Principal, Strategy & Business Initiatives

Workday, Inc. (old); United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday seeks a strategic professional to join the Strategy & Business Initiatives team, working directly with C-level leaders and the Executive Committee to shape the company’s most critical priorities. You will collaborate with functional leaders to align strategy with key business objectives and drive cross-functional execution in a fast-moving software environment.

The role demands strong problem-solving, communication, and storytelling skills to present executive-level narratives and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in tech strategy, strategy consulting, or SaaS
• Strategic thinking: identify, evaluate, and prioritize growth and monetization opportunities
• Cross-functional collaboration with executive leaders and stakeholders
• Problem-solving: define challenges, create structured approaches, and solve them
• Clear, executive-level narratives and tailored communications

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Executive Committee and functional leaders to develop and implement Workday's strategy and priorities
• Lead or contribute to high-priority initiatives from framing through execution
• Conduct market, competitive, and financial analysis to identify growth opportunities
• Develop executive-ready narratives, frameworks, and presentations for senior leadership and the Board
• Build strategic capabilities, processes, and tools that scale with Workday's growth

Skills

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Communication

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

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.

Workday's Strategy & Business Initiatives team is responsible for aligning Workday's strategy across the company, delivering high-priority strategic initiatives, and building durable capabilities to support Workday's growth. We partner closely with the Executive Committee and functional leaders across Workday to pursue healthy long-term growth for Workday and our customers.

About the Role

We are looking for an exceptional professional to join the small team responsible for working directly with C-level leaders and Executive Committee members to shape and advance the company's most critical priorities. You will partner closely with functional leaders to drive alignment and ensure our strategy and approach enable key business objectives. This is a highly visible role with extensive cross-functional interaction, ideal for someone with strong problem-solving and communication skills and a track record of working collaboratively with key stakeholders to operationalize innovative solutions within the rapidly evolving software industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the Executive Committee and functional leaders to develop and implement Workday's strategy and key priorities
• Lead or contribute to high-priority initiatives from framing through execution
• Conduct market, competitive, and financial analysis to identify new growth and monetization opportunities
• Develop executive-ready narratives, frameworks, and presentations for senior leadership and the Board
• Build strategic capabilities, processes, and tools that scale with Workday's growth

About You

Basic Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in tech strategy, strategy consulting, or SaaS (or a combination of these)
• Strategic thinking: ability to identify, evaluate, and prioritize new vectors of growth and monetization opportunities within the software industry, and develop pragmatic strategies to capture them
• Cross-functional collaboration: ability to work with a diverse set of functional and business leaders, establish credibility at the executive level, and drive decisions forward; builds and maintains strong relationships with key stakeholders
• Problem-solving: ability to define complex challenges, create structured approaches to solving them, and collaborate effectively to develop solutions
• Communication skills: ability to develop clear, compelling, executive-level narratives and deliver tailored messages grounded in rapport and credibility across the organization
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, results-oriented environment aligned with Workday's culture and values

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience working in tech strategy
• Background in Man