Human Resources Information System Consultant

Workday Engineer – Core HCM & AbsenceLocation: McLean, VA (Hybrid – 1–2 Days Onsite per Week)Employment Type: Full-Time, Direct HireCompensation: Up to $150,000 Base Salary + BenefitsPosition OverviewWe are seeking an experienced Workday Engineer with strong hands-on functional configuration experience in Workday Absence Management and Core HCM.This position will play a key role in configuring, optimizing, and supporting the organization's Workday environment. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Workday Absence, with the ability to independently configure time-off and leave plans, accruals, eligibility rules, balances, and business processes.Approximately 75% of this role will focus on hands-on Workday configuration, with the remaining responsibilities involving troubleshooting, system enhancements, testing, and production support.This is an excellent opportunity for a Workday professional who enjoys solving complex configuration challenges, improving HR processes, and working closely with HR and Payroll teams.Key ResponsibilitiesConfigure, maintain, and optimize Workday Absence Management and Core HCM functionality.Design and configure time-off plans, leave plans, accrual calculations, eligibility rules, absence balances, and related business processes.Maintain Core HCM configurations, including supervisory organizations, staffing structures, worker data, and employee lifecycle processes.Configure and enhance Workday business processes, including approvals, validations, condition rules, routing, and notifications.Partner directly with HR, Payroll, Benefits, and IT teams to gather requirements and implement Workday enhancements.Manage and prioritize configuration requests, system improvements, and ongoing enhancement backlogs.Troubleshoot complex Workday configuration issues, identify root causes, and implement long-term solutions.Evaluate downstream impacts of configuration changes across Payroll, Benefits, Time Tracking, Security, and Reporting.Support Workday testing activities, including unit testing, UAT, regression testing, and production deployments.Utilize Workday reporting, calculated fields, and EIBs to support data accuracy, validation, and system enhancements.Participate in Workday release management, including evaluating new functionality and implementing platform improvements.Maintain functional documentation, configuration records, and process workflows.Required Qualifications5+ years of hands-on Workday configuration experience, including at least 3 years focused on Workday Absence Management.Strong hands-on Workday Absence configuration experience, including time-off plans, leave plans, accruals, eligibility rules, balances, and business processes.Strong Workday Core HCM configuration experience, including supervisory organizations, staffing structures, worker data, and business process configuration.Demonstrated experience independently configuring and optimizing Workday functionality rather than primarily supporting integrations or general system administration.Strong understanding of Workday Business Process Framework, including approvals, condition rules, validations, and workflow logic.Experience troubleshooting complex Workday configuration issues and implementing sustainable solutions.Ability to translate HR and Payroll requirements into functional Workday configurations.Experience with Workday testing, production support, and system enhancements.Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.Preferred QualificationsWorkday Pro accreditation or Workday Partner certifications in HCM or Absence Management.Experience supporting U.S. and Canadian employee populations.Familiarity with Workday Time Tracking, Payroll, Benefits, and related modules.Experience with Workday EIBs, calculated fields, custom reporting, and data validation.Experience supporting Workday releases, regression testing, and post-implementation optimization.Experience working within a Workday Center of Excellence or an internal HRIS team.Ideal CandidateThe ideal candidate is a hands-on Workday functional configurator with deep expertise in Absence Management and a strong Core HCM foundation.We are looking for someone who has personally built and modified Workday configurations, can independently troubleshoot complex issues, and is comfortable owning enhancements from initial requirements through configuration, testing, and deployment.This position is focused on functional configuration and is not primarily an integrations development, project management, or general HRIS support role.