirements gathering, configuration, testing, deployment, and ongoing iteration.
Prioritize initiatives in partnership with Finance leaders to ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
Standardize Training Structure & Facilitation: Redesign and maintain standardized training materials and governance structures for Workday Financials.
Facilitate onboarding and ongoing education for Finance and key business leaders, ensuring clear understanding of system processes and expectations.
Build communication plans and training for system changes, ensuring organization‑wide adoption.
Conduct regular audits to confirm compliance with established processes and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
System Release Management: Monitor Workday’s scheduled releases, new features, and emerging capabilities to identify relevant enhancements for the Organization.
Lead impact assessments, stakeholder reviews, user acceptance testing, and deployment of release‑driven updates.
Drive adoption of new system capabilities by demonstrating how enhancements improve efficiency, visibility, and decision‑making.