W2 :: Atlanta, GA (Hybrid, Expenses Will be Covered) :: Workday HCM - Payroll, Time and Attendance Lead || Workday Payroll Certification is Must || G.C / U.S.C

Workday HCM - Payroll, Time and Attendance Lead || Workday Payroll Certification is Must || G.C / U.S.C

12+Months

Atlanta, GA (Hybrid, Expenses Will be Covered)

Summary:
Lead the end-to-end design, configuration, testing, and deployment of Workday Payroll with Time Tracking/Absence for higher education or government clients. Serve as the functional lead and primary client advisor, mentor payroll support team members, and drive Payroll Compare, cutover, and transition to steady-state support.

Key Responsibilities:
- Own solution design across Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence: facilitate workshops, perform fit/gap, create design documentation, and configure tenant
- Configure payroll components: pay period schedules, earning/deduction/benefit elements, pay component groups, pay calc/proration, retro, costing, on-/off-cycle, settlement rules, gross-to-net, year-end
- Configure time and absence: accruals and leave plans, eligibility rules, time entry/schedules, time valuation, work tags, overtime rules, leave and holiday policies
- Define and manage security and business processes, role mapping, and approvals
- Plan and execute testing: unit, SIT, UAT, and Payroll Compare (parallel), including scripts, defect triage, and sign-offs
- Lead data conversion and reconciliation for workers, balances, and historical payroll/time data using EIBs/spreadsheets
- Coordinate integrations with the technical team: EIB, PECI/PI, tax/garnishment providers (e.g., ADP SmartCompliance), banks (NACHA), benefits/carrier files, GL, and regulatory reporting
- Ensure compliance with FLSA, FMLA, union/CBAs, state/local tax, public sector pay rules, and audit controls
- Produce reporting/analytics using Report Writer and Calculated Fields; BIRT/Prism is a plus
- Drive change management, training, and knowledge transfer; create job aids, runbooks, and support playbooks
- Contribute to and manage cutover planning, go/no-go, deployment activities, hypercare, and transition to client support
- Supervise and mentor payroll support analysts; oversee capacity, status, RAID, and stakeholder updates

Required Qualifications:
- 5+ years hands-on Workday Payroll experience; 2+ full-cycle implementations as a functional lead
- Workday Payroll certification required; Time Tracking and/or Absence certification strongly preferred
- Proven experience with Payroll Compare/parallel testing and defect remediation
- Strong configuration expertise: retro rules, calc/proration, costing, tax updates, pay group design, off-cycle/on-demand, time valuation, and accruals
- Experience in higher education or government/public sector environments
- Proficiency with EIBs, PECI/PI, and vendor interfaces; understanding of GL mapping and reconciliation
- Advanced Report Writer and Calculated Fields; strong Excel; Jira/Azure DevOps/ALM familiarity
- Excellent client-facing communication, documentation, and workshop facilitation skills
- Ability to work across Agile/Hybrid methodologies; lead cross-functional teams
- Eligibility to obtain public sector clearance if required

Preferred:
- Workday Absence and/or Time Tracking certification
- Exposure to BIRT, Prism, ADP SmartCompliance, Equifax, garnishment providers, banking/NACHA
- Experience with union rules, academic calendars, and complex leave programs

Key Deliverables:
- Solution design documents, configuration workbooks, user stories with acceptance criteria
- End-to-end test strategy and scripts; Payroll Compare plan, execution reports, and gap remediation actions
- Data conversion mapping, load plans, and reconciliation logs
- Security design and role matrix
- Cutover plan, runbook, rollback, and go-live readiness assessment
- Training materials, knowledge transfer plan, support playbooks, and hypercare metrics