HCM Service Partner - Academic Specialist
- Salary
- $78K–$86.8KUSD
- Hiring from
- United States
- Work type
- Hybrid
- Posted
- Oct 1, 2026
Job Description
The HCM Service team has an outstanding opportunity for an HCM Service Partner- Academic Specialist to join their team.
About this Opportunity
Reporting to the Manager of HCM Operations, the HCM Service Partner – Academic Specialist will operate as a member of a team dedicated to executing HCM Operation functions within the Workday HCM framework and serving as the escalated point of contact for resolution of customer HCM inquiries.
Key Responsibilities
Provide HCM Subject Matter Expertise (40%)
- Develop extensive knowledge across HCM policies and processes (both within and external to Workday HCM) and consistently apply this knowledge to the completion of tasks, and the direction given to UW units.
- Identify process improvement opportunities to deliver enhanced customer service to the organization. Determine specific learning needs for units, develop quick reference guides, conduct training in person and over the phone. Identify and develop relevant content for use within HR Operations which may be added to the working repository of knowledge content.
- Coordinate with other HCM Service Partner - Academic Specialists and the Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) to address escalated inquiries; develop content for regular meetings, maintain and enhance relationships, troubleshoot recurring issues, and address customer requests and internal HCM Ops/APF requests for process improvement.
- Develop and deliver relevant content to UW units through multiple mediums, including Security Role/Supervisory Org Consultations with departments, specialized content and presentation at Community of Practice (CoP) and APF Admin Forum Meetings, and holding independently maintained departmental check-ins and meetings as appropriate based on departmental proficiency.
- Apply HCM subject matter expertise to support Workday HCM testing activities when changes to the system are being configured for academic populations.
- Maintain expertise within Campus Human Resources on Academic and Staff/Student populations in order to provide accurate guidance and maintain data integrity in transaction review and internal HR Workday processes; participate in continuing education in compensation, employee lifecycle, and time & absence to support staff specialists and partner effectively with UW-IT Application Management.
- Have proficient knowledge of policy, procedure, and Workday fundamentals to support HRIS, APF and our Data Analysts with completion of routine audits of the system, to include monitoring for duplicate records, data integrity corrections, and outreach for educational/coaching opportunities for campus units.
Serve as the Lead HCM Service Partner to Assigned Client Organizations/Departments (30%)
- Acting as the primary point of contact for Academic population HCM business processes, provide advanced consultative expertise to support the University’s administration by resolving complex HR and Payroll inquiries in Workday.
- Provide tailored training/education to campus administrative staff and/or named support contacts on system and business process; this may be scheduled or ad hoc in nature, in both formal and informal settings.
- Ensure review of assigned Workday transactions and UWConnect tickets in accordance with established standards for HCM Operations; effectively manage daily/weekly workload by quickly identifying and prioritizing payroll impacting transactions and requests, as well as monitoring and assisting with HCM Service Partner - Staff Specialist's transaction and ticket queue.
- Proactively consult with assigned departments on proposed employee changes in Workday, including HCM action, Security Role assignment and Supervisory Organization review; recommend approach to the unit; verify, approve and execute changes to ensure appropriate reflection of changes in Workday.
- Review/approve a variety of HCM transactions and identify transactions that must be sent back due to missing necessary data integrity components, analyze audit reports and take proactive measures as required to minimize lapses in data integrity. This includes consulting with administration within individual units on security roles, delegation requests, and general access in collaboration with the Operations Manager and/or Director; it is expected that the HCM Service Partner - Academic Specialist will lead these consultations with units and manage the delegation of the work resulting from sessions with departments.
- Deliver exceptional customer service to Named Support Contacts, including managing Teams messages that may interrupt standard workflow or deviate from scheduled business process review. Invest in substantial relationship development and rapport building with assigned client base.
HCM Team Leadership and Oversight (25%)
- Acting as a subject matter expert in the HCM domain and Workday functionality, provide day-to-day guidance to the staff specialist in all matters related to staff and student populations; assist in answering complex customer questions when issues require escalation, train/mentor staff specialists to improve knowledge; research complex issues and document results to build collective knowledge base for utilization by the HCM Operations team.
- Facilitate and contribute to projects and process improvement initiatives; Contribute to user procedure design and configuration design if needed; Develop documentation in response to identified opportunities for campus continuing education; Lead presentations to campus units and HR staff on relevant topics; partner effectively with IT Application Management, the Service Support Team, and others who manage these projects and initiatives.
- Manage incoming ticket and transaction queues for the Team, ensuring balanced workload during periods of unbalanced population transaction volumes; ensure populations are allocated properly, and proactively work with Supervisor, Director and/or Employee Workday Help queue managers to ensure documentation is up to date available for proper routing; Proactively triage and route escalated tickets appropriately to improve efficiency.
- Assume responsibility and accountability for transactions of advanced complexity, requiring greater system/policy knowledge.
Other Duties as Assigned (5%)
- Collaboration with HR Teams on escalations driven by, but potentially unrelated to direct client support (Employee Workday Help, Benefits/Payroll Operations, Application Management, HRIS, APF).
Required Qualifications
To be considered for this opportunity your application must demonstrate you meet both the minimum qualifications and additional qualifications listed below. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.
Minimum Qualifications
Applicants who do not meet these qualifications WILL NOT be forwarded to the Hiring Department.
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Payroll, Business Administration, Business Management, or a related field
- Four years of relevant experience, including at least three years in HR, Benefits, and/or Payroll.
Additional Qualifications
- Experience providing leadership in an HCM environment, including staff training, delegation, and work planning.
- Hands-on experience processing transactions in an HCM system, with proficiency in Workday or a similar HCM platform.
- Experience partnering with departmental transactional initiators and navigating the organizational dynamics of distributed organizations.
- Strong customer service experience, including resolving complex inquiries and working effectively during high-volume periods.
- Experience supporting system testing and/or data validation activities.
Working Conditions
- This position is asked to work a hybrid schedule in the HR office and remotely on a continued basis. The successful candidate must be able to work efficiently and effectively in a home and office environment.
- Work in an open office environment and contribute to collaborative teamwork focused on problem-solving. Daily interactions with other team members, subject matter experts and stakeholders at all levels of the organization. While the general working hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., the HCM Service Partner may, on occasion, be asked to adjust hours to accommodate the business needs and deadlines.
- The typical day for a HCM Service Partner may extend past normal business hours as they will be responsible for working after-hours to help support emergency escalations and support Medical Center, Facilities, and other staff who work after-hours.
- The HCM Service Partner will have to exercise independent judgement based on urgency, priority, and level of impact to understand the criticality of requests to deem which ones will have to be resolved after-hours and which requests can wait till the next business day.
Compensation, Benefits and Position Details
Pay Range Minimum:
$78,000.00 annualPay Range Maximum:
$86,820.00 annualOther Compensation:
-Benefits:
For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/Shift:
First Shift (United States of America)Temporary or Regular?
This is a regular positionFTE (Full-Time Equivalent):
100.00%Union/Bargaining Unit:
Not ApplicableAbout the UW
Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.
UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.
Our Commitment
The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.
To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.
Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.
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