Client

A privately held, global food manufacturing organization with several thousand employees worldwide, specializing in customized ingredient solutions for the food and beverage industry. The company operates across multiple regions with a strong focus on innovation, quality, and collaboration.

Summary

We are seeking an experienced Workday Payroll Consultant for a 90-day contract engagement to support payroll operations and capability building within a global organization. This role will focus heavily on enabling and training internal teams on the effective use of Workday Payroll, ensuring best practices and process consistency. The consultant will partner closely with payroll, HR, and finance stakeholders to assess current workflows and identify opportunities for optimization within Workday. This individual will play a key role in guiding end users through payroll processes, troubleshooting issues, and enhancing overall system adoption.

The position requires a hands-on approach, balancing payroll execution support with training and knowledge transfer. This is a hybrid role requiring 1–2 days onsite per week in Alsip, IL. The ideal candidate will bring both functional payroll expertise and strong Workday system knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on support for payroll processing activities using Workday, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
• Train and mentor internal payroll and HR team members on Workday Payroll functionality and best practices
• Evaluate current payroll processes and recommend improvements to increase efficiency and compliance
• Serve as a subject matter expert for Workday Payroll, troubleshooting system and process-related issues
• Support payroll compliance efforts, including documentation and audit readiness
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as HR, Finance, and Treasury on payroll-related activities
• Assist with payroll reporting, reconciliations, and data validation within Workday
• Ensure alignment with federal, state, and provincial payroll regulations (U.S. and Canada as applicable)
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and create training materials or documentation for ongoing team use

Qualifications

• Proven experience working with Workday Payroll (required)
• Strong background in U.S. payroll processing; Canada payroll experience is a plus
• Experience training or upskilling teams on payroll systems and processes
• Solid understanding of payroll compliance, tax regulations, and audit requirements
• Ability to quickly assess processes and implement improvements within Workday
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical users
• Experience working in a consulting or contract capacity preferred
• Ability to work onsite in Alsip, IL 1–2 days per week during the engagement