Sr. Principal Program Manager, Business Technology Pmo

Workday Workday · Enterprise · Pleasanton, CA

This role is for a Sr. Principal Technical Program Manager at Workday, a company that describes itself as an AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. The role focuses on leading the planning and execution of complex M&A technology integrations, requiring strategic leadership, high-stakes decision-making, and ecosystem orchestration. While the company mentions AI and agents, the core responsibilities of this specific role are centered around program management for M&A integrations, not direct AI/ML development or research.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead the planning and execution of Workday’s most complex, cross-functional M&A integration programs, from initial due diligence through post-close stabilization.
  2. Exercise independent judgment in methods and evaluation criteria for obtaining results in environments with significant organizational friction and shifting deal dynamics.
  3. Curate, drive, and refine repeatable M&A playbooks to ensure "lessons learned" from previous programs are codified to accelerate future integrations.
  4. Act as the final arbiter of trade-offs between speed, cost, and quality when guiding critical, often contentious, integration decisions.
  5. Resolve critical issues and broad design matters that arise between legacy systems and Workday standards, prioritizing scalability and compliance over short-term "band-aid" fixes.

Skills

Required

  • 12+ years of program management experience leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives, with a proven track record at the Principal contributor level
  • 12+ years of experience managing end-to-end M&A integrations, with a specific focus on the organizational and process components that cause friction.
  • 10+ years in enterprise SaaS, cloud, or high-growth technology environments.
  • Ability to influence and align executive-level stakeholders across diverse functions to achieve long-term M&A goals.
  • Deep understanding of the Workday architecture and the dependencies required to maintain compliance and scale in a multi-tenant environment.
  • Relevant certifications (PMP, PgMP, or equivalent) required

Nice to have

  • A track record of mentoring and developing other Program Managers, acting as a "force multiplier" and elevating the organization's collective "M&A IQ".
  • Highly adaptable and resilient; able to manage shifting priorities and organizational drama while maintaining a relentless long-term focus.
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Technology, or Management (or equivalent experience).

What the JD emphasized

  • significant and unique issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangible and variable factors, such as "hidden" risks and unpredictable human variables
  • significant organizational friction and shifting deal dynamics
  • critical, often contentious, integration decisions
  • organizational and process components that cause friction