Workday Payroll (Continuous Value Services) Senior Principal Consultant

Cognizant; United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Workday Payroll Senior Principal Consultant to lead post-production support and optimization across multiple clients in a dynamic environment. The role emphasizes customer satisfaction, managing competing priorities, and delivering high-quality payroll configurations.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years of Workday payroll-related experience, strong problem-solving skills, and excellent communication.

Qualifications

• 5+ years Workday experience in an implementation or post-production environment support.
• Experience gathering requirements, designing, prototyping, testing, and deploying solutions to meet client requirements.
• Subject Matter Expertise in Payroll
• Proactive problem-solving abilities with the capability to identify issues, analyze options, and implement effective solutions.
• Passion for exceptional client service.
• Proven experience managing multiple clients simultaneously, balancing competing priorities, and delivering consistent results.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively manage client expectations and clearly convey complex information to clients and team members.
• Commitment to staying current with Workday updates, trends, and best practices through ongoing training and development.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Current Workday certification in Workday Payroll highly preferred or prior Workday experience in Payroll.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Professional (FPP) Certification Preferred.
• Minimal travel required, but must be willing to travel on-site if needed

Responsibilities

• Identify strategies, risks, and options while recommending approaches to meet client requirements.
• Work alongside vendors to configure and test to ensure no impact to production environment.
• Manage multiple tasks under limited direction and keep stakeholders updated on changes or progress.
• Become a Workday Payroll functional expert with deep knowledge across HCM, Finance, Time Tracking, Absence, Integrations, and future product direction.
• Mentor fellow consultants and analysts, including shadow assignments.
• Drive the project by making decisions and recommending best practices.
• Meet utilization goals and contribute to post-production initiatives for client success.
• Participate in update training and share skills with others in the organization.
• Execute day-to-day Workday projects for clients, including process design and lifecycle support.
• Support business development activities such as identification, proposal development, and other pursuits.
• Additional duties as assigned by manager.

Skills

Workday Payroll expertise

Requirements gathering

Problem-solving

Client service

Multi-client management

Communication skills

Workday updates knowledge

Willingness to travel

Workday certification

Payroll certifications (CPP/FPP)

Mentoring/leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Workday Payroll Senior Principal Consultant (Continuous Value Services) position is best suited for expert problem solvers full of patience and tenacity who are eager to work with a variety of customers and dive headfirst into post-production support with Workday Payroll. This role demands a focus on customer satisfaction while working on competing priorities. You must be a self-starter with excellent time management skills who is able to manage both your time and the customers’ expectations. Strong initiative and time management skills are paramount to success is this role.

Responsibilities

• Identify strategies, risks, and options while recommending approaches and mitigations to meet client/functional requirements.
• Work alongside the other functional teams and vendors to configure and test to ensure no impact to their production environment.
• Perform multiple tasks under limited direction, while regularly keeping the client, your project team, and your Engagement Manager abreast of changes or progress related to the project.
• Become a Workday Payroll functional expert with deep knowledge of current functionality, design concepts, and touch points across HCM, Finance, Time Tracking, Absence, Integrations, and future product direction.
• Act as a mentor to fellow consultants and analysts, including providing support for shadow assignments.
• Drive the project or ticket by driving decisions and recommending best practices related to functionality.
• Meet utilization goals and contribute to the post-production internal initiatives to help drive client success and efficiencies.
• Actively participate in update training and internal opportunities to share one’s skills and learnings with others within the organization.
• Execute the day-to-day activities of Workday project or tickets for a variety of clients including process design, package implementation lifecycle support, and project reviews.
• Support business development activities such as identification, proposal development, and other pursuit activities.
• Additional duties as assigned by manager.

Skills & Requirements

• 5+ years Workday experience in an implementation or post-production environment support capacity.
• Experience gathering requirements, designing, prototyping, testing, and deploying solutions to meet client requirements.
• Subject Matter Expertise in Payroll
• Proactive problem-solving abilities with the capability to identify issues, analyze options, and implement effective solutions.
• Passion for exceptional client service.
• Proven experience managing multiple clients simultaneously, balancing competing priorities, and delivering consistent results.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively manage client expectations and clearly convey complex information to clients and team members.
• Commitment to staying current with Workday updates, trends, and best practices through ongoing training and development.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Current Workday certification in Workday Payroll highly preferred or prior Workday experience in Payroll.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Professional (FPP) Certification Preferred.
• Minimal travel required, but must be willing to travel on-site if needed

Salary And Other Compensation

Applications will be accepted until 11/11/2026 The annual salary for this position is between $129,632 - $180,327 USD depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program , based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Why Choose Cognizant

• Entrepreneurial environment that welcomes your ideas
• Opportunity to do great work
• Outreach programs that support communities and tap into your volunteer spirit
• Learning opportunities to help current needs and advancement
• Global operations, with opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific
• An abundance of Affinity groups to meet your needs

Cognizant Core Values

• Work as One: We think beyond roles, relying on each other’s strengths to win as a team.
• Raise the Bar: We always aim for excellence in how we work and what we deliver.
• Dare to Innovate: We push boundaries and take chances to reimagine what’s possible.
• Do the Right Thing: We all lead with integrity and always make the ethical choice.
• Own It: We own the outcomes for our company, colleagues, and community.