Strategic Finance Director

Workday•Pleasanton, CA

1d•$159,800 - $283,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Finance Director is a senior individual contributor who owns financial due diligence and analytical support for Workday’s inorganic growth initiatives, as well as select cross‑functional strategic projects. Reporting to the VP, Strategic Finance, this role is the primary finance partner to Corporate Development and a key contributor to how we evaluate and execute our M&A strategy. The Strategic Finance team partners across Workday to deliver insights, drive execution of critical initiatives, and enable long-term value creation. We combine rigorous financial analysis with program management, cross-functional coordination, and executive storytelling to help senior leaders make informed decisions and move the business forward. You will join a small, high‑impact group that operates at the intersection of strategy and execution. The bar for quality is high, the work is often ambiguous, and outcomes are highly visible to the CFO, CEO, and Board. We value collaboration, low ego, and a strong learning mindset, and we are comfortable adapting with AI-driven automation as the company and our operating model evolve.

Requirements

10+ years in Strategic Finance, Corporate Development, Investment Banking, Private Equity, or a related field, with a focus on software/SaaS.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field, MBA preferred
Advanced financial modeling skills, including ARR / SaaS cohort modeling, three‑statement forecasting, scenario and sensitivity analysis, and valuation / returns analysis.
Demonstrated ability to apply emerging technologies and AI tools directly to your work (e.g., accelerating analysis, enhancing data quality, building reusable templates, improving decision support).
A strong grasp of the metrics that drive value in recurring‑revenue businesses (e.g., ARR, net dollar retention, churn, LTV/CAC, gross margin, payback) and how they connect to strategic choices and long‑range plans.
Proven ability to structure ambiguous problems, frame clear hypotheses, and translate complex quantitative insights into simple, compelling narratives for executive audiences.
Exceptional coordination and organization skills: you manage many parallel workstreams, keep stakeholders aligned, and deliver clear, accurate outputs under tight deadlines.
Experience partnering with Corporate Development and cross‑functional teams (Finance, Accounting, Tax, Legal, HR, Product, GTM) throughout the deal lifecycle.
High ownership, sound judgment, and discretion with confidential information, and a low‑ego, partnership‑oriented working style that builds trust and raises the bar for the teams around you.
Highly analytical with solid M&A experience and a passion for using data and technology to drive strategic decisions
Experience leading financial due diligence and complex modeling workstreams for acquisitions or investments and are comfortable working directly with senior executives, advisors, and cross‑functional partners.
Strong at coordinating fast‑moving work across teams as you are at building the models behind it, and you thrive in environments that are changing and evolving rapidly.

Responsibilities

Lead end‑to‑end financial workstreams for potential acquisitions and investments.
Assess target performance and quality of earnings, build ARR and three‑statement models.
Evaluate synergies and integration costs, and translating insights into clear recommendations for senior leaders.
Orchestrate input from multiple teams and ensure work is organized, coordinated, and delivered on time.
Partner with Corporate Development, Business Finance, Accounting, Tax, Legal, HR, and Business Technology to provide a complete view of value, risk, and trade‑offs for each opportunity.
Improve how we source data, build models, synthesize large information sets, and generate insight more quickly and at higher quality.
Support high‑priority strategic projects for the CFO and senior leadership, such as business driver analysis, unit economics, and incorporating inorganic scenarios into our long‑range plan.