Role Summary:
We are seeking an experienced, high-impact Senior Program Manager – Workday Implementation to lead the end-to-end transformation of our global Human Capital Management (HCM) landscape.
In this role, you will own the program delivery, governance, execution, and stabilization of client’s enterprise Workday rollout. You will be responsible for transitioning the client away from shared/legacy enterprise HR systems into a standalone, scalable, best-in-breed HR technology ecosystem.
You will act as the single point of accountability bridging Enterprise IT, HR (People Team), Finance, Information Security, and external Systems Integrators (Implementation Partners). This role requires exceptional program leadership, deep technical and business acumen, vendor management rigor, and the hands-on ability to navigate complex enterprise integrations across SAP, Okta, Concur, Ashby, and custom platforms.
Key Responsibilities:
1. End-to-End Program Ownership & Execution
- Lead the complete program lifecycle for the Workday implementation from initial planning, solution architectural design, build, and integration testing through cutover, go-live, and hypercare/stabilization.
- Define and own the master program plan, including scope, integrated master schedule, budget tracking, resource allocation, critical path dependencies, risk logs, and key deliverables.
- Drive core implementation workstreams: data extraction/cleansing/migration, unit testing, integration testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), parallel payroll runs, and cutover readiness.
2. Integration & Architecture Alignment:
- Oversee complex enterprise technical integrations connecting Workday HCM as the single source of truth to surrounding systems:
- Talent Acquisition: Ashby Workday candidate-to-hire pipelines.
- Identity & Access Management: Workday Okta automated user lifecycle provisioning (Joiner/Mover/Leaver).
- ERP & Financials: Workday SAP cost center, general ledger, and organizational hierarchy syncs.
- Travel & Expense: Workday Concur employee master feeds.
- Ensure data security, Privacy compliance, GDPR, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) frameworks are strictly designed and maintained across all system boundaries.
3. Governance, Vendor Management & Executive Reporting:
- Manage primary Systems Integrator (SI) and implementation vendor relationships, enforcing deliverable quality, scope boundaries, SLA adherence, and milestone-based approval/payment gates.
- Establish program governance structures, including Steering Committee cadence, Change Control Boards (CCB), and daily/weekly project status dashboards.
- Provide clear, data-driven executive reporting to C-suite and VP leadership regarding program health, risk mitigation strategies, and critical dependencies.
4. Change Management & Standalone Readiness:
- Support business readiness and organizational change management strategies to ensure smooth operational handover from legacy shared services to internal HR/People Operations teams.
- Lead cutover window planning (e.g., system freezes, payroll locks, data migration runs) with zero impact to business continuity or employee payroll accuracy.
- Facilitate comprehensive documentation, knowledge transfer sessions, and operational handoff to internal support and maintenance teams.
Qualifications:
Minimum Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise IT program management, with a proven focus on large-scale HR technology transformations.
- Track record of leadership: Direct experience leading at least two (2) full lifecycle, complex Workday HCM implementations (from kickoff to post-go-live stabilization) in enterprise environments.
- Technical Acumen: Deep understanding of Workday core architecture (Core HR, Benefits, Payroll, Compensation, Talent Management) and enterprise integration patterns (EIBs, Core Connectors, Workday Studio, RaaS).
- Cross-Functional Delivery: Demonstrated experience leading multi-vendor, cross-functional teams spanning IT, HR Business Partners, Enterprise Architecture, Security, and Finance.
- Vendor Management: Strong background controlling implementation partners (SIs) regarding change orders, budget tracking, and deliverable quality.
- Location: Ability to work on-site/hybrid from client’s headquarters in Irvine, CA.
Preferred Qualifications
- Corporate Carve-Out / Separation Experience: Prior experience in corporate carve-outs, joint venture separations, or migrating from shared-services legacy models to standalone enterprise stacks.
- Ecosystem Familiarity: Hands-on operational understanding of SAP ERP, Okta IAM, SAP Concur, and Ashby ATS.
- Certifications: Workday Pro / Workday Functional Certifications, Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile/Scrum (SAFe/CSM) credentials.
- Scale: Experience supporting fast-paced, high-growth organizations with global footprint (manufacturing, hardware/software hybrid environments).
Core Competencies & Soft Skills
- Ambiguity Navigator: Thrives in fast-moving, evolving startup-to-enterprise environments without requiring pre-existing playbooks.
- Decisive Communicator: Ability to translate deep technical/architectural issues into clear business trade-offs for executive leadership.
- Vendor Accountability: Firm, fair approach to managing external partners and protecting internal budgets and schedules.
- Empathy for Frontline Users: Highly focused on creating friction-free technology experiences for both corporate employees and manufacturing shop-floor workforce.
