Workday Student Financials Consultant

Key Responsibilities

• Lead discovery and design sessions for tuition and fee assessment, student billing, payments, payment plans, sponsorships, refunds and receivables.
• Configure Student Financials business processes, rules, charge structures, due dates and accounting related requirements.
• Design practical handling for waivers, adjustments, reversals, third party arrangements and exceptional cases.
• Configure student account processes in alignment with institutional policy, financial controls and regulatory requirements.
• Work with Student Records and finance stakeholders to align the financial impacts of enrolment, changes, withdrawal and completion events.
• Document requirements, design decisions and configuration.
• Apply your higher education experience to shape practical future-state processes for student finance and student administration teams.
• Bring an understanding of how Australian or New Zealand universities manage student fees and finances to design discussions, including Commonwealth supported places, HELP loans, the eCAF process and Commonwealth Assistance Notice, so Workday Student is configured for local fee structures, funding arrangements, terminology and policy settings.
• Identify data, security, reporting and integration requirements, including payment gateways, banking and finance platforms.
• Define reconciliation, operational reporting and audit requirements for student financial activity.
• Prepare and execute unit testing, support end to end testing and assist with defect resolution.
• Support data conversion validation, opening balance activities, 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 student accounts, student fees, university finance, receivables or a related higher education finance function.
• Understanding of tuition and fee assessment, billing, payments, refunds, sponsorships and reconciliation.
• Working knowledge of Commonwealth supported places and HELP loans, including student contribution amounts, HELP eligibility and census date rules, and how they flow through fee assessment, student accounts and government reporting.
• Familiarity with the regulatory context for student fees and finance in Australia or New Zealand, such as HELP arrangements under the Higher Education Support Act, TCSI reporting and ESOS National Code refund requirements, or Fees Free and StudyLink arrangements.
• 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) or enterprise finance systems.
• Ability to translate financial policy and operational requirements into structured system design.
• Experience facilitating workshops, documenting decisions and working across finance, student administration and technology teams preferred.
• Experience with testing, financial validation, data conversion, training or deployment readiness activities preferred.

About the Cognizant Workday Student Practice

Qualifications

• Familiarity with the regulatory context for student fees and finance in Australia or New Zealand, such as HELP arrangements under the Higher Education Support Act, TCSI reporting and ESOS National Code refund requirements, or Fees Free and StudyLink arrangements.

Preferred Qualifications

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