Senior Manager, Finance Process Owner (hire to Retire)

Workday Workday · Enterprise · Atlanta, GA +1

This role is for a Senior Manager, Finance Process Owner (Hire to Retire) at Workday, focusing on optimizing and governing global payroll and stock administration processes. While the role mentions AI and machine learning for specific applications like anomaly detection and forecasting, its core function is in finance process ownership and transformation within an enterprise context, not in building or researching AI models directly. The role emphasizes leveraging Workday's platform, including its AI capabilities, to improve efficiency, compliance, and automation in financial operations.

What you'd actually do

  1. Define and maintain the global end-to-end process standards for the finance portions of Hire to Retire, specifically Payroll execution and Stock Administration workflows.
  2. Establish frameworks that drive consistency between HR, Finance, and Legal, ensuring that equity grants and payroll cycles are integrated into the core financial reporting process.
  3. Partner with the Global Payroll and Equity leaders to ensure process integrity, SOX compliance, and statutory audit readiness across all jurisdictions.
  4. Lead the identification and elimination of process friction in global payroll cycles and equity administration workflows.
  5. Develop and manage KPIs to track "Payroll Accuracy," "Stock Settlement Cycle Time," and "Operational Cost per Employee."

Skills

Required

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in Payroll, Stock Administration, or Finance Transformation, with a heavy emphasis on the Hire to Retire lifecycle.
  • Deep functional knowledge of global payroll operations, equity-based compensation (RSUs, ESPP, Options), and the resulting accounting/tax implications.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field

Nice to have

  • Proven experience using or deploying Workday HCM and Payroll is essential; you should understand the technical interplay between HR data and financial outcomes.
  • CPP, CEP, or CPA designation is highly preferred.
  • Analytical Mindset: The ability to translate complex global payroll and equity regulations into scalable, digital process flows.
  • Collaborative Leader: Outstanding ability to influence stakeholders at the Senior Manager+ level across People & Purpose, Payroll, and Product organizations.
  • Change Agent: A track record of leading teams through digital shifts, moving from manual manual-entry work to automated, system-driven outcomes.
  • Customer Zero Vision: A passion for being a "power user" and advocate for Workday technology, helping to refine the product through internal excellence.

What the JD emphasized

  • SOX compliance
  • global payroll
  • equity grants
  • stock administration
  • Workday HCM and Payroll