Payroll Consultant, Higher Education

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 TeamThe Higher Ed Functional Consulting team partners with colleges and universities to design and deliver Workday Payroll solutions that help them pay their people accurately and on time, so they can stay focused on their missions. We lead implementations end-to-end, balancing scope, milestones, and quality across a steady pipeline of projects.Many of us previously worked in Higher Ed, and we understand the realities of shared governance, academic calendars, and public or public-adjacent organizations. We also value creating sustainable ways of working that fit those environments. Our team is highly educated, curious, and always looking for ways to improve how we work. We actively experiment with Workday’s AI tools to make our implementations high-quality and efficient, and we share what we learn so the entire practice benefits.About the RoleWe’re looking for an experienced Payroll Consultant to support Higher Education implementations. In this role, you will partner with mission-driven organizations to design, configure, and deploy Workday Payroll solutions built for accuracy and long-term success.You’ll bring Workday product and implementation expertise to client engagements, helping customers translate business requirements into practical solutions. You’ll work closely with clients, project teammates, and the Engagement Manager to move implementations forward with clarity, quality, and strong partnership. You’ll have meaningful ownership over the payroll workstream, with the autonomy to recommend design approaches that set customers up for long-term success.This role is ideal for someone who enjoys solving complex problems, building trust with stakeholders, and helping customers navigate key implementation milestones with confidence. You’ll both learn from experienced teammates and contribute your own ideas and patterns to help evolve how we implement Workday Payroll in Higher Education.Key ResponsibilitiesYou will:Design and configure Workday Payroll solutionsApply deep expertise in the Workday Payroll product across customer engagementsPartner with customers to elicit, clarify, and document business requirementsConfigure Workday Payroll to align with customer needs and operational realitiesDocument solution decisions clearly so customers can support and sustain their environment after go-live Support data conversion, integrations, and testingPartner with client and data conversion teams to support legacy payroll data conversion into WorkdayPartner with integration teams to support the configuration and testing of integrations between Workday and third-party or custom solutionsSupport customers through testing cycles, including issue triage and resolutionTransfer system knowledge to customer teams to support adoption, confidence, and long-term success in production Drive project execution and stakeholder alignmentCommunicate regularly with the Engagement Manager on project status, hours forecasting, time reporting, risks, and mitigation plansPartner with Delivery Assurance to support compliance with agreed checkpoints and quality standardsHelp customers prepare for and navigate key implementation milestones, from design through testing and deployment Contribute to the practice and mentor othersMentor consultants who are newer to Payroll, Absence, and/or Time TrackingParticipate in update training and knowledge-sharing opportunities that strengthen team capabilityContribute to the Higher Education consulting practice by identifying opportunities for improvement and leading or participating in internal initiativesAbout YouYou bring strong Workday Payroll expertise, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach to delivery. You know how to balance customer needs, project realities, and solution quality. You communicate clearly, build trust quickly, and work well across teams and workstreams.We’re open to hiring at the Senior or Principal level depending on your experience, scope of expertise, and track record of leading complex client engagements.Basic Qualifications: Senior Payroll Consultant (P4)4+ years of experience implementing and/or configuring Workday Payroll4+ years of experience in a consulting, software, or internal Workday environment with hands-on responsibility for payroll configuration, testing, and partnering with stakeholdersBasic Qualifications: Principal Payroll Consultant (P5)6+ years of experience implementing and/or configuring Workday Payroll6+ years of experience in a consulting, software, or internal Workday environment leading complex payroll initiatives that require cross-workstream coordination, stakeholder alignment, and structured testingPreferred QualificationsExperience working with Higher Education and/or Nonprofit organizationsAbility to implement Absence and/or Time TrackingExperience with multiple pa