Senior Workday Payroll Architect

Lambda

. Serve as functional lead for Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence in the Workday implementation .

Posted 9/28/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • United StatesSenior💰 $278,000 - $325,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive expertise in configuring and maintaining Workday Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence systems, with a strong focus on payroll business processes and compliance. Proven ability to lead implementations, design integrations, and support audit requirements in a multi-state taxation environment.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Workday Payroll ConfigurationPayroll Business ProcessesSOX Compliance ExperienceInternational Payroll IntegrationWorkday Pro Certification

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Workday PayrollWorkday Time TrackingWorkday AbsencePayroll Calculation EngineCalculated FieldsTax ConfigurationRetro ProcessingCustom ReportsPayroll AccountingMulti-State Taxation

Soft Skills

Documentation SkillsTraining AbilitiesCollaboration with HR

Tools & Technologies

NetSuiteOktaLumosWorkatoBigQuery

Certifications & Qualifications

Workday Payroll CertificationWorkday Pro Certification

Industry Keywords

SOX ITGCFLSAWage and Hour RulesGarnishmentsEquity CompensationRSU WithholdingYear-End ProcessingAudit-Facing EnvironmentEmployer-of-Record ArrangementsIPO Readiness

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

BigQuery

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as functional lead for Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence in the Workday implementation
Drive design sessions and own configuration decisions
Build and test the Workday tenant with the implementation partner
Sign off on readiness for cutover, parallel testing, and hypercare
Configure and maintain Workday Payroll for US and Canada employees
Design and operate integrations between Workday and international payroll providers
Configure Time Tracking for hourly and non-exempt populations
Build and maintain Absence plans for US and international populations
Own payroll-adjacent integrations with benefits carriers, 401k, tax filing, equity compensation, and NetSuite GL
Validate data across Workday, payroll results, and the general ledger
Partner with Payroll Operations and Accounting on payroll cycles, audits, off-cycle payments, and root-cause analysis
Design payroll processes and Workday security supporting SOX ITGC and payroll controls
Support internal and external audit requests
Assess Workday semi-annual releases, run regression testing, and adopt new functionality
Write documentation, train HR, managers, and Payroll, and build reports and dashboards

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years in HRIS or payroll systems
At least 6+ years hands-on configuring Workday Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence
Taken at least one Workday Payroll implementation live as the functional lead
Fluent in payroll business processes, calculation engine, calculated fields, pay component logic, custom reports, tax configuration, retro processing, and payroll accounting
Workday Payroll, Time Tracking, or Absence certification or equivalent partner experience strongly preferred
Experience running or integrating international payroll through Workday
Knowledge of US payroll fundamentals, multi-state taxation, FLSA, wage and hour rules, California rules, garnishments, imputed income, equity compensation, RSU withholding, and year-end processing
Experience in a SOX or audit-facing environment
Understanding of segregation of duties, approvals, and evidence requirements
Experience with Workday HCM, Benefits, and Compensation preferred
Experience migrating from Rippling or another all-in-one HR/payroll platform to Workday preferred
Workday Pro certifications preferred
Experience with international payroll providers and employer-of-record arrangements preferred
Familiarity with NetSuite, Okta, Lumos, Workato, and BigQuery preferred
IPO readiness experience preferred
Experience using AI tooling for testing, documentation, or reconciliation preferred

Benefits

Comp & perks

Generous cash & equity compensation
Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles
401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)
Flexible paid time off plan
Work-from-home day currently Tuesday