Principal Accountant

Workday•Pleasanton, CA

1d•$122,400 - $217,400•Hybrid

About The Position

Workday is seeking a Principal Accountant who wants to make their mark on a growing organization. This is an individual contributor role with broad ownership across the corporate accounting close (e.g., operating expenses, payroll‑related costs, and variable compensation) and a key partner to FP&A and business leaders. Reporting to the Senior Accounting Manager, the ideal candidate is a self‑starter, an excellent communicator, and enjoys collaborating with people with a diverse set of talents in an ambitious, fast‑paced environment.

Requirements

8+ years of related accounting experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
Strong knowledge of US GAAP and solid understanding of general ledger accounting and financial statements, including operating expenses, payroll‑related costs, and variable compensation.
Demonstrated experience owning multiple areas of the close and improving processes, controls, and reporting quality.
Advanced Excel skills and comfort working with large data sets.
Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills with high attention to detail and strong ownership mindset.
Strong communication skills; able to explain complex compensation plans and accounting conclusions clearly to diverse stakeholders.
Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment and adapt to changing priorities.
Highly productive self‑starter with a strong work ethic, curiosity, and dedication to excellence.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree and/or active CPA license is a plus.
Experience with a publicly traded company in the technology or SaaS industry preferred.
Experience with sales CRM tools such as Salesforce and incentive compensation management tools such as Xactly is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own core GL areas in the monthly and quarterly close for global consolidation (e.g., operating expenses, payroll‑related accounts, variable compensation, and other corporate accounting areas), including preparation and review of journals, account reconciliations, and variance analyses.
Manage the accounting and reporting for variable compensation (primarily Sales and Professional Services), ensuring accurate and timely recognition of commissions, bonuses, and incentives in accordance with US GAAP
Prepare and review monthly management reporting and analytics for owned areas, clearly explaining drivers, trends, and risks to Finance and business partners.
Collaborate with Sales Ops, CX Ops, and Payroll to ensure compensation plans, quota changes, and system configurations are accurately reflected in upstream data and downstream accounting.
Support internal and external audits for owned areas, including preparation of schedules and responding to inquiries.
Maintain and enhance internal controls over financial reporting, including design and execution of controls for new or evolving processes.
Identify and drive process improvements and automation opportunities across corporate accounting, working with Finance Systems and IT as needed.
Contribute to ad hoc projects such as system implementations, process redesign, and department initiatives, and communicate complex topics in a clear, concise way to finance and non‑finance partners.