Software Engineer/Senior Software Engineer - AI Platform (Agent Runtime)

Workday; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 156,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flex Work

Stock grants

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Workday is seeking a Senior Software Development Engineer to design and build core runtime capabilities for policy-governed agent execution. You will own high-impact areas across sandbox execution, sidecar interfaces, enforcement flows, and production reliability.

You will implement key runtime components, contribute to design and testing, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure secure, compliant data and tool access.

Qualifications

• Experience with distributed systems, APIs, and service-oriented architectures.
• Proficiency in at least one backend language (e.g., Java, Go, Rust, Python).
• Experience operating production services with reliability and observability practices.
• Ability to own complex technical projects from design through production.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement core runtime services for secure, isolated agent execution.
• Build deterministic enforcement pathways for data, context, tool, and model boundaries.
• Define and evolve service interfaces across maincar and sidecar components.
• Improve performance, scalability, and resilience for high-concurrency workloads.
• Build observability into runtime behavior, policy decisions, and audit traces.
• Collaborate with teams on data prep, context assembly, tool gating, and model mediation.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to architectural reviews and incident responses.

Skills

Distributed systems

APIs & SOA

Backend languages

Production reliability

Architecture reviews

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

The Agent Runtime team builds Workday's secure execution platform for enterprise AI agents. We are creating the runtime substrate that enforces policy by architecture, not by prompt, with deterministic controls for data access, tool use, model routing, and auditability.

Our charter spans runtime isolation, policy enforcement boundaries, model mediation, and observability at scale. We partner closely with other engineering and platform teams at Workday to deliver a multi-language, enterprise-grade agent runtime.

About The Role

As a Senior Software Development Engineer, you will design and build core runtime capabilities for policy-governed agent execution. You will own high-impact technical areas across sandbox execution, sidecar interfaces, enforcement flows, and production reliability.

In this role, you will:

• Design and implement core runtime services for secure, isolated agent execution.
• Build deterministic enforcement pathways for data, context, tool, and model boundaries.
• Define and evolve service interfaces and contracts across maincar and sidecar components.
• Improve performance, scalability, and resilience for high-concurrency workloads.
• Build deep observability into runtime behavior, policy decisions, and audit traces.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to integrate data prep, context assembly, tool gating, and model mediation.
• Participate in architecture reviews, incident response, and operational hardening.
• Mentor engineers and help raise engineering quality across the team.

As a Software Development Engineer, you will implement key runtime components and services that power secure agent execution. You will contribute to design, coding, testing, and operations for systems that enforce policy and reliability guarantees in production.

You will:

• Build backend services and runtime components for cell lifecycle and execution control.
• Implement policy-aware data, context, tool, and model access pathways.
• Contribute to interface development between runtime components and partner systems.
• Write high-quality, testable code and participate in code and design reviews.
• Develop telemetry and logging capabilities for traceability and operational insight.
• Support production operations, performance tuning, and incident follow-through.
• Collaborate closely with senior engineers and partner teams on roadmap delivery.

About You

Basic Qualifications (Software Engineer):

• 5+ years experience in software development engineering including designing, developing, and deploying software solutions.

Basic Qualifications (Senior Software Engineer):

• 8+ years experience in software development engineering, architecting, building, and scaling robust and efficient software systems.
• 6+ years of software engineering experience building backend or platform systems.

Other Qualification:

• Strong experience with distributed systems, APIs, and service-oriented architecture.
• Experience building secure systems with least-privilege patterns and policy controls.
• Proficiency in at least one systems or backend language (for example, Java, Go, Rust, or Python).
• Experience operating production services with strong reliability and observability practices.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex technical projects from design through production.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills in cross-functional 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.CO.Boulder

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $156,000 USD - $234,000 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $148,200 USD - $264,000 USD

Additional Considerations:

The application deadline for this role is the same as the posting end date stated as below:

09/24/2026

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.

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