IT Workday Platform Lead

First Bus; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Simply Health & Smart Health benefits

Discounted train travel

Free bus pass

Cycle to work scheme

25 days' holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Job summary

A leading transportation company in the UK seeks an experienced IT Workday Platform Lead. The role involves managing the Workday platform's strategic direction and operational stability, ensuring its reliability and security across various business functions. Key responsibilities include leading roadmap planning, overseeing lifecycle management, and maintaining technical standards. Ideal candidates will have extensive Workday management experience, a deep understanding of architecture, and strong vendor relationship skills. This full-time position offers a range of health and well-being benefits including discounted travel, holiday allowance, and more.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Workday platform management or senior HRIS technical role.
• Deep understanding of Workday architecture and integrations.
• Demonstrable experience managing vendor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and roadmap for Workday platform.
• Oversee Workday lifecycle management and platform optimization.
• Define and maintain Workday technical standards.

Skills

Workday platform management

Enterprise systems leadership

Workday architecture expertise

Technical communication

Vendor relationship management

Problem-solving capabilities

Job description

We’re looking for an IT Workday Platform Lead at First Bus.

At First Bus, we’re committed to making things simpler, smoother, and more efficient for our colleagues across the business!

The IT Workday Platform Lead is the senior technical authority for the Workday platform, responsible for its strategic direction, operational stability, and ongoing optimisation. The role ensures Workday is reliable, scalable, secure, and aligned with enterprise architecture principles and business needs across HR, Payroll, Finance, and wider functions.

Acting as the Workday platform owner, this role leads roadmap planning, architectural design, technical governance, and vendor management, ensuring Workday continues to support organisational priorities while enabling future growth and improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the long-term strategy and roadmap for the Workday platform, aligning with enterprise architecture, digital strategy, and business priorities.
• Oversee Workday lifecycle management, including release planning, tenant management, regression testing strategy, and platform optimisation activities.
• Define and maintain Workday technical standards, integration patterns, and architectural principles.
• Own and govern Workday architecture across modules, integrations, security, APIs, and data models.
• Provide expert input into solution design, ensuring configurations and integrations meet technical, security, and scalability requirements.
• Manage the relationship with Workday AMS partners, ensuring effective escalation handling, service delivery, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate with Workday directly for product updates, tenant services, feature deployments, and technical issue resolution.
• Collaborate closely with HR, Payroll, IT, and business teams to ensure seamless and reliable service delivery.
• Own Workday incident, problem, and change processes from a platform perspective, ensuring issues are resolved efficiently and long‑term fixes are implemented.
• Provide senior technical guidance, coaching, and support to the wider team.

Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in Workday platform management, enterprise systems leadership, or a senior HRIS technical role.
• Deep expertise in Workday architecture, covering security, integrations, data model, business process framework, and configuration.
• Strong understanding of enterprise systems landscapes and how Workday integrates with other applications.
• Demonstrable experience managing vendor relationships, AMS partners, and technical escalations.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and problem‑solving capabilities, with a strong customer-focused mindset.
• Experience in large or complex organisations with multi‑system integrations or distributed workforces.
• Experience supporting or delivering digital transformation or HR technology modernisation programmes

Benefits

• Your health is important to us which is why we offer Simply Health & Smart Health for you and your dependents at no cost to you! This offering includes cash back benefits across optical & dental as well as virtual GP appointments, mental health support and nutrition and fitness advise. Our EAP provision offers 24hr, 365 days a year mental health support
• We are also committed to your financial wellbeing, and we offer a platform with many discounts on high street brands and supermarkets etc
• Working at First you also receive discounted train travel for you and your family after 6 months service as well as a free bus pass
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 days' holiday + bank holidays
• Pension scheme and chance to buy discounted First Group shares

We put a big focus on physical and mental wellbeing at First Bus. We recognise that anyone can be affected by the stresses and strain of work, or life outside it. You'll find a range of health-promotion initiatives, and you will have 24/7 access to our confidential Employee Assistance Programme.

Seniority level

Not Applicable

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Other and General Business

Industries

Ground Passenger Transportation and Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage