Workday Time & Absence, Senior Product Manager

Gilead Sciences•Foster City, CA

About The Position

At Gilead, we’re creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, we’ve tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer – working relentlessly to develop therapies that help improve lives and to ensure access to these therapies across the globe. We continue to fight against the world’s biggest health challenges, and our mission requires collaboration, determination and a relentless drive to make a difference. Every member of Gilead’s team plays a critical role in the discovery and development of life-changing scientific innovations. Our employees are our greatest asset as we work to achieve our bold ambitions, and we’re looking for the next wave of passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact. We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Gilead and help create possible, together. Job Description Gilead HR is advancing a program of global process standardization, operational efficiency, and scalable People Technology solutions. We are seeking a Senior People Technology (HRIS) Specialist with deep expertise in Workday Time Tracking and Absence Management to support and optimize a complex, global Workday environment. This role is ideal for a seasoned Workday practitioner who combines hands-on configuration expertise with strong ‑problem-solving and stakeholder partnership skills. You will serve as the primary subject matter expert for Global Time & Absence, ensuring accurate‑ calculations, compliant policies, reliable payroll integration, and positive employee and manager experience.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of relevant experience; OR Masters' degree and 6+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD and 2+ years of relevant experience

Nice To Haves

Degree in Information Systems, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
8+ years of hands-on Workday HRIS experience, with deep expertise‑ in Time Tracking and Absence Management
Proven experience configuring complex Time & Absence rules, accruals, eligibility, approvals, and integrations with Payroll
Experience supporting global or multi-country Workday environments and country‑ specific‑ time/leave requirements
Strong understanding of Workday Business Process Framework, security roles, calculated fields, validations, and reporting
Experience leading or supporting full lifecycle implementations or major enhancements for Workday Time & Absence
Strong communication and stakeholder partnership abilities; able to translate policy and operational needs into technical solutions
Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and documentation skills
Create Inclusion - knowing the business value of diverse teams, modeling inclusion, and embedding the value of diversity in the way they manage their teams.
Develop Talent - understand the skills, experience, aspirations and potential of their employees and coach them on current performance and future potential. They ensure employees are receiving the feedback and insight needed to grow, develop and realize their purpose.
Empower Teams - connect the team to the organization by aligning goals, purpose, and organizational objectives, and holding them to account. They provide the support needed to remove barriers and connect their team to the broader ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Workday Time Tracking and Absence SME, owning configuration, maintenance, and optimization of: Time entry templates, time types, time blocks, and eligibility rules Absence plans, accruals, carryover rules, balance caps, and validations Work schedules, calendars, period schedules, and approval workflows
Partner closely with HR, Payroll, IT, and regional stakeholders to translate business and policy requirements into scalable Workday solutions
Lead end-to-end‑ delivery of Time & Absence initiatives, including requirements gathering, solution design, configuration, testing, deployment, and hyper-care
Design, build, and maintain Workday Time & Absence reports and dashboards, supporting HR, Payroll, and manager insights
Configure and maintain Business Processes, condition rules, notifications, and security related to time and absence transactions
Ensure seamless integration with Payroll, downstream calculations, and reporting
Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues related to time entry, absence requests, approvals, balances, and payroll impacts
Support global and regional rollouts, new country deployments, and regulatory or policy changes affecting time and absence
Execute and support unit, integration, and regression testing for configuration changes and bi‑annual Workday releases
Identify opportunities for process simplification, automation, and self-service‑, improving accuracy and user experience
Review Workday release notes, assess impacts to Time & Absence, and recommend adoption of new features and functionality
Maintain configuration documentation, change control artifacts, and audit ready‑ records
Ensure compliance with labor regulations, internal controls, and SOX relevant‑ processes where applicable
Stay current with Workday releases and updates, evaluating new features and functionality for potential adoption.
Develop job aids and support materials; contribute to knowledge sharing across the HRIS team

Benefits

This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role), paid time off, and a benefits package.
Benefits include company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.
For additional benefits information, visit: https://www.gilead.com/careers/compensation-benefits-and-wellbeing
Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

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