Software Development Engineer - US Federal

Workday, Inc.; Reston (VA); Hybrid; USD 137,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday, Inc. in Reston, VA is seeking a Software Development Engineer for the Federal Cloud Platform Engineering team to design, deploy, and optimize the Workday technology stack across air-gapped cloud environments and federal contracts.

You will collaborate with security, operations, and development teams to deliver scalable, secure solutions for U.S. government customers, using AWS, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, and automation frameworks.

Qualifications

• 4+ years deploying large-scale applications in cloud environments (AWS/GCP).
• 2+ years with automation tools (Ansible, Python, Go, Chef, Puppet) and CI/CD capabilities.
• 2+ years experience with networks, servers, storage, and OS in cloud deployments; deployment orchestration & automation.
• Hands-on experience with infrastructure automation tools like Chef, Puppet, and Ansible.

Responsibilities

• Manage and optimize Workday deployments in the U.S. Federal regions.
• Collaborate with the Workday Federal Cyber Defense team for security posture and compliance.
• Develop and maintain deployment tools and analytics to support flexible deployments.
• Collaborate across teams to ensure robust, scalable, and efficient solutions.

Skills

Cloud architecture

CI/CD practices

Go/Python scripting

DevOps collaboration

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

Terraform

Puppet

Ansible

Chef

CloudFormation

Docker

Kubernetes

Helm

Jenkins

Git

TeamCity

GitLab CI/CD

Go

Python

Ruby

Java

Bash

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Tomcat

ZooKeeper

Kafka

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're the team that drives the product and strategy for Workday’s secret sauce – our technology platform that was designed from scratch for the cloud. We own the complete stack and tools that delivers and supports Workday products across private and public clouds (e.g. on-premise, AWS, GCP, Azure). We enable Workday's scale: ~50% of Fortune 500 companies, 8000+ customers, 55M+ Workers, ~365B Transactions! Workday is seeking a Software Development Engineer (SDE) to be part of the Federal Cloud Platform Engineering team. This team supports direct and indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native).

About the Role

This role will support one or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates that all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native). As a SDE on the Federal Cloud Platform Engineering team, you will focus on design, development, analysis, acquisition, installation, modification and support of operating systems, deployments, databases, utilities and network-related tools! You will conduct programming and support activities, such as new or revised program language codes, processing routines and report generations. You will also conduct programming tasks including program design, program coding, debugging and documentation to increase flexibility in deployments. As part of our team, you will oversee and manage deployment of Workday technology stack on air-gapped cloud environments, develop proprietary tools, and deliver analytics to enable optimized deployments company-wide. This role is ideal for engineers with a holistic approach to cloud deployment, performance, and scalability who thrive on driving innovation and system-wide improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and optimize Workday in the U.S. Federal regions and in doing so, form the nexus of the core team responsible for this mission as well as closely working with our commercial software engineering teams responsible for the overall Workday platform.
• Partner with the Workday Federal Cyber Defense team responsible for security operations, overall cybersecurity posture, governance, risk, and compliance, and platform security health.
• Develop and maintain deployment tools and analytics to support company-wide deployment flexibility and cost savings.
• Collaborate across teams to ensure robust, scalable, and efficient solutions.

Skills

• Cloud Platforms & Infrastructure: AWS, GCP, Azure, Terraform
• Configuration Management & Automation: Puppet, Ansible, Chef, Terraform, CloudFormation
• Containerization & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes, Helm
• CI/CD & DevOps Tools: Jenkins, Git, TeamCity, GitLab CI/CD
• Programming & Scripting Languages: Go (Golang), Python, Ruby, Java, Bash
• Database & Middleware: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Tomcat, ZooKeeper, Kafka

Basic Qualifications

• 4+ years in deploying large-scale, complex applications, with 3+ years in cloud-based deployments on AWS or GCP.
• 2+ years experience with automation tools and languages, including Ansible, Python, Go, Chef, and Puppet; proficient in CI/CD, build management and monitoring.
• 2+ years experience with networks, servers, storage, and operating systems in cloud environments; skilled in deployment orchestration and automation frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with infrastructure automation tools like Chef, Puppet, and Ansible.

Other Qualifications

• Extensive experience in developing orchestration and automation frameworks using Ansible and Jenkins, with cloud deployments
• Proven ability to introduce, integrate, and implement new technologies rapidly.
• Skilled in network analysis and troubleshooting, using tools like tcpdump to resolve network, firewall, and connectivity issues in collaboration with engineering teams.
• Proficient in Unix/Linux environments, with strong Python scripting expertise for automation and system management.
• Familiar with Agile/Scrum practices, including sprint planning and daily stand‑ups using Jira; excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach in team environments.
• Extensive experience creating and operating automation frameworks for deployment orchestration in production environments.

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. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. 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. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

Primary Location: USA.VA.Reston

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $137,000 USD - $205,400 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $123,900 USD - $222,000 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.

Fair Chance and Equal Opportunity

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

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer inclusive of 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.

At Workday, we value our candidates’ privacy and data security.

Equal Opportunity Workplace

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. 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.