Job Title: Workday Data Conversion Lead
Location: Chicago, IL
Onsite Requirements: 100% Remote
Compensation Range: $160,000-180,000 plus Bonus: ~10% of base
- Reports to 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
- Serves as subject matter expert and lead on end-to-end data migration activities across Workday implementations (HCM, Payroll, Finance)
- Develops and maintains comprehensive data conversion and tenant-build project plans, workbooks, and mapping requirements
- Defines data extraction, transformation, and load sequencing strategies in collaboration with client SMEs, functional consultants, and technical architects
- Leads iterative conversion testing cycles (Foundation, Configuration, End to End, Parallel, Gold/Production loads); manages defect logs
- Supports cutover planning: data freeze windows, load dependencies, go-live readiness criteria
- Produces conversion governance documentation including sign-off packages, issues logs, and lessons learned artifacts
- Builds and executes Workday loads via EIB, Advanced Load, and other methods
- Develops reconciliation scripts and validation reports to confirm accuracy against source systems
- Mentors junior conversion analysts across concurrent workstreams
- Partners with practice leadership to build tools, templates, and repeatable processes
- Travels for key project milestones: kickoffs, design/data-gathering sessions, testing milestones (est. 8-10 trips over a 24-month engagement; ~25% travel is the top-end expectation)
- 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
- 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
- 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
#LI-BM1
#TECH