Sr. Workday Systems Analyst

Sr. HRIS Systems Analyst (Workday)

12-month contract

Remote, UK - may require ad/hoc travel to London

£30/hr - Inside IR35

About our Client:

Our client is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Using a broad suite of proprietary and modular T cell programming technologies. The company is engineering precisely targeted, controlled and highly active T cell therapies that are designed to better recognize cancer cells, break down their defense mechanisms and eliminate these cells.

Role Summary:

This is a maternity cover role, backfilling our Workday SME to support and further develop our HR systems. Strong expertise in Workday Core HCM is essential, with experience in one or more of the following functional areas highly desirable: Recruitment, Absence/Time Tracking, Talent, Learning, Advanced Compensation and/or Benefits.

The role will provide day‐to‐day operational and functional support to HR and the wider business, delivering timely and effective solutions to system issues and requests, as well as optimising our recently implemented Workday tenant. As part of a small HRIS team, a hands‐on, adaptable approach is essential, with responsibilities including BAU support, system enhancements, reporting, integrations and in‐flight project activity.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference in a growing business. The role plays a critical part in ensuring our HR system-driven processes run smoothly and efficiently, data integrity is maintained, and continuous improvement initiatives are delivered.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and delivery of the HRIS roadmap, supporting the evolution of Workday in line with business and HR priorities.
• Partner closely with HR teams and business stakeholders to understand requirements, identify opportunities for improvement, and enhance the user experience across Workday.
• Configure, maintain and test Workday functionality, including business processes, security and functional configuration, to drive efficiency, consistency and compliance.
• Define and execute appropriate testing strategies for new functionality, enhancements and change, collaborating with stakeholders to develop test scenarios and oversee issue resolution prior to deployment.
• Actively identify, assess and manage system risks and issues, working with vendors and support partners where required, and providing clear, timely communication to impacted users.
• Collaborate with HRIS and IT colleagues to maintain and improve integrations between Workday and other systems, ensuring the accurate and timely flow of people data across the organisation.
• Support HR in the delivery of annual HR cycles and events, including performance reviews, annual salary and bonus processes, holiday year‐end activities and pay gap reporting.
• Lead or support the planning, testing and deployment of Workday releases, patches and upgrades, in line with IT change and release management protocols.
• Ensure that configured processes, security and integrations maintain the integrity, confidentiality and accuracy of employee data across HR systems.
• Produce and support HR reporting and analytics, including the creation of standard and ad‐hoc reports, dashboards and metrics, and enable end users through training and guidance where appropriate.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to support regulatory and internal compliance, including GDPR, SOX and relevant GxP requirements.
• Maintain appropriate documentation, controls and audit evidence to support compliance and internal assurance activities.
• Provide flexible support across the HRIS team, including covering team inboxes, handling data requests, and supporting in‐flight projects or BAU activities as required.

Demonstrated skills and competencies

E – Essential P – Preferred

Experience :

• Detail‐ and process‐oriented, with the ability to partner effectively with non‐technical stakeholders and translate business requirements into technical solutions (E)
• Strong understanding of the system development life cycle, including configuration, testing and release management (E)
• Proven problem‐solving and analytical skills, with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail (E)
• Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement through innovative use of systems and processes (E)
• Able to balance multiple priorities in a dynamic environment (P)
• Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively within cross‐functional teams (P)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex topics clearly (E)
• Flexible and willing to support a broad range of data‐driven and administrative activities, including HR MI and pay and benefits support (E)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel (E)

Qualifications:

• HR, IT or related degree/qualification, and/or equivalent practical experience working within HR Systems or HRIS environments.

Skills/Specialist knowledge:

• Proven hands‐on experience with Workday, including strong expertise in Core HCM and at least one additional functional area (Recruitment, Absence/Time Tracking, Talent, Learning, Advanced Compensation, Benefits).
• Experience configuring and supporting Workday, including business processes, security roles/domains and reporting.
• Experience supporting or managing Workday integrations, particularly with third‐party payroll solutions (CloudPay experience preferred).
• Strong understanding of data protection, security and governance principles relating to HR data.
• Experience working within a project and change management environment, with familiarity of governance frameworks and controls.
• Excellent collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills.