Workday Release manager

1. Context & Role Purpose strategic program to deploy Workday as the global HR platform, replacing legacy systems across multiple countries and business units through a phased, wave-based rollout. The Release Manager is a dedicated, full-time function within CHORUS, accountable for end-to-end release planning, governance, and execution across two simultaneous and interdependent workstreams: • Workday product releases (biannual R1/R2 cycles) – evaluation, impact analysis, regression, and adoption decisions • CHORUS wave deployments (country go-lives) – sequencing, environment alignment, cutover, and stabilisation What distinguishes this role from a standard Release or Programme Manager is the dual accountability across a live SaaS platform release cycle and a multi-year, multi-country enterprise deployment. The role holder must manage these two tracks in parallel, preventing conflicts between Workday's update calendar and CHORUS go-live windows, while maintaining a single, stable global system version across all tenants. 2. Key Responsibilities 2.1 Release Strategy & Planning • Define and maintain the integrated release calendar spanning Workday biannual releases (R1/R2) and CHORUS rollout waves • Plan feature adoption cycles accounting for payroll calendars, SIT/UAT windows, and country go-live readiness • Establish and communicate entry/exit criteria for each release gate • Make timely decisions on feature adoption vs deferral, with documented rationale 2.2 Workday Release Management (Core Workday-Specific Accountability) • Manage the full Workday release lifecycle for each biannual update: ◦ Review release notes and new feature content during the Workday preview window (5–6 weeks before production update) ◦ Coordinate functional leads (HCM, Payroll, Talent, Absence) to assess relevance and applicability of each feature ◦ Drive formal opt-in / opt-out decisions with documented business justification ◦ Manage Workday Feature Adoption Tracker across all functional domains • Conduct configuration impact analysis to determine whether new features affect existing business process configurations, calculated fields, or integrations • Validate backwards compatibility of Workday updates against live tenant configurations • Manage Workday Community engagement – monitor release-specific Known Issues, Brainstorms, and Customer Advisory communications 2.3 Regression & Quality Ownership • Own end-to-end regression testing for each Workday release and CHORUS deployment • Maintain a regression test suite covering core HR, Payroll, Talent, Absence, and all active integrations • Ensure no Workday update disrupts existing live configurations or integration payloads before production promotion • Work with QA leads to define defect severity thresholds and release approval criteria • Track defect lifecycle from identification through resolution and sign-off 2.4 Environment & Tenant Management • Maintain release version alignment across all Workday tenants (Sandbox / Implementation / Production) – no tenant divergence permitted • Manage promotion sequencing across environments: Sandbox → Implementation Tenant → Production • Oversee Workday Transport Management (Studio, EIB, calculated field migrations) • Coordinate with Workday and AMS teams on environment refresh scheduling and tenant configuration 2.5 Cross-Wave Dependency & Timeline Management • Identify and govern cross-dependencies between Workday platform releases and CHORUS wave go-lives • Enforce a release freeze protocol around go-live windows – no Workday update promotions during active SIT, UAT, or cutover periods • Manage complexities arising from parallel states: countries already live on Workday vs countries still in implementation • Sequence release activities to protect countries in UAT from mid-cycle configuration changes 2.6 Release Governance & Decision Frameworks • Lead the Release Governance framework, including Change Advisory Board (CAB) and Go/No-Go decision forums • Prepare structured release recommendations for program leadership based on impact analysis, testing outcomes, and deployment readiness • Ensure all release decisions meet defined quality, audit, and compliance standards • Maintain a release decision log and audit trail for all opt-in/opt-out and deferral decisions 2.7 Cutover & Deployment Oversight • Define and manage cutover plans for each wave deployment, including data migration, system switchover, and business validation sequences • Validate pre-go-live readiness: all testing complete, governance approvals obtained, risk mitigations executed • Lead go-live coordination (command centre / war room) and oversee deployment execution with IT and AMS teams • Ensure rollback and contingency plans are in place and rehearsed prior to each deployment 2.8 Risk & Mitigation Management • Identify release-related risks including functional disruption, payroll impact, timing