Workday Technical Lead, Payroll, Time & Absence

Guardian Life; Bethlehem (Northampton County); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life is seeking a Workday Technical Lead to own the end-to-end design, governance and configuration of Payroll, Time Tracking and Absence modules. You will partner with Payroll, HR and external vendors to deliver reliable, compliant solutions while ensuring data integrity.

The role leads architecture decisions, drives system improvements and serves as the technical advisor to stakeholders across IT and Payroll. Hybrid role with three in-office days per week in multiple locations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of Workday experience with deep expertise in Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence.
• Experience owning system design and configuration decisions.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, compliance, and downstream impacts.
• Experience supporting integrations and data flows across systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex problem-solving and root cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own the architectural and configuration guardrails for Payroll, Time, and Absence, coordinating execution while retaining accountability for outcomes.
• Establish and maintain standards for configuration, data integrity, and system governance.
• Make and guide key decisions on system design, scalability, and long-term architecture.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex system and payroll-impacting issues.
• Lead configuration of payroll elements, time tracking rules, and absence plans with a focus on scalability and maintainability.
• Ensure configurations support business requirements while minimizing downstream risk.
• Evaluate and redesign existing configurations to improve performance, accuracy, and usability.
• Ensure Workday Payroll configurations support accurate and compliant payroll processing.
• Partner with Payroll leadership to identify risks, gaps, and optimization opportunities.
• Own enterprise-level resolution of payroll-impacting issues, including root cause identification, risk mitigation, and long-term remediation.
• Own design and reliability of outbound payroll data integrations.
• Coordinate with external vendors to resolve systemic issues and improve processes.
• Own architectural decisions and trade-offs for payroll, time, and absence integrations, balancing compliance, scalability, and operational risk.
• Define and maintain data standards, controls, and validation processes.
• Lead impact assessment and strategy for Workday biannual releases.
• Establish testing standards and ensure high-quality deployment of changes.
• Govern system changes to ensure stability and avoid unintended impacts.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, reduce manual work, and improve system efficiency.
• Translate business needs into scalable, forward-looking system solutions.
• Shape and influence the broader HR technology roadmap.
• Act as the primary technical advisor and decision partner to Payroll, HR, and IT stakeholders.
• Provide clear recommendations and guidance on system capabilities and limitations.
• Influence decision-making through expertise and data-driven insights.

Skills

Workday Payroll (U.S.)

Time Tracking

Absence

Job description

Hybrid - In office 3 days per week

New York

Bethlehem

Holmdel

Stamford

Full time

R000108997

Position Summary

The Workday Technical Lead – Payroll, Time & Absence is responsible for the end-to-end technical ownership, design, and governance of Workday Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence modules. This role serves as the system authority for the domain, ensuring scalable design, data integrity, and alignment with business and compliance requirements.

This position operates within IT and partners closely with Payroll, HR, and external vendors to deliver reliable, efficient, and compliant solutions. While not responsible for payroll processing, this role is accountable for the systems and configurations that enable accurate payroll outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Domain Ownership & Technical Leadership

• Own the architectural and configuration guardrails for Payroll, Time, and Absence, coordinating execution while retaining accountability for outcomes.
• Establish and maintain standards for configuration, data integrity, and system governance.
• Make and guide key decisions on system design, scalability, and long-term architecture.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex system and payroll-impacting issues.

System Design & Configuration

• Lead configuration of payroll elements, time tracking rules, and absence plans with a focus on scalability and maintainability.
• Ensure configurations support business requirements while minimizing downstream risk.
• Evaluate and redesign existing configurations to improve performance, accuracy, and usability.

Payroll Systems Enablement (U.S.)

• Ensure Workday Payroll configurations support accurate and compliant payroll processing.
• Partner with Payroll leadership to identify risks, gaps, and optimization opportunities.
• Own enterprise-level resolution of payroll-impacting issues, including root cause identification, risk mitigation, and long-term remediation.

Global Payroll Integration (India – External Vendor)

• Own design and reliability of outbound payroll data integrations.
• Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and auditability across systems.
• Coordinate with external vendors to resolve systemic issues and improve processes.

Architecture, Integrations & Data

• Own architectural decisions and trade-offs for payroll, time, and absence integrations, balancing compliance, scalability, and operational risk (e.g., EIB, APIs, vendor feeds)
• Ensure alignment between Workday and downstream/upstream systems
• Define and maintain data standards, controls, and validation processes

Workday Release & Change Governance

• Lead impact assessment and strategy for Workday biannual releases
• Establish testing standards and ensure high-quality deployment of changes
• Govern system changes to ensure stability and avoid unintended impacts

Continuous Improvement & Strategy

• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, reduce manual work, and improve system efficiency
• Translate business needs into scalable, forward-looking system solutions
• Shape and influence the broader HR technology roadmap, representing Payroll, Time, and Absence priorities and trade-offs.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Act as the primary technical advisor and decision partner to Payroll, HR, and IT stakeholders
• Provide clear recommendations and guidance on system capabilities and limitations
• Influence decision-making through expertise and data-driven insights

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of Workday experience with deep expertise in:
• Workday Payroll (U.S.)
• Time Tracking
• Absence
• Proven experience owning system design and configuration decisions
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, compliance, and downstream impacts
• Experience supporting integrations and data flows across systems
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex problem-solving and root cause analysis

Preferred Qualifications

• Workday certifications in Payroll, Time Tracking, or Absence
• Experience with global payroll integrations and vendor coordination
• Experience with Workday integrations (EIB, Studio, APIs)
• Background in IT or HR technology environments

Success Factors

• Operates as the accountable owner of the domain, not just a contributor
• Makes sound technical decisions with long-term impact in mind
• Balances stability with continuous improvement
• Anticipates risks and proactively addresses them
• Communicates complex technical concepts clearly to stakeholders

Location

• Three days a week at a Guardian office in New York, NY, Holmdel, NJ, Stamford, CT or Bethlehem, PA.

Salary Range

$118,980.00 - $195,465.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well‑being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full‑time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail] . Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.