Workday Payroll Senior Lead - Emerging Markets

Role mission 

Own the payroll delivery and enablement strategy for our Emerging Markets segment – small and mid-sized customers who are newer to Workday and have less complex needs than traditional enterprise clients – with an exclusive focus on Kainos’s accelerated Spark & Grow deployment methodology. Lead implementations, partner with Sales on scoping, and build the playbooks, templates, and accelerators that make delivery for this segment repeatable, scalable, and cost-effective. 

What you'll do — Delivery & client leadership 

• Lead Workday Payroll implementations for small and mid-sized customers using Kainos’s rapid Spark & Grow methodology, guiding them from discovery through go-live with a focus on rapid, repeatable delivery and high customer satisfaction. 

• Configure complex payroll calculations; handle scenarios such as multiple positions and multiple FEINs; apply strong knowledge of Workday Payroll and interdependencies with Time Tracking, Absence, and Benefits. 

• Navigate regulatory and contractual complexity (e.g., tax, garnishments, Common Pay Master, retirement plans, union/CBAs, payroll accounting) across applicable markets. 

Sales partnership & scoping 

• Partner with Sales on qualifying opportunities, running discovery, shaping the solution approach, and producing right-sized estimates/SOW inputs; participate in client-facing demos and orals. 

• Translate business needs into clear scope, assumptions, risks, and resourcing appropriate for compressed timelines and lean budgets, balancing outcomes with commercial considerations. 

Emerging-markets capability building 

• Establish repeatable delivery by creating and maintaining localization checklists, configuration templates, testing packs, and knowledge articles tailored to smaller customers. 

• Codify best practices into accelerators that improve quality, predictability, ramp time, and cost-to-serve; measure adoption and iterate. 

Operating in Emerging Markets 

• Manage ambitious timelines through pragmatic, MVP-first approaches, crisp decision logs, and time-boxed design. 

• Design creative, right-sized solutions that maximize delivered value within tight budget constraints (e.g., templated configurations, phased scope, standard integrations). 

Minimum qualifications 

• 5+ years Workday Payroll implementation experience, including 3+ years leading end-to-end implementations recently with hands-on configuration; certification in at least one Workday Payroll country plus one additional Workday module. 

• Proven ability to build complex payroll calculations; experience with multiple positions and multiple FEINs. 

• Deep knowledge of Workday Payroll and interdependencies with Time Tracking, Absence, Benefits; solid understanding of tax/garnishments, Common Pay Master, retirement plans, CBAs/unions, payroll accounting. 

• Consulting toolkit: lead workshops, present to senior audiences, and guide design trade-offs under tight deadlines; strong commercial awareness and project fluency. 

Geography-specific fluency (as applicable) 

• Canada: T4, RRSP, ROE, CPP. 

• U.S.: state/local taxes, FLSA calculations. 

Preferred qualifications 

• Workday HCM / Payroll certifications 

• Professional qualifications in your area of expertise (Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)  

• Experience with post-deployment services/AMS and knowledge transfer. 

• Experience with Small and Medium Business market segments 

• Exposure to multi-country operating models and partner integrations in non-native Workday payroll contexts. 

Success measures 

• 90 days: Segment playbook v1 (scope assumptions, estimate templates, testing packs) adopted on at least one project; first pursuits supported with clear estimates and risks. 

• 6 months: 2+ implementations delivered using the standard approach with measurable cycle-time and effort reductions; enablement rolled out to delivery teams. 

• 12 months: Standardized assets in broad use; predictable outcomes for smaller customers (e.g., improved estimate variance, faster time-to-value, higher CSAT/NPS). 

People management 

Your role may or may not involve managing people. Where you do have direct reports your responsibilities may include:  

• Agreeing, setting and reviewing your and your team’s goals aligned to Kainos, Workday BU and your Capability  

• Providing support so that your and your team’s goals can be achieved  

• Reviewing and refining goals for relevance and to keep performance on track  

• Reviewing performance against goals and provide feedback  

• Conducting 1:1 monthly and/or project completion feedback meetings  

• Requesting and providing regular feedback in Workday  

• Completing End of Year reviews and agreeing the outcomes for the year  

• Identifying training to support your and your team’s development  

• Pursuing and supporting your and your team members’ career paths and progression  

• Reviewing weekly workload forecasting (staff allocations and timesheet checks) and utilization  

• Actively being involved in recruitment/interviews  

• Reviewing attrition and retention metrics