People Systems Administrator, Workday

At Vanta, our mission is to help businesses earn and prove trust. We believe that security should be monitored and verified continuously, and we empower companies to practice better security and prove it with ease. Vanta has a kind and talented team, and while some have prior security experience, many have been successful at Vanta without it. We're looking for a highly skilled People Systems Administrator to drive the design, configuration, and optimization of Workday across Vanta, with deep functional ownership of the Payroll, Benefits, and/or Absence module(s). Reporting to the Sr. Manager, People Systems, you'll act as a trusted consultant and system expert, partnering with functional leaders across People, Payroll, Finance, IT, and Legal to identify opportunities, implement advanced solutions, and improve the employee experience. You'll shape the future of our Workday ecosystem by leading complex configurations, driving process improvement, and making sure the system evolves ahead of the business rather than behind it. What you’ll do as a People Systems Administrator, Workday at Vanta: - Own the design and configuration of the Workday platform - Lead the design and implementation of configurations across Workday modules (Core HCM, Payroll, Benefits, Absence, Time Tracking) including business processes and security groups along with condition rules and calculated fields. - Serve as the primary technical expert for Workday enhancements, partnering with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and translate ambiguous business problems into scalable system solutions. - Build the administration frameworks and standards the team runs on: security role design, tenant and environment management, change control, testing protocols, and documentation. - Design reusable, scalable solutions rather than one-off fixes, so the same problem doesn't return in a different shape - Own change management for system changes. Plan and deliver stakeholder communications, training, and enablement so changes land with adoption rather than confusion, and measure whether they actually stuck. - Drive continuous improvement - Proactively analyze Workday processes, integrations, and user interfaces to surface inefficiencies and optimize business processes as needs evolve. - Stay ahead of the Workday roadmap and release cycles — review release notes, assess feature impact, run regression testing, turn new functionality into concrete improvements and own release communication and prioritization across stakeholders. - Identify where the biggest manual lift sits across People Ops and proactively solve it, rather than waiting for the request. How to be successful in this role: - 5+ years in HRIS/People Systems, including significant hands-on Workday configuration and administration. - Demonstrated depth in at least one of the following Workday modules: Payroll, Benefits, or Absence, with working knowledge of the other two and how they interact. Workday certification preferred. - Strong command of the Workday business process framework, security configuration, condition rules, and calculated fields. - Proven experience owning complex systems initiatives end to end — not just executing assigned configuration tasks. - Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions. - Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; effective working independently and collaboratively across teams. - A track record of handling confidential employee data with care and designing systems that meet audit and compliance requirements. - Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for current or future employer sponsorship. - Open to using AI to amplify their skills and strengthen their work - demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact. What you can expect as a Vanta’n: - Industry-competitive salary and equity - Comp