Workday Payroll Consultant - Application Managed Services

The Workday Payroll Consultant - AMS (Application Managed Services) is a Workday professional responsible for providing ongoing support, maintenance, enhancement, and optimisation of Workday Payroll solutions within a managed services environment. Working across multiple client engagements, the consultant will help organisations maximise the value of their Workday investment by delivering high-quality support and payroll expertise following go-live.

This role is ideal for an individual with strong payroll knowledge who enjoys solving business challenges, supporting users, and delivering exceptional customer service. The Consultant will work closely with clients and internal teams to ensure payroll processes operate effectively while maintaining alignment with Workday best practices.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a Workday Payroll specialist, providing post-production support across multiple client engagements.
• Support day to day AMS activities, including incidents, service requests, enhancements, and problem resolution.
• Partner with clients to understand business requirements and provide effective Workday Payroll solutions.
• Analyse, troubleshoot, and resolve payroll-related functional issues.
• Configure and maintain payroll functionality, earnings, deductions, payroll calculations, and related business processes.
• Support payroll processing activities, testing, and validation as required.
• Support customers through Workday releases by assessing impacts, testing changes, and recommending improvements.
• Track issues, risks, and service requests, communicating status and escalating concerns as appropriate.
• Perform root cause analysis and recommend long-term solutions for recurring payroll issues.
• Support data loads, data validation, and configuration migrations between Workday tenants.
• Collaborate with HCM, Benefits, Absence, Time Tracking, Reporting, and Integrations teams to deliver effective solutions.
• Build strong client relationships and provide a high level of customer service.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and service optimisation.
• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing, reusable assets, and best practice initiatives.
• Actively participate in training and professional development activities to maintain and expand Workday expertise.

Skills & Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of Workday Payroll experience in implementation, support, or AMS environments.
• Active Workday Payroll Certification preferred.
• Experience supporting payroll processes, payroll operations, earnings and deductions, payroll calculations, and payroll compliance activities.
• Experience gathering business requirements, testing solutions, and supporting business users.
• Understanding of Workday configuration, business processes, security, and tenant management activities.
• Experience troubleshooting payroll issues and performing root cause analysis.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organisational skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced managed services environment.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• 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.

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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.