VP Developer Experience

Workday, Inc. (old); Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 308,000 - 462,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday, Inc. is seeking a VP of Developer Experience to lead a geographically dispersed team that improves the end-to-end developer journey across the organization. This role drives organizational transformation within the engineering group and aligns DevEx strategy with business objectives.

You will oversee AI tooling integration, define governance for developer tooling, and champion data-driven decisions to enhance developer velocity and onboarding efficiency.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software development or developer advocacy with enterprise SaaS focus.
• 5+ years in a leadership/management role.
• Deep understanding of SDK development and a broad range of programming languages and development tools.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and CI/CD practices.
• Strong developer empathy and ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive DevEx strategy and roadmap across organizational boundaries.
• Establish the Developer Experience function with defined role and value proposition.
• Lead adoption of AI development tools and end-to-end process optimization.
• Implement data-driven measurement to monitor developer experience health.
• Build cross-functional coordination processes and stakeholder relationships.
• Recruit and grow a DevEx team and establish operating model.

Skills

Leadership experience

DevEx focus

SDK development

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Education

Advanced degree in CS

Tools

CI/CD tools

SDK development tools

Development tools

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 team’s mission is to identify gaps, eliminate friction, and ensure a cohesive, efficient, and delightful experience for all developers through strategic coordination with existing specialized teams and targeted gap remediation.

About the Role

The VP Developer Experience will lead a geographically dispersed team that serves as the central coordination hub for improving the end-to-end developer journey across our organization.

This is a crucial leadership position responsible for driving the necessary organizational transformation within the broader engineering organization.

Key areas of focus include:

• AI Tooling and Organizational Structure: Analyzing the impact of AI tooling across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) on our organizational structure (e.g., single points of contact (SPOC), organizational layers, token budgets).

• AI-First Process Adaptation: Reworking and adapting our SDLC processes to thrive in an AI-first environment.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Develop comprehensive DevEx strategy: Create and execute a holistic developer experience roadmap that spans organizational boundaries and aligns with business objectives

• Establish organizational presence: Build the Developer Experience function from the ground up, defining its role, scope, and value proposition across the organization

• Drive AI and automation integration: Lead the adoption of AI development tools, intelligent automation techniques, and end-to-end process optimization to systematically eliminate friction

• Champion data-driven decision making: Implement measurement frameworks and analytics to continuously assess and improve developer experience health

Organizational Assessment and Coordination

• Map existing DevEx landscape: Conduct comprehensive assessment to identify all current developer experience initiatives across application development, design systems, platform development, CI/CD pipelines, environments, and other specialized teams

• Establish coordination framework: Create cross-functional collaboration processes to align existing teams and eliminate duplicated efforts

• Identify critical gaps: Analyze the complete developer journey from onboarding to production deployment to prioritize highest-impact improvement opportunities

• Build stakeholder relationships: Develop strong partnerships with engineering leadership, product teams, platform teams, and other key stakeholders

Team Building and Execution

• Build and lead DevEx team: Recruit, hire, and develop a team of DevEx professionals including analysts, coordinators, and developer advocates

• Establish operating model: Create sustainable processes for ongoing gap analysis, project coordination, and continuous improvement

• Implement feedback systems: Design and deploy mechanisms for collecting, analyzing, and acting on developer feedback across all touchpoints

• Drive measurable outcomes: Lead initiatives to achieve specific targets including improved developer velocity, reduced onboarding time, and increased satisfaction scores

Standards and Best Practices

• Define DevEx standards: Establish organization-wide standards for developer tooling, documentation, and processes

• Create best practice frameworks: Develop and maintain guidelines for developer experience improvements across all teams

• Ensure consistency: Drive coherent user experience across different development tools and platforms

• Foster continuous improvement: Build culture of ongoing optimization and innovation in developer experience

About You

Key Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years of experience in software development, developer advocacy, or a similar technical leadership role, with a significant portion focused on enterprise SaaS platforms. 5+ years in a leadership/management capacity.

• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of SDK development, and a broad range of programming languages and development tools. Familiarity with cloud platforms and CI/CD practices.

• Developer-Centric Mindset: A genuine passion for developers and a strong empathy for their needs and challenges. Proven ability to think like a developer.

• Strategic Thinker: Ability to develop and execute a long-term vision for developer experience, aligning it with business objectives.

• Excellent Communicator: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills. Ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Leadership & Team Building: Proven ability to build, mentor, and motivate high-performing technical teams.

• Collaboration Skills: Strong interpersonal skills and a proven ability to work effectivey with cross-functional teams.

• Data-Driven: Experience using data and metrics to measure success and drive decision-making.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building or significantly contributing to a successful developer platform for an enterprise SaaS product.

• Active participation in developer communities and open-source projects.

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or a related field.

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.CA.Pleasanton

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $308,000 USD - $462,000 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $308,000 USD - $462,000 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.