Your work days are brighter here.
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
This person will lead a high caliber team of corporate strategy professionals.About the Role
Workday is looking for a VP, Corporate Strategy - Workday Special Projects, responsible for identifying and developing long-term strategic initiatives to drive step-change growth and organizational performance for Workday. In this high-visibility role, you will partner directly with the Executive Leadership Team to answer our most critical strategic questions: Where should Workday play next? How do we win in the age of AI? What is the next evolution of the enterprise cloud?
You will not just oversee strategy; you will drive it. You will lead a lean, high-performing team of Strategy Principals and Senior Principals—former top-tier consultants and industry experts who operate as "swat teams" on high-impact strategic projects. Your job is to empower this team, ensure the rigorous quality of their output, synthesize their work into a cohesive narrative for the Board and C-suite, and partner closely with Workday functional and business leaders to translate recommendations into impact.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Drive Workday Strategic Clarity and Impact
You will lead high-impact strategic projects that enable Workday to move quickly and with confidence in a rapidly evolving technological and business landscape. Examples include:
Long-term Company Vision: Workday has an ambition to be the “#1 Enterprise AI Platform for managing people, money, and agents.” You will partner with senior leaders annually to develop and maintain a clear view of Workday’s 5-year vision and strategic roadmap to drive growth and sustainable performance in line with this ambition
Product Portfolio and Market Expansion: Evaluate opportunities in current and adjacent product markets, new geographies, and vertical-specific industries (e.g., Federal, Healthcare, Retail) to enable a clear and aligned view of Workday’s target global footprint and must-win spaces.
Product, GPO, and M&A Partnership: Work in lock-step with our Product & Technology, Global Partnership Organization, and Corporate Development teams to make build/buy/partner decisions and validate strategic logic ("the Why") behind potential acquisitions and partnerships.
2. Lead the Strategy Principals Team
Player-Coach Leadership: Lead a small, high-performing team of Principals and Senior Principals. These are high-autonomy leaders who own specific domains; your role is to provide the "connective tissue" between their workstreams, ensuring alignment with broader corporate goals.
Talent Development: Mentor Principals on navigating complex stakeholder maps, refining their narrative structures, and transitioning from "consultant" to "corporate leader."
Quality Control: Serve as the final editor and challenger on all strategic deliverables. Ensure every deck, model, and memo meets the "Board-ready" standard of excellence.
3. Cross-Functional Orchestration
Executive Influence: Act as a trusted advisor to our CEO, OpCo, and Executive Committee. Facilitate debate and decision-making at the executive level, often mediating between conflicting priorities to enable informed trade-off decisions that reach the best outcome for Workday.
Product and Go-to-Market Alignment: Work closely with Product and GTM leaders to create a common long-term vision and ensure our company, product, and commercial strategies are aligned and evolving in synch as we navigate a high-change environment.
Strategic Finance and Enterprise Planning & Performance: Partner with Strategic Finance and Enterprise Planning & Performance leaders to translate strategic recommendations into an ambitious realistic Long-Term Plan and actionable company-level initiatives
About You
Qualifications:
Experience: 12+ years of total experience, with a minimum of 4-6 years in top-tier management consulting and significant subsequent experience in an in-house Strategy or Product leadership role at a large-scale Enterprise SaaS/Software company.
SaaS Fluency: Deep understanding of the Enterprise Software business model and current cloud and AI landscape (Hyperscalers, ERP competitors, Best-of-Breed stacks).
Team Leadership: Proven experience managing "managers of work"—specifically leading high-caliber ex-consultants. You know how to retain top talent who are used to high-velocity environments.
Executive Presence: The ability to command a room of C-level executives. You are concise, credible, and can deliver bad news or counter-intuitive insights with diplomacy and data.
"Workday Factor" (Cultural Fit):
Low Ego / High Impact: You are willing to roll up your sleeves. At Workday, we don't have "ivory tower" strategists; we value leaders who stay close to the data and the customer.
Collaborative by Design: You can navigate a consensus-driven culture without letting it slow you down. You know how to build buy-in before the meeting starts.
Positive and Human: You take your work seriously, but not yourself. You contribute to a positive team environment where people enjoy the ride.
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.Pleasanton
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.
Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.
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