Workday HCM Consultant (12 Month Contract, Outside IR35)
Posted Today by Focus on WD
Negotiable
Outside
Onsite
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Summary: The HCM Lead will oversee the end-to-end implementation of Workday HCM for a transformation programme, collaborating closely with the Programme Lead and various stakeholders. This role requires strong functional expertise in Workday HCM and the ability to manage multiple aspects of the implementation lifecycle. The successful candidate will ensure alignment with business requirements while driving best practices and stakeholder engagement. This is a hands-on position suited for an experienced professional in a fast-paced environment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the end-to-end delivery of the Workday HCM implementation workstream.
- Act as the functional lead for Workday HCM, ensuring alignment with business requirements and programme objectives.
- Collaborate with HR, IT, PMO, System Integrator, and third-party vendors throughout the implementation lifecycle.
- Drive workshops to gather, validate, and challenge business requirements.
- Oversee solution design, configuration, testing, data migration, integrations, and deployment activities.
- Provide leadership across key implementation phases including discovery, design, build, SIT, UAT, cutover, and hypercare.
- Ensure Workday best practices are adopted across the programme.
- Manage stakeholders across multiple business areas and seniority levels.
- Identify and mitigate project risks, issues, and dependencies.
- Support change management and user adoption activities.
- Ensure governance, documentation, and delivery standards are maintained throughout the programme.
Key Skills:
- Workday HCM
- HR Transformation
- Functional Leadership
- Stakeholder Management
- End-to-End Implementation
- Workshop Facilitation
- Testing & Deployment
- Data Migration
- Change Management
- Programme Delivery
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: on-site
IR35 Status: outside IR35
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: IT
HCM Lead – Workday HCM Implementation Contract: 12 Months Location: London (On-site 1–2 days per week) Engagement: Outside IR35 We are seeking an experienced HCM Lead to play a critical role in the successful end-to-end implementation of Workday HCM for a transformation programme. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the HCM workstream, working in close conjuction with the Programme Lead whilst partnering with business and technical stakeholders to deliver a high-quality Workday solution across the full project lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the end-to-end delivery of the Workday HCM implementation workstream.
- Act as the functional lead for Workday HCM, ensuring alignment with business requirements and programme objectives.
- Collaborate with HR, IT, PMO, System Integrator, and third-party vendors throughout the implementation lifecycle.
- Drive workshops to gather, validate, and challenge business requirements.
- Oversee solution design, configuration, testing, data migration, integrations, and deployment activities.
- Provide leadership across key implementation phases including discovery, design, build, SIT, UAT, cutover, and hypercare.
- Ensure Workday best practices are adopted across the programme.
- Manage stakeholders across multiple business areas and seniority levels.
- Identify and mitigate project risks, issues, and dependencies.
- Support change management and user adoption activities.
- Ensure governance, documentation, and delivery standards are maintained throughout the programme.
Required Experience
- Proven experience leading multiple end-to-end Workday HCM implementations.
- Strong functional expertise across core Workday HCM modules.
- Experience operating as a Workday HCM Lead, Functional Lead, or Solution Lead on enterprise-scale transformation programmes.
- Strong stakeholder management and workshop facilitation skills.
- Experience working with System Integrators and offshore delivery teams.
- Deep understanding of HR processes, operating models, and transformation initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of testing strategy, data migration, and deployment planning.
- Ability to work in fast-paced, complex programme environments.
Desirable Experience
- Experience across additional Workday modules such as Recruiting, Absence, Compensation, Talent, or Payroll.
- Previous experience within large corporate or regulated environments.
- Workday certifications are advantageous.
Key Skills
- Workday HCM
- HR Transformation
- Functional Leadership
- Stakeholder Management
- End-to-End Implementation
- Workshop Facilitation
- Testing & Deployment
- Data Migration
- Change Management
- Programme Delivery
Contract Details
- 12-month contract
- Outside IR35
- London-based with on-site attendance 1–2 days per week
- Competitive day rate
This role would suit a hands-on Workday HCM Lead who can combine strong functional expertise with excellent stakeholder engagement and delivery capability to ensure a successful implementation outcome.