Principal, Operations Lead

Workday•Pleasanton, CA

1d•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 Business Technology (BT) in Workday continues its mission to deliver unparalleled value to our business partners and customers. The team of portfolio leads work with stakeholders within BT and outside to define, align on, and implement the strategic programs and operations. The team is also responsible for standardizing program methodologies, tools, and operations/metrics across the BT organization to provide a unified experience to business stakeholders and customers. About the Role This role owns day-to-day operational excellence (e.g., budget and HC management, SLA reporting, vendor management and performance), and connects this with organizational strategy, setting BT-function level OKRs and driving engagement within BT function (all staffs, leadership team meetings). Coordinates with executive stakeholders to align departmental activities with overarching business goals and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Key responsibilities and accountability: Operational excellence: Monitor and drive day-to-day operational excellence across BT function, including budget and headcount, performance metrics and vendor performance and management. Owns the operationalization of performance improvement initiatives and targets. Portfolio management: Manages the run/scale portfolio and budget of the BT function, including planning, monthly monitoring and optimization. Team strategy: Establishes, monitors and provides oversight to defining BT function-specific OKRs, ensuring alignment with enterprise- and BT-level strategic goals and vision. Coordinates with executive stakeholders to ensure departmental goals are directly aligned with broader organizational strategies and connects with QPCI and promotion and award cycles. Communications and engagement: Owns and coordinates high-stakes cross-functional communication and engagement activities. Leads, coordinates and plans key organizational meetings such as all staffs and leadership meetings. Drives engagement within BT function. Partners with central change management team on comprehensive change, communication and training plans in support of critical organizational updates. Vendor management: Drive accountability with vendors by owning the end-to-end vendor relationship management, acting as the primary liaison for strategic partners. Negotiate and manage SLAs and planning periodic (quarterly or bi-annual) engagement reviews. Support teams with onboarding and offboarding at scale. Ensure new vendors are integrated quickly and compliantly, and departing vendors are securely transitioned out. About You This role provides oversight and recommendations to decision makers in the following areas: Budget Management : Monitors and advises on the portfolio’s budget and mitigates financial risks Portfolio Management: Oversees the function’s run/scale portfolio, ensuring that items are received, tracked, and reported in adherence with BT portfolio standards Annual Planning: Understands, influences and optimizes BT function’s run/scale portfolio. Operational Excellence : Defines and manages the operational cadence. OKR Coach : Facilitates BT function OKR sessions, coaches teams on best practices, and ensures alignment of BT function OKRs with BT’s strategic goals. Performance Accountability: Decides on and enforces vendor performance KPIs and takes necessary actions to hold vendors accountable.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in strategic operations, program management, vendor management, or a high-impact role supporting executive leadership.
5+ years of experience in driving and owning the annual operating rhythm and budget, executive communications, and cross-organizational change management.
Operational Excellence & Cost Control: Demonstrated success in identifying bottlenecks, streamlining complex business processes, and improving organizational efficiency to achieve cost savings.
Financial & Budget Management: Direct experience with owning and controlling departmental or organizational budgets ($XX+ million), including forecasting, variance analysis, and resource allocation.
Vendor and Contract Management: Proven ability to manage the full lifecycle of major vendor relationships, including supporting contract negotiation, service level agreement (SLA) enforcement, performance review, and ensuring vendor alignment with strategic organizational goals.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Proven ability to define key performance indicators (KPIs), conduct root cause analysis, and use data to inform executive-level recommendations.
Proven track record of influencing and motivating cross-functional teams and senior leaders without direct reporting lines.
Executive presence and high level of discretion.
Absolute integrity and the capacity to handle highly sensitive, confidential, and proprietary information.
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness and the ability to accurately gauge the mood and motivations of the organization.
Strength in facilitating workshops, seeking input, and storytelling.

Nice To Haves

Ideal background is Chief of Staff or Business Operations function at a large enterprise company/firm.
Knowledge of Agile frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban and Lean, and experience implementing Agile practices and methodologies across multiple teams and departments is a plus.
Agile certification such as Professional Scrum Master (PSM), Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Monitor and drive day-to-day operational excellence across BT function, including budget and headcount, performance metrics and vendor performance and management.
Owns the operationalization of performance improvement initiatives and targets.
Manages the run/scale portfolio and budget of the BT function, including planning, monthly monitoring and optimization.
Establishes, monitors and provides oversight to defining BT function-specific OKRs, ensuring alignment with enterprise- and BT-level strategic goals and vision.
Coordinates with executive stakeholders to ensure departmental goals are directly aligned with broader organizational strategies and connects with QPCI and promotion and award cycles.
Owns and coordinates high-stakes cross-functional communication and engagement activities.
Leads, coordinates and plans key organizational meetings such as all staffs and leadership meetings.
Drives engagement within BT function.
Partners with central change management team on comprehensive change, communication and training plans in support of critical organizational updates.
Drive accountability with vendors by owning the end-to-end vendor relationship management, acting as the primary liaison for strategic partners.
Negotiate and manage SLAs and planning periodic (quarterly or bi-annual) engagement reviews.
Support teams with onboarding and offboarding at scale.
Ensure new vendors are integrated quickly and compliantly, and departing vendors are securely transitioned out.