Workday Implementation Lead / Programme Technology Lead

Position: Workday Implementation Lead / Programme Technology Lead

Location: This role can be located in our London or Peterborough offices but will need to work Tuesdays in Peterborough office and London Bridge office on Thursdays

Type: This role will be a one year Fixed Contract

Role Purpose

The Workday Implementation Lead is accountable for the end-to-end technology delivery of a major Workday transformation programme, leading the implementation and migration of News UK (NUK) onto News Corp’s global Workday platform.

The role provides overall technology leadership across functional solution design, Workday architecture, integrations, data migration and security, ensuring that the solution meets News UK business requirements while remaining aligned to the global Workday strategy, architecture and operating model.

Operating as the senior technology lead for the programme, the role brings together business, HR, technology and global Workday teams to deliver a scalable, sustainable and globally aligned solution.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Technology Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end technology delivery of the News UK Workday implementation, from design and build through testing, cutover, go-live and transition to BAU.
• Act as the senior technology lead for the programme, providing overall direction across functional, architecture, integration and data workstreams.
• Own the overall technical integrity of the solution and ensure individual workstreams operate as a cohesive programme rather than standalone delivery teams.
• Translate programme and business objectives into a clear Workday technology strategy and delivery roadmap.
• Provide senior leadership with visibility of technology progress, risks, dependencies and key decisions.
• Drive resolution of complex cross-functional and cross-system issues that cannot be resolved within individual workstreams.

• Oversee the functional design and configuration of Workday capabilities being deployed to News UK.
• Ensure News UK requirements are appropriately challenged against existing global Workday design and standards.
• Champion a global-first / adopt-not-adapt approach, balancing local business requirements with the need to protect the integrity and scalability of the global platform.
• Provide design authority for significant solution decisions and exceptions to global standards.
• Ensure functional solutions consider downstream impacts across security, integrations, reporting, data and operational support.

• Own the overall solution architecture for the implementation and ensure Workday is appropriately integrated within the wider News UK and News Corp technology landscape.
• Establish and govern architectural principles, design standards and decision-making processes.
• Lead cross-functional design decisions where requirements span Workday, payroll, identity, finance or other enterprise platforms.
• Partner with enterprise and solution architects to ensure alignment with wider technology strategy.
• Identify architectural risks, technical debt and long-term support implications before design decisions are approved.

• Provide leadership and governance across the programme's integration portfolio.
• Ensure integration architecture supports both News UK requirements and the global Workday operating model.
• Oversee integration design, build, testing and deployment across Workday and dependent systems.
• Manage complex dependencies between Workday, payroll, identity management and other downstream/upstream platforms.
• Ensure appropriate integration monitoring, ownership and support arrangements are established ahead of go-live.

• Own technology oversight of the end-to-end data migration strategy.
• Ensure appropriate approaches are established for data extraction, transformation, cleansing, mapping, validation and loading.
• Establish clear accountability between business data owners, functional teams and technical delivery teams.
• Oversee migration cycles and ensure lessons from each cycle are incorporated into subsequent loads.
• Ensure appropriate reconciliation and data quality controls are in place to support business and programme sign-off.

• Ensure the technology solution is ready to progress through key programme toll gates, including design completion, SIT, UAT and production deployment.
• Oversee resolution of cross-workstream defects and technical issues.
• Lead technology cutover planning and coordinate dependencies across functional configuration, integrations, security and data.
• Own technology readiness for go-live and contribute to the overall programme go/no-go recommendation.
• Ensure appropriate hypercare and transition-to-support arrangements are established.

• Establish effective technology governance across all Workday delivery workstreams.
• Maintain oversight of technology risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies and ensure appropriate mitigation plans are in place.
• Present technology status, risks and key decisions to programme leadership and Steering Committees.
• Ensure appropriate controls, documentation, auditability and governance are embedded throughout delivery.
• Escalate material risks and decisions where programme objectives, global standards or delivery timelines may be impacted.

• Lead a multidisciplinary team spanning Workday functional consultants, architects, integration specialists, data specialists and other technology resources.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across News UK, News Corp Global Technology, HR, Finance, Payroll and other functions.
• Act as the primary technology escalation point for the Workday implementation.
• Create clarity of accountability across global, local and partner teams operating within a complex matrix environment.
• Coach and support workstream leads while maintaining accountability for the overall technology outcome.

The role is ultimately accountable for:

• Successful technology delivery of the News UK Workday implementation.
• Integrity of the end-to-end Workday solution.
• Alignment between News UK requirements and the global Workday platform.
• Cohesion across functional, architecture, integration and data workstreams.
• Technology readiness for testing, cutover and go-live.
• Effective management of technology risks and dependencies.
• A sustainable transition from programme delivery into the global Workday support model.

• Significant experience leading large-scale Workday implementations or transformation programmes.
• Deep understanding of Workday HCM and enterprise HR technology.
• Strong understanding of Workday architecture, integrations, security and data migration.
• Demonstrable experience leading multidisciplinary technology teams across complex global organisations.
• Experience integrating new businesses, regions or operating companies into an established global Workday tenant.
• Strong understanding of global template versus local requirement decision-making.
• Experience working with systems integrators and offshore/onshore delivery teams.
• Strong programme governance, risk management and delivery experience.
• Ability to operate credibly with both highly technical teams and senior business executives.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and decision-making skills.
• Ability to simplify complex technical issues and communicate their business impact to executive audiences.

This is a senior delivery leadership role requiring someone who can operate across strategy, architecture and execution. The successful individual will be comfortable moving between detailed Workday design discussions and executive-level programme conversations, challenging both business and technical teams where necessary.

They will combine deep Workday expertise with broad enterprise technology leadership and will take accountability not simply for delivering individual workstreams, but for ensuring that the entire Workday solution works as one coherent, sustainable platform.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other protected characteristic.

Reasonable Accommodation

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