Workday Core HCM Senior Principal Consultant

Role Summary

The Workday HCM Senior Principal Consultant is a senior functional leader responsible for driving the design, delivery, and overall success of Workday HCM implementations. Acting as a trusted advisor to clients and project teams, this individual provides strategic guidance across Core HCM and related functional areas while ensuring solutions align to business objectives and Workday leading practices.

The Senior Principal Consultant combines deep Workday expertise with delivery leadership, pre-sales support, and people development responsibilities. They lead complex solution discussions, guide implementation teams, support business development activities, and play a key role in growing the Workday practice through mentoring and knowledge sharing.

Why choose Cognizant

• Entrepreneurial environment that welcomes your ideas
• Opportunity to do great work
• Outreach programs that support communities and tap into your volunteer spirit
• Learning opportunities to help current needs and advancement
• Global operations, with opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific
• An abundance of Affinity groups to meet your needs

Cognizant Core Values

Work as One: We think beyond roles, relying on each other’s strengths to win as a team.

Raise the Bar: We always aim for excellence in how we work and what we deliver.

Dare to Innovate: We push boundaries and take chances to reimagine what’s possible.

Do the Right Thing: We all lead with integrity and always make the ethical choice.

Own It: We own the outcomes for our company, colleagues, and community.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior Workday HCM subject matter expert across Core HCM and related areas including Compensation, Benefits, Absence, Time Tracking, Talent, Performance, Recruiting, and Learning.
• Lead client workshops, discovery sessions, and design discussions to define scalable Workday solutions aligned to business requirements and best practices.
• Own solution design and provide oversight across configuration, testing, deployment, and post-go-live transition activities.
• Act as the functional lead for medium to large Workday HCM implementations, managing key solution decisions, risks, and dependencies.
• Provide strategic guidance to clients on HR transformation, workforce processes, and Workday adoption.
• Collaborate with Reporting, Security, Integrations, Payroll, Change Management, and Project Management teams to ensure successful delivery.
• Support testing, data conversion, cutover, and deployment activities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Mentor and coach consultants and senior consultants, providing quality reviews and functional leadership.
• Support business development activities including solutioning, estimations, proposals, demonstrations, and customer presentations.
• Contribute to practice development through methodology improvements, internal training, asset creation, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Maintain expertise in Workday product innovations and emerging HR technology trends.

Skills & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Active Workday HCM Certification required.
• Additional certifications in Compensation, Benefits, Absence, Time Tracking, Talent, Recruiting, or Learning are desirable.
• 5+ years of Workday implementation experience, including multiple end-to-end Workday HCM deployments.
• Proven experience leading HCM workstreams or functional teams on large and complex implementations.
• Deep functional expertise in Core HCM and broader HR business processes.
• Experience gathering requirements, facilitating workshops, solution design, configuration, testing, and deployment.
• Experience supporting pre-sales activities, including estimations, proposals, and solution presentations.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, stakeholder management, and consulting skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including engagement with executive-level stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced consulting environment.
• Eligible for SC Clearance - you must have been a UK resident for the last five years and be legally entitled to work in the UK.
• Minimal travel required, but must be willing to travel on-site as needed.