Sr Director, Finance Applications

Your work days are brighter here.

At Workday, it all began with a conversation over breakfast. When our founders met at a sunny California diner, they came up with an idea to revolutionize the enterprise software market. And when we began to rise, one thing that really set us apart was our culture. A culture which was driven by our value of putting our people first. And ever since, the happiness, development, and contribution of every Workmate is central to who we are. Our Workmates believe a healthy employee-centric, collaborative culture is the essential mix of ingredients for success in business. That’s why we look after our people, communities and the planet while still being profitable. Feel encouraged to shine, however that manifests: you don’t need to hide who you are. You can feel the energy and the passion, it's what makes us unique. Inspired to make a brighter work day for all and transform with us to the next stage of our growth journey? Bring your brightest version of you and have a brighter work day here.

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About the Team

At Workday, we help the world’s largest organizations adapt to what’s next by bringing finance, HR, and planning into a single enterprise cloud. We work hard, and we’re serious about what we do. But we like to have fun, too. We put people first, celebrate diversity, drive innovation, and do good in the communities where we live and work.

The Finance Applications team mission is to champion business and customer success through Workday and best in class Finance technology. Our objectives are to understand the unique needs of our users and deliver solutions to drive a delightful user experience and impactful business outcomes both at Workday and for our customers. How do we build these delightful experiences? Our core team principle is to cultivate empowered, autonomous, diverse teams with freedom and support to experiment, celebrate growth and learning and drive groundbreaking innovation leading to a brighter Workday for all.

About the Role

The Senior Director of Finance Applications will be a pivotal leader in defining and implementing an end-to-end solution strategy across our Finance IT teams. This forward-thinking role will be instrumental in weaving together Workday's product suite, customized innovations, and third-party technologies to construct a best-in-class, AI-powered financial ecosystem. By harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, you will unlock unprecedented business value and create truly fabulous user experiences. This position is a cornerstone of the Leadership team, reporting directly to the VP of Business Applications

What you will do:

You will possess an understanding of the multifaceted constraints of the business—spanning services, finance, legal, and privacy—coupled with a deep empathy for our users and a data-driven understanding of their engagement with our products. This leader will be at the forefront of technological trends, particularly in the AI landscape, using these insights to architect and implement a visionary solution strategy and roadmap.

• AI-Powered Strategic Leadership: Define and implement the long-term roadmap for Workday Financials, with an emphasis on integrating AI & ML to drive predictive insights, automate complex processes, and enhance financial forecasting and decision-making.

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and cultivate a high-performing team of Workday Financials professionals. Champion a culture of excellence, continuous learning, and innovation, empowering the team to explore and implement innovative AI solutions.

• System Ownership & AI-Driven Optimization: Lead the end-to-end Workday Financials application portfolio. Drive continuous improvement by identifying and implementing opportunities for intelligent automation, using AI to optimize system performance and efficiency across all financial modules.

• Implementation & Enhancement Management: Be responsible for the entire lifecycle of new Workday Financials modules, features, and enhancements, with a specific focus on the integration of AI capabilities. Lead projects using Agile methodologies to ensure timely and on-budget delivery of innovative solutions.

• Stakeholder Partnership: Act as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and cross-functional partners in Finance, Accounting, and IT on the ground-breaking potential of AI within our financial systems. Translate complex business needs into tangible, AI-driven technical solutions.

• Intelligent Reporting & Analytics: Champion the integrity and accuracy of financial data within Workday. Orchestrate the design and development of advanced, AI-enhanced financial reports, predictive models, and analytical dashboards to support proactive and informed decision-making.

• Governance & Controls: Establish and implement best practices for Workday Financials governance, data integrity, and security, with a keen eye on the ethical and compliant application of AI and machine learning in financial processes.

• Release Management: Proactively run Workday's semi-annual release cycles, performing thorough impact assessments and driving the adoption of new AI-powered features and functionalities.

• Vendor Management: Collaborate with external consultants, technology partners, and Workday representatives to pioneer and support strategic AI initiatives and resolve complex systemic challenges.

• Documentation & Training: Ensure comprehensive documentation of all system processes, configurations, and user guides, with a focus on AI-driven features. Develop and deliver targeted training programs to improve user adoption and proficiency with new technologies.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in a leadership capacity, shaping technology-powered products as a product manager or implementation director.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in ERP/financial systems

Other Qualifications:

• Proven experience architecting and delivering AI and machine learning solutions within a financial systems landscape.

• A strong foundation in financial accounting principles, business processes, and regulatory compliance.

• Extensive project management experience, including the oversight of sophisticated, large-scale projects, budgets, and resources within an Agile framework.

• Experience leading and inspiring agile product development teams to achieve high-reaching goals.

• A proven track record of successfully integrating Workday Financials with other enterprise systems.

• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills, with an unwavering attention to detail.

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to confidently present to senior executives and large audiences.

• Workday Financials certification(s) (e.g., FDM, Core Financials, Adaptive Planning) are highly preferred.

• Demonstrated success leading and running full-cycle Workday Financials implementations.

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: $264,000 USD - $396,000 USD

 

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $224,200 USD - $396,000 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.

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