Senior Manager, Finance Process Owner (Hire to Retire)

Workday•Atlanta, GA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Finance Transformation Office (FTO) at Workday drives the modernization and optimization of the company's global finance function. The Finance Process Ownership team is central to this effort, responsible for governing and transforming end-to-end processes to ensure scale, control, and efficiency across the Finance organization. This involves integrating strategic process design with technology innovation, automation, and continuous improvement, enabling Finance to operate with simplicity, accuracy, and insight, and empowering Workday to be its own best Customer Zero. The Senior Manager, Finance Process Owner (Hire to Retire) will lead the optimization and governance of Workday’s Payroll and Stock Administration value streams. This individual will serve as the primary architect for the end-to-end design and performance of these critical people-finance pillars, driving day-to-day execution and leading a team focused on elevating H2R processes. The role ensures global payroll and equity workflows are seamlessly integrated into Workday's digital ecosystem, combining technical payroll/stock expertise with digital transformation. This position requires close partnership with People & Purpose (HR), Payroll Operations, Stock Admin, and Product teams to demonstrate world-class use of Workday HCM and Payroll.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in Payroll, Stock Administration, or Finance Transformation, with a heavy emphasis on the Hire to Retire lifecycle.
Deep functional knowledge of global payroll operations, equity-based compensation (RSUs, ESPP, Options), and the resulting accounting/tax implications.
Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Proven experience using or deploying Workday HCM and Payroll is essential; you should understand the technical interplay between HR data and financial outcomes.
CPP, CEP, or CPA designation is highly preferred.
Analytical Mindset: The ability to translate complex global payroll and equity regulations into scalable, digital process flows.
Collaborative Leader: Outstanding ability to influence stakeholders at the Senior Manager+ level across People & Purpose, Payroll, and Product organizations.
Change Agent: A track record of leading teams through digital shifts, moving from manual manual-entry work to automated, system-driven outcomes.
Customer Zero Vision: A passion for being a "power user" and advocate for Workday technology, helping to refine the product through internal excellence.

Responsibilities

Define and maintain the global end-to-end process standards for the finance portions of Hire to Retire, specifically Payroll execution and Stock Administration workflows.
Establish frameworks that drive consistency between HR, Finance, and Legal, ensuring that equity grants and payroll cycles are integrated into the core financial reporting process.
Partner with the Global Payroll and Equity leaders to ensure process integrity, SOX compliance, and statutory audit readiness across all jurisdictions.
Lead the identification and elimination of process friction in global payroll cycles and equity administration workflows.
Develop and manage KPIs to track "Payroll Accuracy," "Stock Settlement Cycle Time," and "Operational Cost per Employee."
Drive continuous improvement culture, utilizing automation to streamline complex multi-national payroll and stock reporting requirements.
Partner with Business Technology to implement scalable processes powered by Workday, focusing on automated payroll reconciliations, intelligent auditing, and AI-driven equity forecasting.
Champion automation opportunities such as machine learning for payroll anomaly detection and automated tax withholding for stock vestings.
Test and pilot new Workday features within the H2R suite, providing a feedback loop to Product Management to influence the future of the platform.
Lead and mentor Business Analysts and Process Specialists, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and technical excellence.