Workday Absence & Time Tracking Principal Consultant

The Workday Absence & Time Tracking Principal Consultant is a senior functional consultant responsible for leading the design, configuration, and delivery of Workday Absence and Time Tracking solutions. Acting as a trusted advisor, this individual helps organisations optimise workforce management processes while ensuring solutions align with business objectives and Workday leading practices.

The Principal Consultant combines deep Workday expertise with delivery leadership, pre-sales support, and mentoring responsibilities. They lead Absence and Time Tracking workstreams on complex implementations, support business development activities, and contribute to the growth of the Workday practice through knowledge sharing and thought leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a Workday Absence and Time Tracking subject matter expert, providing guidance on workforce management processes and Workday best practices.
• Lead client workshops and design sessions to define scalable solutions aligned to business requirements.
• Design and deliver Workday Absence and Time Tracking solutions across the full implementation lifecycle.
• Lead Absence and Time Tracking workstreams on medium to large Workday implementations, managing solution decisions, risks, and dependencies.
• Advise clients on absence management, leave administration, time entry, time calculation, scheduling, compliance, and workforce optimisation strategies.
• Partner with HCM, Payroll, Benefits, Integrations, Reporting, Security, Change Management, and Project Management teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Support testing, data conversion, cutover, deployment, and post-go-live activities.
• Mentor consultants and analysts, providing coaching, quality reviews, and functional guidance.
• Support business development activities including solutioning, estimations, proposals, demonstrations, and customer presentations.
• Contribute to practice development through methodology enhancements, internal training, asset creation, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Maintain expertise in Workday Absence, Time Tracking, and Scheduling functionality, industry trends, and product innovations.

Skills & Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Active Workday Absence and/or Time Tracking Certification required.
• 5+ years of Workday implementation experience.
• Proven experience leading Workday Absence and Time Tracking workstreams on end-to-end implementations.
• Deep functional expertise in absence management, leave administration, time tracking, scheduling, workforce compliance, and payroll-related processes.
• Experience gathering requirements, facilitating workshops, solution design, configuration, testing, and deployment.
• Experience supporting pre-sales activities including estimations, proposals, and solution presentations.
• Strong consulting, stakeholder management, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Ability to mentor team members and provide functional leadership across projects.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities 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.

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.

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