Workday Payroll Configuration SME

We are looking for a Workday Payroll Configuration SME to support a government-sector payroll initiative in Pomona, California. This Long-term Contract position requires a consultant who can apply deep configuration expertise within Workday Payroll, with a strong understanding of payroll data structures, testing strategy, and issue resolution. The ideal candidate brings California public sector experience and can work closely with internal stakeholders to ensure payroll results are accurate, compliant, and ready for deployment.

Responsibilities:

• Configure and refine Workday Payroll settings to align system behavior with payroll requirements and resolve setup-related issues.
• Examine payroll tables, configuration elements, and data relationships to identify gaps and improve processing accuracy.
• Convert California public sector payroll rules into effective Workday configuration solutions that support compliant payroll operations.
• Create and run detailed test scenarios, support parallel payroll validation, compare outcomes, and address inconsistencies.
• Verify earnings, deductions, taxes, balances, and calculation results against defined business expectations.
• Investigate cross-functional dependencies involving Payroll, Benefits, Time Tracking, and Absence to resolve data and configuration issues.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to internal team members by answering payroll configuration questions, documenting decisions, and sharing knowledge.
• Collaborate with the implementation team to resolve defects and support go-live readiness as well as post-launch stabilization activities.
• Proven hands-on experience configuring Workday Payroll in an implementation or support environment.
• Strong knowledge of Workday Payroll table design, data relationships, and their effect on payroll processing and reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to execute payroll testing, support parallel runs, validate outcomes, and drive defect resolution.
• Direct experience with California public sector payroll requirements and compliance considerations.
• Practical payroll knowledge sufficient to reconcile results, confirm calculations, and troubleshoot issues independently.
• Ability to analyze configuration and data problems, determine root causes, and clearly explain solutions to stakeholders.
• Availability to work onsite in Pomona, California, four 10-hour days per week.
• Experience with union payroll, multiple bargaining units, CalPERS or CalSTRS reporting, or payroll go-live support is preferred.