Change Management Specialist

Change Management Specialist

The Change Management Specialist will be a driving force in advancing organizational change initiatives across Barnard College, with a focus on systems, processes, and people. This role is ideal for a proactive, resourceful professional who thrives in a dynamic, highly collaborative, and politically nuanced environment. Success requires more than technical expertiseit calls for resilience, cultural intelligence, and the ability to listen, learn, and tailor strategies to the unique character of the Barnard community. The Specialist will design and execute change management strategies, lead stakeholder engagement, and deliver training and communication plans that help staff and faculty embrace new systems, processes, and ways of working. This individual will act as a connector across departments, translating complex change into clear, practical actions and ensuring initiatives land successfully.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute tailored comprehensive change management strategies to support adoption of new systems and processes across the College, with sensitivity to community dynamics.
• Lead communications planning for major initiatives, including creating messaging, FAQs, guides, presentations, and digital content with diverse audiences.
• Partner with Barnard College departments including, for example, Finance, BCIT, Communications, Inclusion & Belonging, and academic departments on project rollouts such as Workday Student, ensuring smooth transitions and broad stakeholder readiness.
• Design, deliver, and assess training and facilitation programs (live and digital) that prepare staff and faculty to succeed with new systems and processes.
• Collaborate with the rest of the People Experience team to develop and host training resources in the College's learning management system (LMS), BCLearn, for scalable, ongoing learning.
• Build and sustain a change champion network to encourage adoption, collect real-time feedback, and foster engagement across departments.
• Conduct stakeholder assessments, readiness checks, and feedback sessions to identify readiness and critical gaps, address concerns, and guide continuous improvement.
• Partner with leaders to develop clear operational communications and contingency plans for system and process changes across the College.
• Leverage technology to deliver effective communications, training, and adopting tracking.
• Serve as a bridge builder and connector across project teams, ensuring alignment between technology, operations, and people experience goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements:

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to thrive in complex, nuanced, and evolving environments; resilient and solutions-oriented.
• Strong expertise in change management methodologies (communications, stakeholder engagement, readiness, adoption).
• Proven ability to design and deliver training, both in-person and virtually, with strong facilitation skills.
• Experience developing and maintaining training resources in an LMS.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to simplify complex topics for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated skills in influence and curiosity.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work in a matrixed environment across multiple functions.
• Highly organized, able to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
• Comfort with ambiguity and shifting priorities.
• Technically adept, with experience supporting change in Workday or other enterprise systems a plus.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum 5 years' experience in change management, organizational development, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience in system-related change initiatives, including training and communications components
• Proficiency with productivity and collaboration tools (e.g., G Suite, MS Office, project management software)

Preferred Qualifications :

• Experience supporting Workday projects, particularly in higher education
• Change management certification (e.g., Prosci, ACMP)
• Experience in designing and delivering training programs, both live and through LMS platforms
• Prior experience in higher education or complex organizational environments

This job is currently a hybrid position, but may require a presence in the office up to five times a week depending on operational needs.

Salary Range: $115,000 - $120,000 annually

Company: Barnard College

Time Type: Full time