Workday Payroll Consultant / SME

Healthcare client in New York is seeking a Workday Payroll Consultant who will be responsible for leading the design, standardization, and optimization of payroll processes and configurations across a multi-entity network environment. This role focuses on aligning disparate payroll practices into a unified, compliant, and scalable Workday payroll framework. The consultant will serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for Workday Payroll, ensuring operational consistency, regulatory compliance, data integrity, and system efficiency across all business units., * Lead the development and implementation of standardized payroll policies, processes, and controls across the network.

• Harmonize pay rules, earnings codes, deductions, tax treatments, and payroll calendars across multiple entities.
• Establish governance frameworks for payroll configuration changes, approvals, and version control.
• Define and document standardized payroll operating models, procedures, and workflows.
• Configure and maintain Workday Payroll, including earnings, deductions, taxation, retro processing, and off-cycle payrolls.
• Support payroll parallel testing, validation, and reconciliation activities during standardization and deployment phases.
• Ensure accurate integration between Workday Payroll, Time Tracking, Absence Management, Benefits, and Financials.
• Ensure payroll configurations comply with federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., FLSA, tax compliance, wage/hour laws, union agreements where applicable).
• Partner with Legal, HR, and Compliance teams to mitigate payroll risk and audit exposure.
• Support internal and external audits, including documentation, controls testing, and remediation.

• 5+ years of extensive experience in Workday Payroll configuration and deployment
• Proven experience leading enterprise payroll standardization initiatives
• Strong knowledge of U.S. payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, and payroll compliance
• Experience in multi-entity, multi-location, or networked organizational environments
• Expertise in payroll process design, transformation, and optimization