Workday Data Conversion Lead

Location: Chicago, IL (onsite requirements: 100% remote)

Compensation Range: $160,000–180,000 plus ~10% bonus of base

About the Role

Reports to the Workday Practice Leader. May carry direct reports depending on experience level. Team size varies by project: 1–2 people on smaller engagements, up to 6 on larger ones. Leads both internal data conversion teams and client-side teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as subject matter expert and lead on end-to-end data migration activities across Workday implementations (HCM, Payroll, Finance).
• Develop and maintain comprehensive data conversion and tenant-build project plans, workbooks, and mapping requirements.
• Define data extraction, transformation, and load sequencing strategies in collaboration with client SMEs, functional consultants, and technical architects.
• Lead iterative conversion testing cycles (Foundation, Configuration, End to End, Parallel, Gold/Production loads); manage defect logs.
• Support cutover planning: data freeze windows, load dependencies, go-live readiness criteria.
• Produce conversion governance documentation including sign-off packages, issues logs, and lessons learned artifacts.
• Build and execute Workday loads via EIB, Advanced Load, and other methods.
• Develop reconciliation scripts and validation reports to confirm accuracy against source systems.
• Mentor junior conversion analysts across concurrent workstreams.
• Partner with practice leadership to build tools, templates, and repeatable processes.
• Travel for key project milestones: kickoffs, design/data-gathering sessions, testing milestones (estimated 8–10 trips over a 24-month engagement; ~25% travel is the top-end expectation).

Three-Tier Role Scope:

• Tier 1 (Minimum / Required): Hands-on Workday tenant builds; standard data conversion execution.
• Tier 2 (Preferred): Team management + customer-facing extraction and transformation work.
• Tier 3 (Unicorn): All of the above + strategic contribution to internal tooling and practice growth.

Requirements

• Active Workday Data Conversion and/or Data Loading Certification (non-expired; Workday Pro a potential alternative).
• 3+ years of Workday-specific data conversion experience across HCM, Payroll, and/or Finance (formal Lead title not required; next-step candidates considered).
• Proficiency in EIB, XSLT, Workday Customer Central, and Workday-delivered data migration and load tools.
• Advanced Excel (data manipulation, reconciliation, validation).
• SQL proficiency for data extraction and transformation from relational source systems.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent conversion workstreams under tight implementation timelines.
• U.S. work authorization without sponsorship.

Preferences

• Financial data conversion experience strongly preferred: GL balances, open AP/AR, suppliers and customers, fixed assets, banking data, chart of accounts.
• Located in Chicago, IL; Denver, CO or Detroit, MI also attractive.
• Prior consulting experience with a certified Workday implementation partner or SI.
• Additional Workday functional certifications (Financial Management, HCM, Payroll).
• Experience migrating data from legacy ERP/HRIS platforms (Oracle EBS, SAP, PeopleSoft, ADP).
• Experience managing or mentoring data conversion team members.
• Ambition to contribute to practice growth, internal tooling, and methodology development.
• Committed to staying in data/conversion work — not transitioning to functional roles.