Principal Operations Lead

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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 Team

The BT Operations Lead will support operational discipline and strong partnership with Corporate Finance. This role will help design, socialize, and support enforcement of processes that ensure investment discipline and the integrity of the technology budget. The Lead will drive efficiency by tracking cost variance, supporting governance of budget exceptions, helping optimize capitalization practices, and ensuring accurate reporting of financial data related to IT investments. The role will also contribute to strategic initiatives to implement a comprehensive Bill of IT and a supporting FinOps dashboard. This is an individual contributor role partnering closely with Corporate Finance, Accounting, Procurement, and BT leadership.

About the Role

BT Operations & Control:

• Cost Variance Management: Support processes for continuous budget monitoring, proactive identification of potential overruns, and timely escalation to ensure IT spending remains within established tolerance levels.

• Budget Exception Governance: Help define, document, and manage a clear, transparent workflow for reviewing and routing budget exceptions, ensuring appropriate approval is obtained for non-strategic or out-of-policy spending.

• Capitalization Alignment: Partner with the Finance/Accounting team to help ensure technology asset classification (CapEx vs. OpEx) is accurate, auditable, and aligned with company and regulatory accounting policies.

• Financial Data Integrity: Support the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of IT financial data reported.

• Workforce Governance: Help define, document, and manage a transparent workflow to ensure workforce execution is aligned with BT workforce strategy.

• Contract & Renewal Management: Partner with Finance, Legal, and Procurement teams to manage contracts, own renewal management by proactively tracking upcoming renewal dates and driving timely decisions, and identify opportunities for consolidation and cost savings.

Strategic Reporting & Transparency:

• Bill of IT Implementation: Support a strategic program to design, develop, and implement a Bill of IT (BoIT) framework to allocate and charge back technology service costs to consuming business units, increasing accountability and driving usage efficiency.

• FinOps Dashboard Creation: Help define requirements for and support the creation of a FinOps dashboard that provides actionable, near real-time visibility into consumption spending, utilization rates, optimization opportunities, and cost variance.

• Reporting: Develop and deliver accurate, timely operational reports for BT leadership and Finance partners, highlighting spending trends, risks, and efficiency gains.

Process Governance & Partnership:

• Finance Process Integration: Collaborate with Finance partners (FP&A, Accounting) to help integrate IT financial processes into the company's overall financial planning and reporting cycles.

• Policy Support: Support and help apply internal IT financial policies, standards, and procedures in partnership with engineering and technology teams.

• Stakeholder Training: Develop and deliver training to IT budget owners and business partners on financial governance best practices, capitalization rules, and variance tracking.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in IT Finance, IT Business Management (ITBM), or Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A),

• 7+ years of experience in technology investments within the software development environment.

• 6+ years of experience in accounting principles related to technology (e.g., software capitalization rules, asset depreciation).

• 6+ years of experience supporting operational financial processes, including budget control, variance analysis, and exception management.

• 6+ years of experience with cloud cost allocation/optimization tools (e.g., Apptio, Cloudability, native cloud provider tools).

Other Qualifications:

• Excellent collaboration and influencing skills, with a track record of successfully partnering with Corporate Finance teams.

• Solid understanding of governance management principles and experience supporting governance frameworks for organizational initiatives.

• Ability to effectively facilitate meetings, including with senior stakeholders.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related quantitative field. MBA or CPA certification is a plus.

• Open to 50% reporting to Pleasanton office

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below.  Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

Primary Location: USA.CA.PleasantonPrimary Location Base Pay Range: $169,800 USD - $254,600 USDAdditional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $143,400 USD - $254,600 USD

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.

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