Workday Technical Lead, Payroll, Time & Absence

Position Summary

The Workday Technical Lead Payroll Time & Absenceis responsible forthe end-to-end technical ownership design and governance of Workday Payroll Time Tracking and Absence modules. This role serves as the system authority for the domain ensuring scalable design data integrity and alignment with business and compliance requirements.

This positionoperateswithin IT and partners closely with Payroll HR and external vendors to deliver reliable efficient and compliant solutions. While not responsible for payroll processing this role is accountable for the systems and configurations that enableaccuratepayroll outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Domain Ownership & Technical Leadership

• Own the architectural and configuration guardrails for Payroll Time and Absence coordinating execution while retaining accountability for outcomes.
• Establish and maintain standards for configuration data integrity and system governance.
• Make and guide key decisions on system design scalability and long-term architecture.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex system and payroll-impacting issues.

System Design & Configuration

• Lead configuration of payroll elements time tracking rules and absence plans with a focus on scalability and maintainability.
• Ensure configurations support business requirements while minimizing downstream risk.
• Evaluate and redesign existing configurations to improve performance accuracy and usability.

Payroll Systems Enablement (U.S.)

• Ensure Workday Payroll configurations support accurate and compliant payroll processing.
• Partner with Payroll leadership to identify risks gaps and optimization opportunities.
• Own enterpriselevel resolution of payrollimpacting issues including root cause identification risk mitigation and longterm remediation.

Global Payroll Integration (India External Vendor)

• Own design and reliability of outbound payroll data integrations.
• Ensure data accuracy consistency and auditability across systems.
• Coordinate with external vendors to resolve systemic issues and improve processes.

Architecture Integrations & Data

• Own architectural decisions and tradeoffs for payroll time and absence integrations balancing compliance scalability and operational risk (e.g. EIB APIs vendor feeds)
• Ensure alignment between Workday and downstream/upstream systems
• Define and maintain data standards controls and validation processes

Workday Release & Change Governance

• Lead impact assessment and strategy for Workday biannual releases
• Establish testing standards and ensure high-quality deployment of changes
• Govern system changes to ensure stability and avoid unintended impacts

Continuous Improvement & Strategy

• Identify opportunities to simplify processes reduce manual work and improve system efficiency
• Translate business needs into scalable forward-looking system solutions
• Shape and influence the broader HR technology roadmap representing Payroll Time and Absence priorities and tradeoffs.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Act as the primary technical advisor and decision partner to Payroll HR and IT stakeholders
• Provide clear recommendations and guidance on system capabilities and limitations
• Influence decision-making through expertise and data-driven insights

Required Qualifications

• 5 years of Workday experience with deep expertise in:
• Workday Payroll (U.S.)
• Time Tracking
• Absence
• Proven experience owning system design and configuration decisions
• Strong understanding of payroll processes compliance and downstream impacts
• Experience supporting integrations and data flows across systems
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex problem-solving and root cause analysis

Preferred Qualifications

• Workday certifications in Payroll Time Tracking or Absence
• Experience with global payroll integrations and vendor coordination
• Experience with Workday integrations (EIB Studio APIs)
• Background in IT or HR technology environments

Success Factors

• Operates as the accountable owner of the domain not just a contributor
• Makes sound technical decisions with long-term impact in mind
• Balances stability with continuous improvement
• Anticipates risks and proactively addresses them
• Communicates complex technical concepts clearly to stakeholders

Location:

• Three days a week at a Guardian office in New York NY Holmdel NJ Stamford CT or Bethlehem PA.