Principal Accountant

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off for our people, customers, and the world. 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. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm.

At Workday, we help the world’s largest organizations adapt to what’s next by bringing finance, HR, and planning into a single enterprise cloud. We work hard, and we’re serious about what we do, but we also like to have fun. We put people first, celebrate diversity, drive innovation, and do good in the communities where we live and work.

Workday is seeking a Principal Accountant who wants to make an impact in a growing organization. This individual contributor will own broad corporate accounting responsibilities and partner with FP&A and business leaders. The role reports to the Senior Accounting Manager and requires a self‑starter, strong communicator, and collaborator.

• Own core GL areas in the monthly and quarterly close for global consolidation, including preparation and review of journals, account reconciliations, and variance analyses.
• Manage accounting and reporting for variable compensation, ensuring accurate and timely recognition of commissions, bonuses, and incentives in accordance with US GAAP.
• Prepare and review monthly management reporting and analytics for owned areas, clearly explaining drivers, trends, and risks to Finance and business partners.
• Collaborate with Sales Ops, CX Ops, and Payroll to align compensation plans, quota changes, and system configurations with accounting.
• Support internal and external audits, including schedule preparation and inquiry response.
• Maintain and enhance internal controls over financial reporting, including design and execution of controls for new or evolving processes.
• Identify and drive process improvements and automation opportunities across corporate accounting with Finance Systems and IT.
• Contribute to ad hoc projects such as system implementations, process redesign, and department initiatives, communicating complex topics clearly to finance and non‑finance partners.

We’re looking for candidates who bring the right mix of experience, education, and skills.

• 8+ years of related accounting experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related field.

• Master’s degree and/or active CPA license is a plus.
• Experience with a publicly traded company in the technology or SaaS industry preferred.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP and solid understanding of general ledger accounting and financial statements.
• Demonstrated experience owning multiple areas of the close and improving processes, controls, and reporting quality.
• Experience with sales CRM tools such as Salesforce and incentive compensation management tools such as Xactly is a plus.
• Advanced Excel skills and comfort working with large data sets.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills with high attention to detail and strong ownership mindset.
• Strong communication skills; able to explain complex compensation plans and accounting conclusions clearly to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment and adapt to changing priorities.
• Highly productive self‑starter with a strong work ethic, curiosity, and dedication to excellence.

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 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. Primary

Location:

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $145,000 USD - $217,400 USD. Additional US Location(s)…