Senior Principal People Partner at Workday in Pleasanton, CA

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 At Workday, our PBP team builds resilient organizations, enables leaders to operate at scale, and amplifies our employee-first culture. You will be joining a global team of talented People Business Partners (HRPB) leading our talent strategy for the Global Professional Services organization at Workday focusing on helping our business grow & scale in this space.

We are looking for a Senior Principal People Business Partner who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced and outcome-focused environment that has a bias for action. This individual needs to be collaborative, able to lead a high performing (matrixed) team with speed, and balance both strategic thinking and execution (because we don’t create value with ideas we can’tdeliver!).

About the Role

Responsibilities:

• Consultative: Proactively builds positive relationships, facilitates thoughtful dialogue, thinks strategically and advises on all things related to People & Talent.
• Problem Solves: Identifies the source of problems leveraging data and insights, develops solutions, and implements solutions in partnerships with the ecosystem of HR Centers of Excellence.
• Talent Strategy and Executive Coaching: This role is hands-on when it comes to Executive Coaching, Workforce Planning, and Talent Management initiatives like succession planning and leadership development.
• Business Acumen: The successful candidate thinks like a business leader with deep understanding of HR fundamentals and embodies Workday’s culture and core values.

About You

Required Qualifications:

• 12+ years of proven understanding of HR, ability to enhance business performance through the creation of People Strategies.
• Thrive in working in ambiguity and are motivated to develop transparency and alignment.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to break down sophisticated concepts for all audience levels and deliver expertly through advised, educated, and engaging presentations.
• You easily build positive relationships and have the ability to influence senior leaders, knowing when to challenge and when to disagree & commit.
• A track record of using data and insights from both internal and external sources to advise opinions and strategies.

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Other Qualifications:

• A bias for action, results are created by this team, and we lean-in where Workday needs us.
• Highly organized and the ability to tenaciously prioritize work.
• An ability to handle adversity and apply learnings.
• A desire to learn, grow, and operate as an essential connector across the business--pulling in HR CoEs when needed.
• Strong investigative, analytical, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

Primary Location: USA.CA.Pleasanton

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $207,000 USD - $310,600 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $174,800 USD - $310,600 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

At Workday, we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring experience where all candidates can fully demonstrate their skills. If you require assistance or an accommodation at any point, please email accommodations@workday.com.

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