conflicts, and vendor dependency • Define and execute risk mitigation plans – including deferral of updates, selective feature adoption, or release splitting • Proactively escalate risks to program leadership with recommended courses of action 3. Key Interfaces Stakeholder Nature of Interaction Workday CoE Lead / Programme Director Governance escalation, strategic alignment, Go/No-Go approvals Functional Leads (HCM, Payroll, Talent, Absence) Feature evaluation, opt-in decisions, UAT sign-off AMS / IT Delivery Teams Environment management, deployment execution, defect resolution Enterprise QA Test strategy, defect governance, release quality gates Workday (vendor) Release communication, known issues, preview coordination Country HR & Payroll Representatives Localisation readiness, payroll parallel run validation Cybersecurity & Data Protection Compliance validation for new features involving data or access changes Change Management Communication of release impacts to end users and business teams 4. Success Criteria • Controlled and predictable release cycles with no unplanned disruptions to production • Zero payroll or critical HR process failures attributable to a release or deployment • Effective alignment between Workday biannual releases and CHORUS wave go-lives – no conflicts • Single, consistent global system version always maintained across all tenants • High defect containment rate: defects identified and resolved within SIT/UAT, not post go-live • Full governance compliance: all release decisions documented, approved, and audit-ready • On-time wave delivery. 5. Profile & Qualifications Education • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Business Administration, or related discipline Experience • 10+ years of experience in release management, program delivery, or enterprise IT transformation • Proven experience managing Workday releases through the biannual update cycle (R1/R2), including preview evaluation, impact analysis, and opt-in governance • Experience of at least one large-scale, multi-country Workday HCM implementation (preferred) • Demonstrated track record managing payroll-integrated system releases, with understanding of payroll parallel run sequencing • Familiarity with Workday tenant architecture, environment types (Sandbox, Implementation, Production), and promotion workflows Technical Skills – Workday Specific Benchmark expectation: candidates should demonstrate hands-on familiarity, not just conceptual knowledge. • Understanding of Workday release mechanics: preview tenants, feature activation, backwards compatibility, and Known Issue management • Working knowledge of Workday HCM functional areas: Core HR, Payroll (including integrations), Talent, Absence • Familiarity with Workday integration framework (Studio, EIB, Core Connectors) sufficient to assess integration impact of releases • Ability to read and interpret Workday release notes and translate them into business and technical impact assessments • Experience with Workday Community: navigating release documentation, Known Issues, and Workday Brainstorm Program & Governance Skills • Strong command of release management frameworks (ITIL, SAFe, or equivalent) and their application in SaaS environments • Experience leading Change Advisory Boards and Go/No-Go governance forums • Proficiency in managing cross-functional, cross-geography dependencies in complex matrix organizations • Structured approach to risk identification, escalation, and mitigation planning 6. Behavioral Competencies Competency Observable Indicator Ownership & Accountability Takes end-to-end responsibility for release outcomes; does not escalate without a proposed solution Structured Decision-Making Makes data-informed go/no-go decisions under time pressure; documents and communicates rationale clearly Cross-Functional Collaboration Builds effective working relationships across IT, HR, payroll, and vendor teams in a matrixed global environment Risk Awareness Proactively identifies release risks; escalates early with mitigation plans rather than after impact Stakeholder Communication Translates technical release complexity into clear business-facing communications; adapts message for audience level Continuous Improvement Applies lessons learned across release cycles; builds repeatable, scalable governance models 7. Role Positioning Due to the complexity arising from simultaneous Workday product releases and phased global country deployments, this role is established as a dedicated, full-time function within CHORUS. It is not a shared or part-time accountability within a broader program management remit. The Release Manager operates at the intersection of platform governance and program delivery, requiring both technical depth in Workday's release model and the organizational capability to coordinate across a large, globally distributed transformation. Skills: Hcm Experience: 8.00-13.00 Years