Workday Payroll Configurator SME

Location: Remote (USA)Long term contractW2 only. No Corp to Corp candidates.

Role Overview: Workday Payroll SME and primary owner responsible for Workday payroll design, configuration governance, payroll-to-benefits alignment, testing oversight, and vendor coordination during the migration from a semi-monthly to a bi-weekly payroll schedule, including 3rd-party vendor processing.

Key Responsibilities: Lead payroll design and configuration decisions within Workday.- Redesign pay groups, payroll calendars, earnings, deductions, and related configurations for bi-weekly payroll.- Validate payroll data mappings between Workday and ADP.- Ensure proper handling of earnings, deductions, taxes, garnishments, and benefits deductions.- Govern vendor deliverables and validate overall payroll solution design.- Lead payroll, benefits, and GL testing activities.- Manage parallel payroll comparisons and payroll reconciliation.- Support cutover planning, conversion validation, and go-live readiness.- Partner with HR, Finance, Benefits, Compensation, and downstream application teams.- Maintain compliance, audit readiness, and payroll controls.

Required Skills & Qualifications: 7+ years of Workday Payroll experience, including 3+ large-scale implementations and end-to-end payroll transformation leadership.- Deep knowledge of payroll tax, earnings, deductions, garnishments, and benefits.- Experience with payroll outsourcing programs (ADP preferred) and payroll frequency conversions.- Strong reconciliation, audit, and payroll GL process skills.- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Preferred Skills: Workday Payroll Certification.- Experience with cross-module Workday features (Time & Absence, Benefits, Compensation, and Performance).- Direct implementation experience with semi-monthly to bi-weekly conversions.