Director, Software Development Engineering - PE Platforms

Workday, Inc.; Pleasanton (CA); Hybrid; USD 244,000 - 366,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday, Inc. in Pleasanton, CA seeks a Director of Software Engineering, Platforms PE, to guide a global team of about 60 engineers across multiple sites, reporting to the VP of Platforms onsite at our Pleasanton HQ.

You will partner with Product Management to craft an agent-ready developer experience and scalable delivery system. You will scale build/test/release infrastructure and balance bold platform innovation with careful migration of legacy systems to keep our technology ahead of the

Qualifications

• 3+ years leading senior software development leaders to scale large organizations.
• 7+ years managing software development teams delivering outcomes.
• 12+ years in software development engineering defining technical strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead a global team of ~60 engineers across time zones.
• Partner with Product Management to operate platform tools as products.
• Scale build, test & release infrastructure for autonomous development lifecycle.

Skills

Leadership of senior engineers

Multi-site team leadership

Agentic AI platforms

CI/CD pipelines

Cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP)

Mentoring engineers

Docker/Kubernetes

MCP familiarity

Observability & testing pipelines

Product collaboration

Global engineering scaling

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

GCP

Job description

Your work days are brighter here. We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun‑drenched optimism and drive. Whether you’re building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

Our engineering team builds, maintains and modernizes the platform capabilities that span the entire development and release lifecycle. The team’s portfolio includes core authoring frameworks, test engines, high-concurrency build & commit infrastructure and live system telemetry. We operate at the intersection of platform, tooling & AI enablement for our large developer community internally. Our team is responsible for scaling our internal agentic AI platform and skills repositories to drive developer productivity, all while ensuring high availability for core delivery operations.

About the Role

As the Director of Software Engineering, Platforms PE, you will lead a global team of ~60 engineers, engineering managers and architects across California, Atlanta, Dublin and Chennai. Reporting directly to the VP of Platforms and based on‑site at our HQ in Pleasanton, CA, you will serve as the leader for our global organisation. In this role you will partner closely with our internal Product Management teams to build an agent‑ready developer experience and delivery system. Your core mission is to scale build, test & release infrastructure to support an autonomous agentic development lifecycle.

If you have the following, we want to hear from you:

• A deep understanding of systems engineering, platform reliability & innovation
• A product mindset you bring to engineering & tooling
• Led and scaled a multi‑site engineering organization
• Experience with agentic harnesses & AI products/infrastructure deployed in real‑world environments
• Proven capability to balance high‑growth platform innovation with the systematic deprecation and migration of legacy systems.

About You

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years experience leading and developing senior software development engineering leaders (managers of managers) to build and scale large development organizations.
• 7+ years experience managing software development engineering teams, building high‑performing teams and driving software development outcomes.
• 12+ years experience in software development engineering, defining and executing technical strategies for complex software products and platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline; Master's degree preferred or equivalent practical experience.

Other Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience mentoring engineering teams proficient in Java, Python, Go, or C++.
• Experience managing high‑throughput CI/CD build engines, Docker/Kubernetes, and AWS/GCP cloud infrastructure.
• Familiarity with Model Context Protocol (MCP), execution harnesses, and automated PR review or triage systems.
• Proven track record delivering automated testing engines, pipeline orchestration, and system observability frameworks.
• Experience partnering with internal Product Management to operate platform tools as products.
• Background leading, mentoring, and scaling global engineering organizations (~60+ engineers across time zones).
• Ability to align technical strategy and influence cross-functional partners across Product, Security, and Architecture.
• Strong skills delivering clear technical strategy presentations to executive leadership.

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

Workday Pay Transparency Statement The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role‑specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things.

Primary Location: USA.CA.Pleasanton Primary Location Base Pay Range: $244,000 USD - $366,000 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $205,200 USD - $366,000 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in‑person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in‑office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you’ll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision‑making to any degree.

Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or as otherwise provided under applicable law.

Workday prohibits taking adverse action against any candidate or employee for reporting a possible violation of this policy, requesting one or more work accommodations, exercising a privacy right, or cooperating in an investigation in accordance with applicable law.

Any employee who retaliates against a candidate or employee for doing so may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, to the fullest extent allowable under applicable law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation, you may email [e-mail], as far in advance as possible.

Workday is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Individuals seeking employment at Workday are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Further, pursuant to applicable local ordinances, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We do not accept resumes from headhunters, placement agencies, or other suppliers that have not signed a formal agreement with us.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision‑making to any degree.

Workday prohibits taking adverse action against any candidate or employee for reporting a possible violation of this policy, requesting one or more work accommodation, exercising a privacy right, or cooperating in an investigation in accordance with applicable law.

Any employee who retaliates against a candidate or employee for doing so may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, to the fullest extent allowable in the applicable law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation, you may email [e-mail], as far in advance as possible.