Workday Specialist (4240)

Wade Macdonald; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Wade Macdonald is recruiting for an experienced Workday Specialist to lead international HR processes from a central London base with hybrid working and European travel.

You will own Workday across multiple entities, manage configurations, reporting and data governance, and partner with HR, IT and Payroll to deliver projects and ensure GDPR compliance.

Qualifications

• Degree in HR, IT or related field.
• 4+ years Workday experience across multiple countries.
• Strong knowledge of HR processes, reporting and analytics.
• Data governance and GDPR awareness; Workday certification is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Taking day-to-day ownership of Workday across multiple international entities.
• Managing system configuration requirements and collaborating with the Global HRIS team on wider changes.
• Coordinating enhancements, releases, testing and improvements to the Workday environment.
• Supporting HR processes across recruitment, onboarding, compensation, performance, promotions, time tracking, payroll and leavers.
• Working with payroll connector functionality and supporting integration with payroll processes.
• Creating dashboards, management information and workforce analytics covering headcount, turnover, recruitment, performance and talent.
• Maintaining high standards of HR data quality through checks, audits and validation.
• Supporting GDPR requirements alongside governance and controls.
• Contributing to Workday implementations, upgrades and the introduction of additional modules.
• Leading UAT and business testing while supporting communications and user adoption.
• Identifying opportunities to automate processes and improve efficiency.
• Providing Workday training and guidance to employees and managers, including documentation.
• Acting as a key contact for Workday queries across international operations.
• Partnering with Talent Acquisition to support recruitment workflows, approvals, reporting and candidate management.
• Building effective relationships with HR, Payroll, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, HRIS and IT stakeholders internationally.

Skills

Workday experience

HR data governance

GDPR compliance

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

Central London – Hybrid (Some European travel)

About the Client

Our client is a large international pharmaceutical organisation with operations spanning multiple countries and entities across Europe, Australia and other international markets.

About the Successful Applicant

You will have a relevant degree and ideally 4+ years of Workday experience, including supporting multiple countries or entities (desirable). Strong knowledge of HR processes, reporting, analytics, data governance and GDPR is essential, alongside advanced Excel skills and experience delivering HR systems projects. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills are required. Workday certification, multinational experience and knowledge across multiple Workday modules would be advantageous.

About the Job

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Workday Specialist to take ownership of Workday across an international HR function. Acting as the key subject matter expert, you will ensure the platform effectively supports employees and managers throughout the employee lifecycle while maintaining strong standards around data, governance and compliance.

You will work closely with HR, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, IT and the Global HRIS team, combining hands‑on system management with reporting, projects, training and ongoing platform development.

Duties will include:

• Taking day-to-day ownership of Workday across multiple international entities.
• Managing system configuration requirements and collaborating with the Global HRIS team on wider changes.
• Coordinating enhancements, releases, testing and improvements to the Workday environment.
• Supporting HR processes across recruitment, onboarding, compensation, performance, promotions, time tracking, payroll and leavers.
• Working with payroll connector functionality and supporting effective integration with payroll processes.
• Creating dashboards, management information and workforce analytics covering areas such as headcount, turnover, recruitment, performance and talent.
• Maintaining high standards of HR data quality through regular checks, audits and validation.
• Supporting GDPR requirements alongside appropriate system governance and controls.
• Contributing to Workday implementations, upgrades and the introduction of additional modules.
• Leading UAT and business testing while supporting communications and user adoption.
• Identifying opportunities to automate processes and improve efficiency.
• Providing Workday training and guidance to employees and managers, including developing supporting documentation.
• Acting as a key contact for Workday queries across international operations.
• Partnering with Talent Acquisition to support recruitment workflows, approvals, reporting and candidate management.
• Building effective relationships with HR, Payroll, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, HRIS and IT stakeholders internationally.

What You Will Receive in Return

You will join an international organisation in a highly visible Workday role, giving you the opportunity to take genuine ownership of the platform and work with stakeholders across multiple countries. The position offers exposure to Workday enhancements, implementations and future functionality, alongside opportunities to improve processes and influence how the system is used across the international business.