Principal Engineer - Workforce Technology (UKG)

CarMax • Richmond, VA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

CarMax is modernizing the workforce technology systems that serve thousands of associates nationwide. We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to own the strategy, architecture, and evolution of our UKG Pro Workforce Management (WFM) platform — and the integrations that connect it to our broader HR ecosystem.
This is a high-impact, senior-level role. You'll drive architectural decisions, shape engineering practice, and build solutions that span systems, teams, and business functions. You should be comfortable operating at both a strategic and hands-on level — leading what's next, not just maintaining what exists.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Decision Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related field, or equivalent alternative education, skills, and/or practical experience is required and 7+ years of relevant work experience or
• Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Decision Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related field, or equivalent alternative education, skills, and/or practical experience is required and 5+ years of relevant work experience

Nice To Haves

• 7+ years of hands-on experience with UKG Pro WFM and/or Kronos platforms.
• Deep experience configuring and supporting: Timekeeping, Accruals, Attendance, Advanced Scheduling, and Forecasting.
• Experience designing or leading a migration toward API-first or abstraction layer integration patterns — decoupling systems from point-to-point dependencies.
• Strong understanding of enterprise integration architecture — including middleware, abstraction layers, event-driven APIs, and cloud infrastructure (Azure preferred).
• Experience integrating UKG with broader HR systems such as Workday and payroll platforms.
• Familiarity with data platforms such as Google BigQuery or similar.
• Experience across multiple HR technology platforms — not just UKG.
• Background designing solutions in hybrid environments (cloud + enterprise systems).
• Experience evaluating or selecting technology platforms — not just implementing them.
• Familiarity with time clock or workforce hardware integrations.
• Strong documentation habits that scale knowledge across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise-level solution design across UKG Pro WFM — with a focus on scalability, resiliency, and long-term sustainability.
• Design and implement solutions across core UKG modules: Timekeeping, Accruals, Attendance, Forecasting, and Advanced Scheduling.
• Drive the evolution of our integration strategy from Dell Boomi toward API-first, abstraction layer patterns — reducing platform dependency and improving maintainability across the HR ecosystem.
• Ability to define integration requirements for middleware, with enough cloud fluency (Azure preferred) to partner with Platform Engineering
• Ensure every solution is designed with the full HR ecosystem in mind — not scoped to a single platform.
• Serve as the technical authority for Workforce Technology — influencing platform direction and cross-team standards.
• Mentor engineers and elevate team capability through code review, documentation, and direct coaching.
• Champion SDLC discipline, change management rigor, and engineering best practices across the team.
• Lead evaluation and adoption of new tools, platform capabilities, and technologies.
• Partner closely with HR, business operations, and technology teams to translate requirements into scalable solutions.
• Create clear technical documentation that enables maintainability, knowledge sharing, and onboarding.
• Establish feedback loops with end users and frontline associates to continuously identify pain points, validate solutions, and drive iterative improvements that make day-to-day work faster and easier.

Benefits

• Paid sick time
• Vacation time
• Paid holidays
• Floating holiday
• Holiday Premium Pay
• Paid time away with no specified limit as needed for sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, holidays, floating holiday, etc. subject to manager approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal