Workday HCM Manager

Thought Machine is looking for a talented HCM systems manager and will report into the People Operations Director. The business uses Workday HCM and needs someone experienced in usage of the system to continue with process improvements, maintain the system and support the People function. We are on a journey to eliminate manual processes, and this role will play a critical part in ensuring we have reliable data, automated processes and fast, meaningful reporting.

Duties

• Full system administrator ownership, responsible for ongoing maintenance and development of Workday HR system, Ashby Recruitment ATS system, Ravio Benchmarking Tooling, shares management system and other people systems - working towards a fully integrated people systems landscape.

• Drive improvement across all People Team systems - reviewing existing processes, introducing AI, automation, and accurate reporting.

• Partner closely with People, Recruitment, Finance, and IT stakeholders to capture operational requirements, maintain a structured delivery backlog, and prioritise system enhancements that deliver measurable business impact and thoughtful system design.

• Recommend the optimum way of maintaining systems considering accuracy, timely reporting, system security and segregation of duties. Drive best practices and standards, untangling any tech debt or ineffective processes.

• Own the relationships with the appropriate 3rd party reps for all people system providers, integrators or external consultants. Manage the contracts and renewals and proactively engage with the product owners and commercial teams, keep ahead of changes, fixes, best practice, prices etc - cascading relevant information internally.

• Actively engage and drive involvement across the business. Engaging key stakeholders (HR, Operations, IT and Security) to suggest and implement further improvements across the technical landscape.

• Support the People team and the rest of the Enterprise with best practice, standard processes e.g. performance cycles, on/offboarding, pay reviews, reporting, etc.

• Support training activities and ensure the business is kept up to speed on newly implemented processes, including the production of user guides and training.

Requirements

Essential

• Proven Workday HCM knowledge and experience across Core HCM, compensation, expenses, security groups, integrations, business process framework (BPF) and advanced reporting (calculated fields & custom dashboards) and maintenance.

• Systems implementation, configuration, support and development.

• A passion for providing an excellent end-user experience and automating.

• Self-motivating and comfortable in a fast-paced and rapidly-changing environment with competing deadlines and custom build requirements.

• Skilled at building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver preferred outcomes - leveraging technical vocabulary to effectively communicate with engineering, IT, finance, HR and operational teams.

• Advanced Excel / Google suite and database skills.

• Exposure to ATS systems (Ashby preferred but not essential). Proven track record administering modern recruitment platforms.

• A strong desire to expand beyond Workday to own, architect, and optimize the broader People Team technology and tooling ecosystem.

• Direct experience configuring and integrating various systems or tools into Workday HRIS, for example - external ATS, Docusign, background Checks platforms, benchmarking tools etc.

Desirable

• Formal HR or Systems qualifications (e.g., Workday Pro certifications, or equivalent business systems certifications).

• Prior experience managing people technology within a high-growth SaaS, fintech, or software enterprise.

• Business Analysis skills and a flexible, proactive approach with a willingness to constructively challenge existing practices.