Principal Cybersecurity Engineer

HR Tech Job; Reston (VA); Hybrid; USD 184,800 - 277,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/flex schedule

Job summary

Workday is seeking a dedicated security professional with extensive security engineering and response expertise to apply AI to security processes. The role leads tooling lifecycle, incident response, and threat hunting across a SaaS platform with hybrid/flex scheduling.

You will work in a highly technical principal role, collaborating with global teams to enhance security posture and automation across cloud and on‑prem environments.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity or information security roles, including 2+ years with hands‑on technical leadership.
• Experience with scripting languages, AI (conversational AI, Generative AI and AI Agents) is essential.
• Bachelor’s Degree.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and operations of security response tooling and environments (SOAR, SIEM, Incident Response, Forensics).
• Drive the program vision for a world‑class Response program at Workday.
• Evolve response platforms enabling Cyber Defense with automation and innovation.
• Lead and support security incident response across the organization.
• Mentor new and existing staff to grow the team.
• Advocate a strong security mindset across the company.

Skills

Security leadership

AI in security

Incident response

Threat hunting

Forensics

Scripting experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Certifications beneficial (CISSP, Offensive Security, SANS)

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

Cloud security tooling

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

We are growing our cybersecurity response program to continue to deliver world class capabilities. Our team is building the Security Center of the future to further our customer’s confidence in our platform. This means we are continually innovating our investigative capabilities in the areas of incident response, digital forensics (DFIR), threat hunting, security automation, and data loss prevention. We respond quickly, efficiently and regain control by minimizing the threat of damage caused by malicious activities. We are a highly visible global security function that collaborates closely with multiple Workday teams. We work hard and push each other to constantly improve, but in an environment that is fun and considered the best company to work for.

About the Role

Workday is seeking a dedicated and proficient security professional possessing extensive security engineering and response expertise with knowledge on how to apply AI to security response processes. This is an opportunity to contribute to a highly visible team involved in all major cybersecurity events, where your skills and experience will be used to inspire confidence and trust in Workday.

This is a highly technical principal role with the understanding that you are already conversant in incident response, security automation, system security, network security, threat hunting, forensics, data loss prevention and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, this role leads the development and lifecycle support of the organization’s response tooling infrastructure and associated environments. This role will push you to understand the inner workings of our SaaS platform and couple that with traditional security practices on premise. We have resources in every cloud, including our own. We offer a hybrid/flexible schedule for employees.

What you will do:

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to set direction, motivate teams, and drive the security mindset across every aspect of the company.
• Spearhead the architecture, daily operations, and continuous development of all security response tooling and environments (i.e. SOAR, SIEM, Incident Response, Forensics, Agentic AI).
• Contribute to the program vision and implementation of a world class Response program at Workday.
• Evolve the response platforms that enable Cyber Defense to operate with precision, automation and innovation.
• Lead and support security incident response across the organization.
• Help drive team development by mentoring new and existing staff.

About You

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity or information security roles, including 2+ years with hands‑on technical leadership experience
• Experience with scripting languages, artificial intelligence (conversational AI, Generative AI and AI Agents) are essential.
• Bachelor’s Degree.

Other Qualifications

• Other relevant certification/s and training are beneficial (e.g. Offensive Security, SANS, CISSP, Specific Security Tooling, etc.).
• Extensive expertise in architecting and deploying scalable cloud‑native security solutions, complemented by a background in software development to facilitate implementation, with a particular focus on rapid prototyping and iterative methodologies.
• Experience with security monitoring and incident response is important, as this knowledge will inform decisions on how to implement the solutions.
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects with various stakeholders outside of their organization, competing priorities and core operations effectively.
• High ownership and accountability, with comfort leading high‑severity incidents.
• A strong intellectual curiosity to rapidly acquire proficiency in emerging technologies and platforms.
• Experience in some or all of the following:
  • Security alert triage, investigation, incident response, and incident management
  • Threat hunting and digital forensics
  • SIEM and SOAR security technologies and solutions
  • Leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance security processes
  • Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC)

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.

Primary Location: USA.VA.Reston

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $184,800 USD - $277,200 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $167,200 USD - $300,000 USD

Additional Considerations

If performed in Colorado, the pay range for this job is $176,000 - $264,000 USD based on min and max pay range for that role if performed in CO.

08/16/2026

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.

At Workday, we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring experience where all candidates can fully demonstrate their skills. If you require assistance or an accommodation at any point, please email [e-mail].

Are you being referred to one of our roles? If so, ask your connection at Workday about our Employee Referral process!