Workday Student Advising and Curriculum Management Principal Consultant

Join Cognizant's Workday Student Practice in Australia and New Zealand and help universities transform how they manage curriculum and support their students. Working directly with clients on Workday Student deployments, you'll lead design and configuration across curriculum management, academic planning and advising, and guide institutions on how the solution can best meet their needs and support their strategic goals. This is a real opportunity to grow your career while helping shape how the sector operates.

This role suits someone with a background in curriculum planning, academic administration or student advising who wants to apply that experience in a consulting career. You'll bring higher education and student systems expertise to every engagement, working closely with academic leaders, registrars and advisors, and making sure your designs align with Student Records and other areas of the Workday platform.

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead discovery and design sessions for academic advising, academic planning, curriculum management and related student processes.

• Configure the course catalogue, offerings and prerequisite rules, and support integration with the institution's curriculum management system.

• Design advising models including advisor assignments, caseloads, student cohorts, notes, appointments and communications.

• Configure academic requirements, student planning and progress monitoring in alignment with institutional policy and regulatory requirements.

• Work with Student Records and academic stakeholders to align curriculum, enrolment, progression and completion outcomes.

• Document requirements, design decisions and configuration

• Apply your higher education experience to shape practical future-state processes for curriculum and advising teams

• Bring an understanding of how Australian and New Zealand universities operate to design discussions, so Workday Student is configured for local academic structures, terminology and policy settings.

• Identify data, security, reporting and integration requirements associated with advising and curriculum processes.

• Prepare and execute unit testing, support end to end testing and assist with defect resolution.

• Support data conversion validation, cutover preparation, training and go live readiness.

• Provide clear advice on Workday leading practices while recognising institutional context and policy obligations.

• Contribute reusable configuration guidance, test assets and delivery methods to the Cognizant Student Practice.
  

Experience we are looking for 

• Experience in academic administration, curriculum management, registrar services, academic advising, student success or a related higher education function in an Australian or New Zealand University.

• Understanding of academic programs, courses, curriculum approval, progression, degree requirements and advising practices.

• Familiarity with the regulatory context for curriculum and student progression in Australia or New Zealand, such as the Higher Education Standards Framework, AQF, ESOS National Code and HESA Support for Students requirements, or CUAP programme approval and the Pastoral Care Code.

• Proven experience guiding business stakeholders through key operational and policy decisions, including presenting options, explaining trade-offs and securing agreement.

• Experience implementing, supporting or serving as a super-user for student information systems (SIS).

• Ability to translate academic policy and operational requirements into structured system design.

• Experience facilitating workshops, documenting decisions and working across academic and professional teams preferred.

• Experience with testing, data validation, training or deployment readiness activities preferred.
  

About the Cognizant Workday Student Practice

The Cognizant Workday Student Practice is focused exclusively on helping universities across Australia and New Zealand transform the way they support students, faculty and administrators throughout the student lifecycle. 

What makes our practice different is the combination of higher education practitioners and Workday specialists working together. Many of our consultants have worked inside universities as academic services professionals before moving into consulting. That experience allows us to bring practical insight into the operational, regulatory and policy considerations that shape solution design. 

We work with institutions to design and implement sustainable Workday Student solutions that support local regulatory requirements, align to institutional strategy and remain adaptable as university needs evolve. Our goal is not simply to deploy technology, but to help universities establish a foundation they can continue to own, operate and enhance long after implementation is complete. 

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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.