Workday Testing Practice Lead / Testing Manager (HCM, Payroll, Integrations)

Job Title: Workday Testing Practice Lead / Testing Manager (HCM, Payroll, Integrations) Job Type: Contract / Full-time (Remote USA) Location: Remote (USA) - (Some onsite travel may be required for client meetings approx. 25 30 hours/week engagement)

Job Summary
We are seeking a Workday Testing Practice Lead / Testing Manager to lead enterprise-wide testing initiatives across multiple Workday implementations and support engagements.
The role involves defining and executing test strategies, governance models, and QA frameworks across Workday modules including HCM, Payroll, Benefits, Time & Absence, Financials, Recruiting, and Student systems.
The ideal candidate will have strong experience in end-to-end Workday testing lifecycle management, stakeholder coordination, and leading distributed QA teams in large-scale enterprise environments.

Key Responsibilities
Testing Leadership & Strategy
Define and lead enterprise-wide Workday test strategy and test planning
Establish scalable testing frameworks, methodologies, and governance models
Lead SIT, UAT, E2E, Regression, and Parallel testing phases
Manage testing risks, defect triage, and go-live readiness reporting
Drive standardization of testing processes across multiple engagements
Workday Functional Testing
Lead testing across:
Workday HCM
Payroll
Benefits
Time & Absence
Recruiting & Compensation
Financials / Student (if applicable)
Coordinate creation and execution of test scenarios aligned with business requirements
Validate end-to-end business processes and system configurations
Integration & System Testing
Lead API and file-based integration testing with third-party vendors
Validate data flow across downstream systems and integrations
Support testing for EIBs, Core Connectors, and external systems
Stakeholder Management
Collaborate with HRIS, project managers, functional consultants, and vendors
Provide executive-level testing status updates and risk assessments
Lead defect triage and resolution discussions
Team Leadership & Governance
Manage and mentor QA teams across multiple projects
Define and enforce QA standards, templates, and best practices
Ensure test coverage, execution quality, and reporting consistency

Required Skills
10 15+ years IT experience with strong QA/Test leadership background
5 8+ years Workday testing experience
Strong experience in SIT, UAT, E2E, Regression, Parallel testing
Experience leading enterprise Workday implementations
Strong knowledge of HCM and Payroll processes
Integration testing experience (API, file-based integrations)
Strong stakeholder communication and leadership skills
Experience with Agile and enterprise delivery environments

Preferred Skills / Tools
Jira / X-Ray (defect and test management)
SharePoint / Smartsheet / Confluence
ServiceNow or similar ITSM tools
Experience in Workday Launch / Agile methodologies
Experience working in global delivery models

Nice to Have
Experience with Workday Financials or Student modules
Experience building QA frameworks or testing COE models
Exposure to test automation tools (optional)