Workday Solutions Architect (APAC)

The Workday Senior Solutions Architect shapes, positions and de risks complex Workday transformation opportunities across the sales lifecycle, from qualification through proposal, orals and commercial shaping to delivery transition. It is a high impact practice role for an experienced Workday leader who combines deep delivery experience, strong platform knowledge, commercial judgement and executive presence to shape practical, compelling and deliverable solutions across HCM, Finance, Payroll, Student and broader enterprise transformation.
 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead solution shaping for complex Workday opportunities, including full platform deployments, multi phase transformations, M&A, remediation, optimisation and managed services transitions.

• Partner with sales and practice leadership to qualify opportunities, define pursuit strategy and position Cognizant’s delivery approach with credibility.

• Provide senior functional and technical guidance across the Workday platform, grounded in practical delivery experience and a clear view of risk, scope, timelines, resourcing and commercials.

• Develop clear, client specific solution content for RFIs, RFPs, proposals, demonstrations, workshops and orals, in person or remotely.

• Lead estimation activities, including scope, effort modelling, resource and staffing plans, assumptions, dependencies, exclusions and risks.

• Coordinate solution scope, implementation approach, timeline, delivery model and effort across pursuit, delivery, product, technical, integration, data, change, testing and commercial teams.

• Translate client needs into practical delivery approaches, balancing standardisation, configuration, integration, reporting, data, testing and adoption.

• Support formal sales to delivery transition, ensuring delivery teams understand the solution, assumptions, risks and client commitments.

• Provide senior solution support to in flight projects where scope, delivery risk or client confidence needs to be stabilised.

• Contribute to thought leadership, conferences, client roundtables and practice showcases, and build reusable tools, templates and estimation assets.

• Mentor junior resources and promote knowledge sharing to grow solutioning capability across the Workday practice.

• Maintain awareness of Workday product direction, methodology and releases, and undertake additional duties as required by the practice.
   

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent professional experience.

• 5 plus years of relevant Workday, enterprise SaaS, ERP or transformation delivery experience in complex implementation environments.

• End to end Workday implementation experience across one or more of HCM, Finance, Payroll, Student, Adaptive Planning, Extend, integrations, reporting, data or security.

• Experience supporting pursuits, proposals, solution architecture, estimation, commercial modelling or sales to delivery transition.

• Strong understanding of the full implementation lifecycle, from discovery and design through integrations, data migration, testing, deployment, hypercare and optimisation.

• Able to identify delivery risks, develop mitigation plans and communicate risk clearly to internal and client stakeholders.

• Confident, credible and pragmatic leader, comfortable moving between executive conversation, solution detail and delivery reality and bringing structure to ambiguity.

• Able to challenge constructively, influence senior stakeholders and balance sales ambition with delivery discipline.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation and facilitation skills, with confidence to engage executive sponsors and senior stakeholders.

• Commercial awareness, connecting solution decisions to scope, effort, timeline, cost, quality and delivery confidence.

• Collaborative style with a strong commitment to team success, knowledge sharing and practice development.

• Active Workday certifications preferred and may be required; relevant functional, technical, methodology, reporting, integration, data or security certifications highly regarded.

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Why choose Cognizant:

• Entrepreneurial environment that welcomes your ideas
• Opportunity to do great work
• Outreach programs that support communities and tap into your volunteer spirit
• Learning opportunities to help current needs and advancement
• Global operations, with opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific
• An abundance of Affinity groups to meet your needs

Cognizant Core Values:

• Work as One: We think beyond roles, relying on each other’s strengths to win as a team.
• Raise the Bar: We always aim for excellence in how we work and what we deliver.
• Dare to Innovate: We push boundaries and take chances to reimagine what’s possible.
• Do the Right Thing: We all lead with integrity and always make the ethical choice.
• Own It: We own the outcomes for our company, colleagues, and community.