Business Automation Manager - CAO Business Innovation

Your work days are brighter here.

At Workday, it all began with a conversation over breakfast. When our founders met at a sunny California diner, they came up with an idea to revolutionize the enterprise software market. And when we began to rise, one thing that really set us apart was our culture. A culture which was driven by our value of putting our people first. And ever since, the happiness, development, and contribution of every Workmate is central to who we are. Our Workmates believe a healthy employee-centric, collaborative culture is the essential mix of ingredients for success in business. That’s why we look after our people, communities and the planet while still being profitable. Feel encouraged to shine, however that manifests: you don’t need to hide who you are. You can feel the energy and the passion, it's what makes us unique. Inspired to make a brighter work day for all and transform with us to the next stage of our growth journey? Bring your brightest version of you and have a brighter work day here.

About the Team

It's fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they're doing. At Workday, we are committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business of enterprise applications. We work hard, and we're serious about what we do. But we like to have a good time, too. FUN is one of our core values!

About the Role

Workday is looking for an experienced Manager of Business Process Automation to lead a dynamic team focused on driving operational efficiency and innovation through Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and other technology solutions. This role will collaborate with teams within the Chief Accounting Officer’s organization to design, architect, and implement automation solutions that streamline accounting processes. As the team grows, this role may expand to include oversight of analysts working on data analytics, data lakes, and supporting machine learning initiatives.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Business Process Optimization & Automation: Lead the business analysis and automation efforts to optimize accounting processes and workflows. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline operations, reduce manual effort, and enhance decision-making by implementing intelligent automation strategies using Workday FIN, Workday Payroll, Workday HCM, and RPA technologies.

• Workday Systems Expertise & Enablement: Act as a subject matter expert for Workday Procure to Pay, Order to Cash and Payroll product pillars, ensuring these systems are configured and leveraged to meet the evolving needs of the accounting teams. Support the implementation and optimization of accounting-related processes, aligning using various Workday and third party solutions 

• Requirements Gathering & Stakeholder Management: Oversee the process of gathering and documenting business requirements from accounting stakeholders, ensuring they are clearly understood and translated into actionable solutions. Manage the relationship between accounting teams and technical teams, ensuring seamless communication, expectation management, and alignment throughout the project lifecycle.

• Workday Product Optimization: Lead the optimization and continuous improvement of Workday modules that support accounting functions, including financial management, payroll, and reporting. 

• Data Strategy & Reporting Oversight: Oversee the development and implementation of data strategies for accounting teams, ensuring accurate data flow, integrity, and accessibility across Workday and external systems. Manage the integration and optimization of Snowflake as the data warehouse platform, ensuring accounting data is structured and accessible for real-time reporting and analysis using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and SQL.

• RPA & Analytics Enablement: Guide the design and deployment of RPA solutions to automate accounting processes, reducing manual tasks and improving accuracy. Ensure that automation initiatives align with business goals and compliance standards. Enable the accounting teams to utilize business intelligence and data analytics tools to gain actionable insights from financial data and support strategic decision-making.

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of business analysts and RPA developers who support the accounting functions. Provide direction on best practices for business process analysis, automation, and system optimization. Conduct performance reviews, foster a culture of collaboration, and ensure the team has the skills to meet evolving business needs.

• Compliance & Change Management: Ensure accounting systems and processes adhere to industry regulations, standards, and IT general controls. Lead change and release management efforts, ensuring that updates to Workday, RPA solutions, and data strategies are executed seamlessly and in compliance with relevant policies.

• Stakeholder Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Provide regular reporting on project status, risks, and issues to key stakeholders. Drive continuous improvement within the accounting teams by identifying opportunities for further automation, data enhancements, and process redesign.

About You

• You have strong systems knowledge and enjoy streamlining processes

• You enjoy balancing structure and agility

• You have advanced organization skills, ability to help prioritize tasks and compartmentalize projects and associated timelines

• Most importantly, your work style will chip into a positive work culture and align with Workday core values

• Multi-functional business and application knowledge

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field

• 15+ years total experience

• 7+ years of experience in business automation, with at least 3+ years in a managerial role.

• Proven experience in leading and managing teams of RPA developers, data analysts, and/or software developers.

• Strong understanding of Workday, data and RPA technologies and methodologies (e.g., UiPath).

• Experience with data analytics tools and techniques (e.g., Snowflake, SQL, Python, Tableau).

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Experience with Agile development methodologies is a plus

• You can jump in and help teams achieve goals and keep the project moving by sometimes acting as a driver and a doer.

Other Qualifications

• Fundamental knowledge of both accounting and general business systems and processes

• Experience in process mining and intelligent automation using RPA, OCR, AI, and ML to drive better business outcomes.

• A proven track record of enabling change throughout an organization..

• Intellectual curiosity with a continuous learning and innovation mindset

• Experience with Salesforce, Workday financial system a plus

• Experience with UI Path automation solutions is a plus

Our Approach to Flexible Work
 

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Are you being referred to one of our roles? If so, ask your connection at Workday about our Employee Referral process!