HRIS Workday Analyst - Payroll, Absence & Time Tracking

About the role

This position serves as the central technical expert for Workday configurations that govern payroll calculations, absence entitlements, and time recording practices within a global environment. The role is critical to maintaining the integrity and compliance of workforce data across multiple regions and requires a deep understanding of how system setup directly impacts payroll accuracy and regulatory compliance. You will act as the primary liaison between business policies and the technical configuration within the Workday platform, ensuring that rules are translated correctly and that data remains reliable for all stakeholders. A core part of the position involves owning the configuration of payroll, absence, and time tracking modules while designing intake workflows to gather precise requirements from stakeholder groups globally. You will map business policies into system logic while remaining vigilant of jurisdiction-specific changes in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The role further requires guiding corrections to payroll inputs and verifying that timesheet submissions adhere strictly to business rules and local laws. Ultimately, you will establish ongoing review routines to monitor system health, validate processed payroll data, and identify anomalies to enable timely resolution.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Drive the configuration of Workday for payroll, absence, and time tracking in alignment with the official apply page for the HRIS Workday Analyst - Payroll, Absence & Time Tracking role at Daniels Sharpsmart.
• Interpret complex policy documentation and convert it into precise technical Workday setups, ensuring business objectives are met through accurate system logic.
• Design and manage intake workflows to gather precise requirements from global stakeholder groups, ensuring all configuration starts with a clear understanding of needs.
• Map business policies into system logic while vigilantly monitoring jurisdiction-specific legislative changes in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia to maintain ongoing compliance.
• Configure the structures governing absence management, including balance tracking, eligibility criteria, and approval workflows to ensure accurate administration.
• Guide corrections to payroll inputs and verify that timesheet submissions strictly adhere to business rules and local laws before final processing.
• Collaborate extensively with HR, Payroll, Finance, and Operations teams to test changes and validate solutions in pre-production environments prior to go-live.
• Establish and execute ongoing review routines to monitor system health, validate processed payroll data, and identify anomalies for timely resolution.
• Build functional dashboards for operational teams to provide visibility into configuration status, upcoming effective dates, and potential compliance risks.
• Maintain clear and comprehensive documentation of setup decisions, process steps, and escalation contacts to support future audits and ensure continuity for the People and Culture team.
• Partner with global stakeholders to coordinate testing efforts, ensuring that configurations for payroll, absence, and time tracking function seamlessly across all regions.
• Support the implementation of updates and enhancements to Workday modules, focusing on improving the accuracy and efficiency of workforce data management.
• Act as the technical authority on Workday configuration, providing guidance and troubleshooting support to internal teams on issues related to payroll and time tracking.
• Participate in project initiatives that expand or improve the Workday environment, contributing to long-term system strategy and operational excellence.
• Ensure all configurations adhere to the specific requirements listed
• Engage in continuous learning to keep current with Workday best practices and legislative changes that impact global payroll and time tracking processes.
• Contribute to the optimization of business processes by identifying configuration improvements that reduce manual intervention and enhance data integrity.

Requirements

• Bring at least three years of hands-on experience configuring Workday for payroll and time-related processes in a global or multi-jurisdiction environment.
• Demonstrate a solid grasp of absence management rules and their interaction with payroll processing to ensure accurate entitlements and compliance.
• Prove the ability to interpret policy documentation and translate it into technical Workday setups without ambiguity or error.
• Show comfort working with HR, Payroll, Finance, and Operations teams to clarify needs and confirm that solutions meet business objectives effectively.
• Exhibit strong attention to detail to ensure data integrity and compliance with regulations across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
• Possess strong analytical skills to diagnose configuration issues, validate data outputs, and support timely resolution of discrepancies.
• Display excellent communication skills to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and document processes clearly.
• Commit to following the scope and requirements as outlined
• Maintain a high level of professionalism and reliability when managing sensitive payroll and time tracking data in accordance with corporate policies.