Functional Architect - Workday

Employment Type: Full time

Position Overview

The Functional Architect is a senior Workday expert responsible for providing end-to-end strategic leadership in Workday solution design and implementation delivery. This role involves a dual focus across sales and delivery lifecycles, serving as a trusted advisor during the pursuit phase and as the functional lead during deployment.

Responsibilities

• Sales Support:
  • Partner with pursuit and sales teams during the business development lifecycle.
  • Provide expert solution guidance, contributing to RFPs, RFIs, and proposal creation.
  • Own and develop effort/budgetary estimations aligning to customer asks and opportunity winnability.
• Delivery Leadership:
  • Lead the end-to-end functional solution design across the full project lifecycle, from sales pursuit through implementation.
  • Ensure alignment with client business goals and Workday best practices.
  • Provide functional leadership on multiple, concurrent Workday implementations, overseeing relevant functional areas (e.g., Core HCM, Compensation, Benefits, Talent, Performance, Recruiting, Learning).
  • Drive and facilitate key client sessions, including Architect Workshops and Confirmation Sessions, to ensure robust solution design and client alignment.
  • Serve as the primary functional point of escalation for Engagement Managers and project teams, advocating for issue resolution and maintaining project momentum.
  • Provide quality assurance oversight and thought leadership on in-flight implementations, contributing to ongoing project success and client satisfaction.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with teams across Absence, Time Tracking, Payroll, Financials, Integrations, Data, Reporting, and Change Management to ensure cohesive and aligned solution delivery.
• Methodology & Team Development:
  • Promote and contribute to the continuous improvement of implementation methodologies and tools (e.g., Cynergy).
  • Ensure project teams adhere to standardized delivery practices.
  • Mentor and develop junior team members by providing coaching, facilitating skills development, and creating growth opportunities.
  • Champion knowledge sharing across practices to foster innovation, consistency, and continuous improvement in solution delivery.
• Transition Management:
  • Support and guide the transition from sales to delivery, ensuring continuity of design intent and solution integrity.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent work experience.
• 5+ years of actual implementation experience.
• Strong Workday implementation experience preferred.
• Strong end-to-end implementation experience with HR, Financial, or Student Information Systems required.
• Broad Workday product knowledge and deep implementation expertise.
• Experience with other ERP systems across various industries.
• Ability to work in a diverse, fast-paced environment and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and initiatives simultaneously.
• Ability to identify and analyze areas of risk and develop plans to minimize them.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to executive staff and sponsors.
• Willingness to travel nationally and internationally based on business needs.