Workday Team Leader

EMBL is seeking an experienced and motivated Workday Team Leader to lead the delivery, optimisation, and ongoing support of the Workday platform across the organisation. As EMBL transitions to a full Workday platform by the end of 2026, this role will play a key part in ensuring Workday reliably supports HR, Finance, Payroll, Procurement, and related business processes across EMBL’s complex international research environment.

The Workday Team Leader will manage a small team of inhouse functional and technical specialists (currently a team of 4), as well as the relationship with and delivery of external Workday service providers. 

The Team Leader will serve as the primary liaison between stakeholders and technical Workday experts, ensure reliable and high-quality service delivery, and collaborate with the ERP Team and its Team Leader on the wider ERP landscape and system integrations.

This is a PAN-EMBL role and will involve regular business travel between EMBL’s six operational sites, supporting collaboration and consistency across locations.

Duties & Responsibilities 

In this role you will:

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Workday support and implementation team

• Set priorities, manage workload, and ensure timely delivery of services and projects

• Foster a collaborative, service-oriented, and inclusive team culture

Workday Platform Ownership

• Act as the overall owner of the Workday platform at EMBL and, in collaboration with the ERP Integrations and IT teams, oversee the Workday integration components of the broader system landscape

• Ensure stable operation, performance and IT security of the Workday application

• Oversee configuration, releases, testing, and deployment of Workday updates

• Develop, maintain, and execute business continuity plans to manage risk and ensure continuity of critical Workday services

Business Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with colleagues in  HR, Finance, Payroll, and other stakeholders to understand business needs

• Translate organisational requirements into effective Workday solutions

• Serve as a trusted advisor on Workday best practices and capabilities

• Continuously assess Workday’s evolving capabilities and shape EMBL’s Workday roadmap, advising senior leadership on strategic direction and priorities.

Project & Change Management

• Lead Workday-related projects, enhancements, and module implementations

• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with EMBL strategy

• Support change management activities, including the delivery of user adoption strategies

Vendor & External Partner Management

• Manage relationships with Workday and external implementation or support partners

• Ensure service quality, contractual compliance, and cost effectiveness

Governance, Compliance & Documentation

• Establish and maintain governance, standards, and documentation for Workday

• Ensure compliance with data protection, security, and audit requirements

• Support EMBL policies related to data privacy and internal controls

You have (Requirements) 

• University degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, Human Resources, Finance, or a related field

• Workday certifications (e.g. HCM, Financial Management, Integrations)

• Several years of hands-on experience working as a project lead in implementing various Workday modules within an international multicultural context

• Proven experience leading teams or acting in a senior/lead Workday role for at least 5 years

• Strong understanding of business processes in HR and/or Finance

• Familiarity with agile or IT service management practices

• Experience working in an international and complex organisational environment

• Excellent communication skills in English

Key competencies

• Leadership and people management

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving

• Stakeholder engagement and service orientation

• Ability to balance operational support with continuous improvement

• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills
   

You might also have (Desirable)

• Experience in higher education, research organisations, or non-profit international institutions

• Knowledge of integrations, reporting, and security frameworks within Workday

• Working knowledge of German and/or French

Other helpful information 

Interviews: We plan to hold interviews on WC 20 April 2026.

Contract length: 5 years (renewable up to 9 years)

Salary: Grade 9 monthly salary starting at €6,659 per month after tax but excluding pension and insurance contributions. Plus generous benefits.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg), library, subsidised on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date