Senior Manager, Data Engineering

Your work days are brighter here.

At Workday, it all began with a conversation over breakfast. When our founders met at a sunny California diner, they came up with an idea to revolutionize the enterprise software market. And when we began to rise, one thing that really set us apart was our culture. A culture which was driven by our value of putting our people first. And ever since, the happiness, development, and contribution of every Workmate is central to who we are. Our Workmates believe a healthy employee-centric, collaborative culture is the essential mix of ingredients for success in business. That’s why we look after our people, communities and the planet while still being profitable. Feel encouraged to shine, however that manifests: you don’t need to hide who you are. You can feel the energy and the passion, it's what makes us unique. Inspired to make a brighter work day for all and transform with us to the next stage of our growth journey? Bring your brightest version of you and have a brighter work day here.

About the Team

Want to join a fast-paced data engineering team focused on applying innovative Machine Learning (ML) to build personalized and smart data products? Want to build data science standard methodologies that radically
improves time to market for ML products? Do you enjoy applying ML to Enterprise SaaS products? Plus, would you like the work life balance and financial stability of a market leader named in Best Companies to Work For by Fortune? The Workday ML team offers a unique opportunity with all these!
At Workday, the ML team builds ML services that power our data products across HR, Finance, Planning, Recruiting, Learning, Search, and more. We are looking for a leader with the ability and experience to help succeed in a multi-functional and dynamic environment. You will be managing a team of software engineers and collaborate with product and engineering teams. As a leader you will be establishing relationships and partnering with product and operational teams. You will be expected to navigate between complex technical
topics and strategic problems to deliver business impact. If you’re sharp, collaborative, resourceful, and can communicate complex ideas with ease, then we’d like to talk to you.

About the Role

• Lead the Data Platform Team responsible for data ingestion and management in secure machine learning development environments.

• Supervise large-scale data ingestion pipelines, ensuring seamless data flow using Kafka, Flink, Spark, and other related technologies, primarily in an AWS environment.

• Lead the secure handling of data post-ingestion, including data security, compliance, and data lifecycle management (expiration, retention policies).

• Collaborate with internal partners to prioritize opposing demands across multiple teams.

• Provide strong technical leadership, encouraging innovation and standard processes for large-scale data infrastructure.

• Drive the technical roadmap, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and evolving technology needs.

• Coach, mentor, and strengthen a team of engineers, maintaining a culture of high performance, technical excellence, and accountability.

• Ensure the team adheres to security and compliance requirements, working closely with security and governance teams.

• Develop roadmaps and metrics for the team and broader organization

• Collaborate with platform and ML teams to ensure seamless data integration and operations.

• Take part in all phases of the ML software development lifecycle, including requirements analysis, data selection, methodological exploration, technical design, software construction, quality assurance, and integration with the Workday ecosystem.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• Proven experience in data engineering, with at least 5+ years in a management role leading teams.

• Track record of guiding teams through unstructured technical problems to deliver business impact.

• Hands-on experience with large-scale data platforms, including Kafka, Flink, AWS, Spark, Kubernetes, Python Notebooks, ML Orchestration, and related technologies.

• Consistent track record of leading engineering teams handling data ingestion pipelines and data management at scale.

• Deep understanding of data security, compliance, and regulatory requirements for handling sensitive data.

• Strong experience in leading complex, multi-functional projects, delivering high-quality solutions on time.

• Ability to balance technical depth with strong people management and organizational leadership.

• Experience collaborating with product teams, data scientists, and platform engineering to deliver reliable, scalable systems.

Other Qualifications:

• Experience in a machine learning or AI-driven organization is a plus.

• Experience working with distributed systems and streaming data pipelines at scale.

• Familiarity with data governance and compliance frameworks in highly regulated environments.

• Strong understanding of ML Ops / DevOps / CloudOps

• Proven experience shipping products

• Strong software development skills

• Strong understanding of data and/or ML fundamentals

• Strong understanding of software engineering standard methodologies and ability to think across layers of the stack

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

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.

Are you being referred to one of our roles? If so, ask your connection at Workday about our Employee Referral process!