Sr. Principal​/Principal Program Manager; HR AI

Position: Sr. Principal/Principal Program Manager (HR AI)
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

Our team sits within the People & Purpose (Human Resources) organization and operates at the intersection of business, technology, and innovation. We partner closely with P&P functional teams, Workday-on-Workday (WoW) in Business Technology, Enterprise AI, and Workday Product to deliver scalable, people-centric solutions across the employee lifecycle. Acting as trusted advisors and technical project leaders, we translate sophisticated business needs into enterprise-ready, scalable technology solutions-driving transparency, alignment, and impact from concept through launch and beyond.

About the Role

We are seeking a strategic and top-tier leader to orchestrate the development and execution of a comprehensive internal AI strategy and implementation roadmap specifically for our People & Purpose (Human Resources) function. The successful candidate will ensure that the application of AI in HR is strategically aligned with Workday's overarching Enterprise AI vision, product strategy and overarching goal to be the first and best users of Workday's product.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Roadmap Development:

* Understand and socialize Workday's internal HR AI strategy, ensuring all decisions related to AI adoption, implementation, and governance align to this strategy

* Develop and secure formal approval for a comprehensive HR AI strategy and an implementation roadmap for FY27. This plan will include all recommendations on tools, governance, and metrics needed in partnership with Product

* Partner with HR functional leads to deconstruct complex workflows and identify specific difficulties where AI can drive efficiency or insight

* Find opportunities to be "Customer Zero" for Workday's own AI products, providing critical feedback loops to our Product teams

* Define a 1-2 year AI roadmap in partnership with Product and Enterprise AI, prioritizing projects based on value, risk, and strategic fit

* Develop rigorous business cases for proposed initiatives and measure impact outcomes, moving beyond qualitative benefits to hard ROI, efficiency gains, and employee experience improvements

* Proactively partner with leadership to advise on solutions and review strategy, including presentations to the People & Purpose Leadership Team (PPLT)

* Lead the cross-functional delivery of the AI portfolio, supervising implementation to ensure technical integrity. Proactively resolve project roadblocks and ensure functional teams (like TA and Talent Experience) align with the overall Enterprise AI strategy.

* Develop change management strategies that focus on behavioral shifts and upskilling, ensuring HR teams actually embrace the tools deployed

* Handle the overall P&P AI technology budget

HR AI Tool & Solution Assessment:

* Partner on conducting HR AI Tool Strategic Assessments, providing a clear overview of the current third-party AI solution landscape, identifying key players and their capabilities in the HR space, and how these all intersect with our internal product…