Principal Functional Consultant- AI Practice

Workday•Chicago, IL

20h•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 AI Practice Delivery team sits within Workday’s Professional Services organization and focuses on helping customers realize tangible business value from Workday AI across HCM and Financials. Our functional consultants work directly with HR, Finance, and IT stakeholders to design AI‑enabled business processes, define use cases, and guide change management and adoption. We partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Engagement Management to ensure that every AI deployment is grounded in strong functional design, robust data foundations, and a clear story for end users. Our work is highly visible: we help some of Workday’s most complex global customers move from AI concepts to day‑to‑day workflows that feel intuitive, responsible, and impactful. About the Role As a Principal Functional AI Practice Delivery Consultant, you will be the primary functional architect responsible for designing end‑to‑end AI transformations for our most complex customers. You’ll connect the capabilities of Workday’s Native AI Agents, the Workday Agent Platform, and our Sana integration to real HR and Finance processes and business outcomes. You will act as a trusted advisor to executive sponsors, design AI‑enabled process and operating models, and lead functional workstreams through preparation, activation, and adoption. In this role, you help customers move well beyond AI “hype” by ensuring every solution is usable, ethical, scalable, and tied to measurable value.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in enterprise software consulting or functional implementation (e.g., Workday HCM, Financials, Talent, or similar), including significant experience leading complex, multi‑country or multi‑business‑unit projects
2+ years of experience designing or delivering AI‑enabled or analytics‑driven solutions in an enterprise context (e.g., AI agents, intelligent automation, advanced analytics, or ML‑powered features)
7+ years of experience in enterprise software consulting or functional implementation (e.g., Workday HCM, Financials, Talent, or similar), including significant experience leading complex, multi‑country or multi‑business‑unit projects
1+ years of experience designing or delivering AI‑enabled or analytics‑driven solutions in an enterprise context (e.g., AI agents, intelligent automation, advanced analytics, or ML‑powered features)
Strong business acumen, with the ability to understand HR and Finance strategies, define AI‑enabled use cases, and connect AI capabilities to concrete business outcomes for customers
Deep functional knowledge of Workday HCM and/or Financials, including configuration concepts, business processes, security considerations, and reporting/analytics patterns
Experience in solutions design, including leading discovery and design workshops to translate business requirements into AI‑enabled workflows, agent behaviors, and governance models
Background in professional services or consulting, with experience managing high‑stakes client delivery and collaborating in multi‑disciplinary project teams (e.g., engagement management, technical, change management)
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex AI concepts in accessible terms for non‑technical stakeholders while maintaining credibility with technical and product partners
Demonstrated decision‑making and process improvement skills, using data and feedback from deployments to refine methodologies, templates, and best practices over time
Comfort working in evolving spaces, with a growth mindset and a desire to continuously develop your expertise in AI, agentic workflows, and Workday’s Ethical AI principles
Commitment to Workday’s Ethical AI standards, ensuring all solutions are designed to be transparent, fair, and secure for all users

Responsibilities

Solution Design: Design comprehensive AI‑enabled solutions across the Workday ecosystem, ensuring tight alignment between Native AI Agents, custom agents on the Workday Agent Platform, and Sana’s knowledge capabilities, with a focus on real HR and Finance workflows.
Strategic Advisory: Serve as a trusted advisor to senior HR, Finance, and IT leaders, translating AI capabilities into clear business value, outcome‑driven roadmaps, and adoption plans for their organizations.
Functional Leadership: Lead functional workstreams for AI initiatives, including requirements discovery, process design, configuration guidance, data readiness, and user experience considerations.
Innovation & Feedback: Partner with Product and Engineering to share field insights from customer deployments, influencing the evolution of Workday’s AI agents, platform features, and Sana integration patterns.
Ecosystem Alignment: Collaborate with technical and integration teams to ensure that AI use cases are supported by appropriate data models, security considerations, and integration patterns with third‑party systems.