Principal Specialist, People Analytics, Workday Product Support

This position requires strong functional knowledge of Workday Core HCM and HR operations, including employee lifecycle management, organizational structures, staffing models, position management, and job architecture. The successful candidate will have the ability to understand business requirements, provide functional guidance, and support the successful operation and continuous improvement of the Workday Core HCM platform.

You will work closely with HR Workday Product Managers to support the adoption of new capabilities, manage day-to-day Workday administration, and ensure that system changes and updates are thoroughly tested and successfully implemented.

As part of this role, you will be responsible for maintaining system documentation, supporting effective operational processes, developing and maintaining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and contributing to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that support consistent, high-quality service delivery.

your typical day includes

• Serving as the functional analyst for the Workday Core HCM module, supporting both day-to-day operational activities and longer-term enhancement initiatives.
• Acting as the primary functional point of contact for HR users, providing expert guidance and support on Workday Core HCM functionality.
• Maintaining Core HCM master data and reference data, including organizational structures, supervisory organizations, staffing models, job profiles, job families, positions, locations, companies, cost centers, and other organizational objects.
• Executing mass operational updates using Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB) and other approved Workday tools to support organizational changes, restructures, and workforce maintenance activities.
• Performing data validation and reconciliation activities to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of Workday Core HCM data.
• Supporting organizational restructures, acquisitions, and other workforce changes by maintaining accurate organizational and worker data.
• Managing the Workday Help queue by monitoring, triaging, prioritizing, and assigning support requests to ensure timely resolution and adherence to service level agreements (SLAs).
• Serving as the Level 1 escalation point for Workday Core HCM support requests referred by HR Operations and delivering timely resolutions.
• Collaborating with HR stakeholders, HR Operations, Global Process Owners, and Product Managers to improve operational processes and enhance the overall user experience.
• Developing and maintaining SOPs, process documentation, knowledge articles, and user guides to support consistent operational practices.
• Participating in scheduled and ad hoc training sessions to continuously build Workday product knowledge, HR policy understanding, and functional expertise.
• Partnering with Workday Product Managers to support ongoing system improvements, new feature adoption, testing activities, and deployment of Workday enhancements.
• Supporting integration testing, security testing, and annual business events to ensure the successful delivery of critical HR processes.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Workday Functional Expertise

• Strong functional knowledge of the Workday Core HCM module.
• Understanding of worker lifecycle management, supervisory organizations, staffing models, position management, job profiles, job families, job architecture, and organizational structures.
• Experience maintaining reference data and supporting mass data maintenance using Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB).
• Familiarity with Workday security concepts and their impact on Core HCM processes.
• Understanding of Workday integrations and downstream impacts on connected systems.

Operational Excellence

• Experience providing functional support within a Workday production support environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Experience supporting organizational restructures, acquisitions, reorganizations, and other large-scale HR initiatives.
• Experience managing the Workday Help queue, ensuring effective case triage, workload prioritization, and timely resolution of support requests in accordance with SLAs.
• Strong focus on operational excellence, governance, and data quality.

Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills

• Ability to investigate complex functional issues, identify root causes, and recommend practical solutions.
• Strong analytical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to assess operational impacts and support business requirements.

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to non-technical users.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships across HR, Product, IT, and business teams.
• Customer-focused approach with a commitment to delivering high-quality support and service.

Continuous Improvement

• Ability to identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and simplify business processes using standard Workday functionality.
• Commitment to maintaining high-quality documentation, knowledge articles, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Demonstrated willingness to continuously develop Workday knowledge and stay current with new functionality and industry best practices.

qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 6–8+ years of experience in HRIS or HR Technology, including at least 5+ years of hands-on experience supporting Workday Core HCM in a functional or HRIS support role.
• Experience supporting enterprise HR systems and HR Operations within a global or complex organization.
• Experience working in a global, matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders across HR, IT, and business functions.
• Experience supporting Workday production support, system enhancements, releases, testing, and post-production activities.
• Workday Core HCM Certification is highly preferred.
• Additional Workday certifications (such as Workday Pro or other functional certifications) are considered an advantage.

Is this the job for you? We would love to hear from you! Please apply directly to the role and we will get in touch with you.