Workday Absence & Time Tracking Senior Principal Consultant

The Workday Absence & Time Tracking Senior Principal Consultant is a senior functional leader responsible for driving the design, delivery, and overall success of Workday Absence and Time Tracking implementations. Acting as a trusted advisor to clients and project teams, this individual provides strategic guidance on workforce management processes while ensuring solutions align with business objectives and Workday leading practices. The Senior Principal Consultant combines deep Workday expertise with delivery leadership, pre-sales support, and people development responsibilities. They lead complex solution discussions, guide implementation teams, support business development activities, and play a key role in growing the Workday practice through mentoring and knowledge sharing. Responsibilities Serve as a senior Workday Absence and Time Tracking subject matter expert, providing guidance on workforce management processes and Workday best practices. Lead client workshops, discovery sessions, and design discussions to define scalable solutions aligned to business requirements. Own solution design and provide oversight across configuration, testing, deployment, and post-go-live transition activities. Act as the functional lead for medium to large Workday Absence and Time Tracking implementations, managing key solution decisions, risks, and dependencies. Advise clients on absence management, leave administration, time entry, time calculation, scheduling, compliance, and workforce optimisation strategies. Partner with HCM, Payroll, Benefits, Integrations, Reporting, Security, Change Management, and Project Management teams to deliver integrated solutions. Support testing, data conversion, cutover, deployment, and hypercare activities throughout the project lifecycle. Mentor and coach consultants and senior consultants, providing quality reviews and functional leadership. Support business development activities including solutioning, estimations, proposals, demonstrations, and customer presentations. Contribute to practice development through methodology improvements, internal training, asset creation, and knowledge-sharing initiatives. Maintain expertise in Workday Absence, Time Tracking, and Scheduling functionality, industry trends, and product innovations. Skills & Requirements Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Active Workday Absence and/or Time Tracking Certification required. 5+ years of Workday implementation experience, including multiple end-to-end Workday deployments. Proven experience leading Workday Absence and Time Tracking workstreams on medium to large implementations. Deep functional expertise in absence management, leave administration, time tracking, scheduling, workforce compliance, and payroll-related processes. Experience gathering requirements, facilitating workshops, solution design, configuration, testing, and deployment. Experience supporting pre-sales activities, including estimations, proposals, and solution presentations. Strong leadership, mentoring, stakeholder management, and consulting skills. Excellent communication and presentation skills, including engagement with executive-level stakeholders. Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced consulting environment. Eligible for SC Clearance - you must have been a UK resident for the last five years and be legally entitled to work in the UK. Minimal travel required, but must be willing to travel on-site as needed. #LI-Remote 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.