Director of Strategic Initiatives, Growth (Principal Program Manager)

Workday • Pleasanton, CA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Your work days are brighter here. We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too. About the Team The Product Organization at Workday is building AI solutions for the future of HR and Finance. We are a unified team dedicated to reducing complexity and empowering our builders to innovate at the speed of AI. By blending startup agility with global scale, we align product strategy and operational excellence to deliver seamless, high-impact user experiences. At Workday, you won’t just build features; you will be part of a strategic engine that translates ambitious growth objectives into a measurable reality for millions of users worldwide. About the Role The Director, Strategic Initiatives is a high-impact team member within the Product Organization, reporting directly to the Chief of Staff to the SVP of Product. You will serve as a vital extension of the SVP’s office, operating with autonomy to solve the company’s most complex growth and product challenges and translate executive vision into market reality. You will bridge the gap between internal operational excellence and external market presence. While you will work in lockstep with the Chief of Staff to ensure the Product Org’s internal engine is running at peak performance, a significant portion of your remit involves preparing content for external-facing engagement to tell Workday’s growth story with authority and precision to customers, partners, and industry influencers.

Requirements

• 10–12+ years of experience in business operations, corporate strategy, or management consulting, specifically within the enterprise SaaS sector.
• 3+ years of experience leading large-scale, transformative initiatives that resulted in measurable growth or impact
• 2+ years of experience in customer-facing or market-facing roles
• Exceptional executive presence
• Adept at taking nebulous, high-level goals and architecting the structure and strategy required to achieve them.
• Able to drive alignment across competing internal interests without direct hierarchical authority.
• Experienced as translating complex market data and internal performance metrics into clear, actionable executive narratives.
• Operates effectively in a high-pressure, fast-evolving environment with very little day-to-day direction.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, or a related field; MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner closely with the Chief of Staff to synchronize the SVP’s strategic agenda with external market opportunities, ensuring a seamless flow between internal strategy and external execution.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to translate internal growth strategies into compelling external narratives that resonate with customers, prospects, and partners.
• Lead cross-functional product initiatives end-to-end, moving from ambiguity to operational diligence to concrete ROI with minimal oversight.
• Define the frameworks and metrics that measure the success of strategic initiatives, and communicate progress clearly.
• Navigate and influence leaders across Product & Technology, Sales, and Finance to align the Product Org’s priorities in the broader corporate roadmap.
• Lead the creation of executive-level content (keynotes, white papers, customer-facing and board-level decks) that position the SVP and Workday as leaders.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees