Head of Workday

Focus Cloud; Southend-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks a strategic and experienced Head of Workday to manage their Workday platform and drive user adoption. This permanent, full-time role involves optimizing system performance and leading a team during a key transformation phase post-go-live. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in the Workday HCM suite and a proven record of leadership within global organizations.

Benefits

Discretionary performance-based bonus

Excellent benefits package

Flexible hybrid working

Qualifications

• Deep experience across the Workday HCM suite.
• 5+ years in a senior Workday or HRIS leadership role.
• Hands-on experience across Workday modules.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall Workday and People Systems strategy.
• Act as the SME across all Workday modules.
• Drive execution of the Workday roadmap.

Skills

Workday Expertise

Leadership Experience

Strategic Thinking

Stakeholder Influence

Job description

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Job Title: Head of Workday
Location: Hybrid (2-4 days per week onsite in London)
Salary: £110,000 – £130,000 per annum + Bonus + Benefits
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Eligibility: Applicants must have the right to work in the UK – sponsorship is not available.

Overview
Focus on WD are proud to be partnering with a superb Workday end-customer who are preparing for their imminent Workday go-live. As they move into this pivotal post-implementation phase, the business is seeking a strategic, hands-on, and highly experienced Workday leader to join in a permanent capacity as Head of Workday.
This is a key leadership role responsible for owning the Workday platform across the full HCM suite. The successful candidate will drive user adoption, optimize system performance, and steer the long-term Workday and People Systems roadmap. You will be instrumental in delivering ongoing value from the platform while embedding Workday deeply into the organisation’s operational DNA.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Ownership: Lead the overall Workday and People Systems strategy, aligning with business priorities and delivering ongoing innovation and value.
• Workday Platform Lead: Act as the SME across all Workday modules including HCM, Recruiting, Compensation (Core & Advanced), Learning, Benefits, Absence, and Talent & Performance.
• Roadmap Delivery: Drive the execution of the Workday roadmap through Phase 2 and beyond, ensuring continued growth, system enhancement, and business alignment.
• Platform Stabilisation: Guide the organisation through post-go-live stabilisation, ensuring data integrity, user adoption, and process optimisation.
• Leadership: Lead and support a small Workday team, fostering capability development and operational excellence.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement enhancements to optimise Workday functionality, improve UX, and support wider business efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Engagement: Collaborate closely with HR, IT, Finance, and senior leadership to ensure Workday supports and accelerates strategic objectives.
• Change Management: Champion Workday within the organisation, promoting adoption, delivering training, and leading change initiatives.

Key Requirements

• Workday Expertise: Deep experience across the Workday HCM suite, with proven ability to design, configure, and manage complex business processes.
• Leadership Experience: 5+ years in a senior Workday or HRIS leadership role, ideally within a global or complex organisation.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated success in shaping and delivering long-term platform strategy and roadmap.
• Modular Strength: Proven hands-on experience across Workday modules including HCM, Recruiting, Learning, Absence, Talent, Compensation (Core & Advanced), and Benefits.
• Change & Adoption Focus: Experience driving post-go-live transformation, user engagement, and ongoing system optimisation.
• Stakeholder Influence: Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to manage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Autonomy & Collaboration: Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively to lead initiatives and deliver results.

Why Join?

• Be at the helm of a major Workday transformation in its most impactful stage – post go-live optimisation and roadmap execution.
• Work in a visible, strategic role reporting into senior leadership with full ownership of the platform.
• Enjoy a flexible hybrid working model (3-4 days per week in the London office).
• Join a supportive culture committed to innovation, efficiency, and people-first technology strategy.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: £110,000 – £130,000 per annum
• Discretionary performance-based bonus
• Excellent benefits package
• Flexible hybrid working

About Focus on WD
At Focus on WD, we specialise exclusively in recruitment for the Workday ecosystem. It’s what we do, and we do it well. Our in-depth knowledge, industry insight, and singular focus set us apart and enable us to connect the best Workday talent with the most exciting opportunities across the UK and Europe.
https://focuscloud.org/