Associate General Counsel

Workday • Pleasanton, CA

2d • $188,900 - $335,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

Workday’s Global Legal Services team is seeking a Director & Associate General Counsel for its Center of Excellence. The role will lead initiatives to transform how the legal department supports the business, streamlining service delivery to support Workday’s growth as a global cloud software leader. The successful candidate will apply expertise in commercial contracting and legal technology to design efficient, modern processes that affect how the organization manages risk and supports strategic growth.

The Global Legal Services team focuses on simplicity, speed, scale, and skills. Its work includes legal-organization strategy and operational alignment, process optimization, resourcing, risk management, technology management, data harmonization, skills-based training, project management, strategic analytics, vendor management, and budget coordination.

The role calls for a leader with experience in large-scale transformation, data-driven measures of success, and pragmatic risk management. The Associate General Counsel will integrate legal expertise with modern technology, including AI, contract lifecycle management capabilities, and other automation tools, to simplify and scale contracting for a $20 billion global company.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney in a law firm or in-house/public sector legal department.
• At least 5 years of in-house legal experience focused on commercial transactions.
• At least 5 years of experience in modern contract drafting, legal transformation initiatives, and contract lifecycle management (CLM) concepts.
• J.D. degree and membership in at least one state bar.
• Deep understanding of commercial, vendor, partner, and strategic contracting needs of a Fortune 500 cloud software provider.
• Substantial experience providing legal guidance to global entities on commercial contracting matters.
• Excellent contract drafting skills.
• Experience negotiating customer or sales contracts with large enterprise organizations.
• A proven record of advising cross-functional leaders within rapidly expanding organizations.
• Analytical, methodical problem-solving, attention to detail, and pragmatic risk management.
• Experience working in an agile environment and collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to identify and use workflow automation tools to streamline operations and improve business efficiency.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong communication and listening skills to gather requirements and maintain stakeholder relationships.
• Strong interest in AI solutions and their application in data analysis, with willingness to learn and contribute to model development and deployment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with professional services, partner programs, and inbound/vendor contracting.

Responsibilities

• Transform contracting models, workflows, and department processes to improve efficiency and scale, analyzing complexity, effort, and risk.
• Implement a modern contracting strategy for streamlined end-to-end contracting processes covering customer, partner, inbound, and professional services matters.
• Develop and maintain transactional infrastructure governance policies and processes, and provide direction to infrastructure transactional councils.
• Advise cross-functional leaders as a trusted advisor on complex legal, business, and strategic issues.
• Champion organizational change and deliver change management to executives, the legal team, and cross-functional audiences.

Benefits

• The role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus.
• Annual refresh stock grants may be part of the total compensation package.
• Workday provides a comprehensive benefits package; details are available through the company’s benefits information.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree