Senior Employment Counsel, Workday
$160.8-285.7k
Enterprise AI platform for managing HR and finance
Posted today
Enterprise AI platform for managing HR and finance
1001+ employees
Posted today
$160.8-285.7k
1001+ employees
Company mission
To leverage the power of AI to elevate humans and supercharge work, moving business forever forward.
Role
Who you are
- J.D. degree and membership in at least one state bar
- 7+ years of experience as a practicing attorney in a law firm and/or in‑house/public sector legal department, with significant, hands‑on employment counseling experience (for example, employee relations, policies, terminations, leaves of absence, and accommodations)
- Prior in‑house experience supporting HR, People & Purpose, or employment-focused client groups
- Deep employment law expertise and judgment: You skillfully analyze complex fact patterns and regulatory frameworks, identify practical options, and provide clear, concise recommendations that enable timely decisions
- Strong business mindset and commercial awareness: You understand how employment risk, people strategies, and business goals intersect, and you tailor your advice to support both compliance and long‑term business success
- Highly effective communicator: You have exceptional written and oral communication skills and adapt your style to different audiences, from HR business partners and people managers to senior executives, enabling effective communication with both legal and non‑legal stakeholders
- Skilled relationship builder and collaborator: You cultivate strong, trust‑based relationships with cross‑functional partners, lead through influence, and help drive alignment across Legal, People & Purpose, and the business
- Strength in legal risk management and proactive problem solving: You proactively identify and analyze legal and regulatory risks, develop creative and scalable solutions, and help teams implement processes that reduce exposure while enabling innovation
- Experience advising on AI- and automation-related issues in the workplace and the impact of AI on employment-related questions (for example, hiring, performance management, and workforce management use cases) with the demonstrated ability to manage and pilot global advisory frameworks that ensure consistent policy application and service excellence while remaining adaptable to region-specific requirements
- Strong project management and organizational skills: You manage multiple matters and projects simultaneously, set clear priorities, and move work forward with appropriate urgency, using structured, efficient processes to deliver high‑quality results
- Growth‑oriented, hands‑on approach: You are comfortable rolling up your sleeves—whether to help design a new policy, support a complex investigation, or build a more efficient workflow—and you enjoy working in a fast‑moving, collaborative environment
What the job involves
- The Employment Legal Team advises Workday’s business and People & Purpose organization on complex employment law matters across the company, with primary support for the Americas and in partnership with colleagues in EMEA and APJ
- Our goal is to drive Workday’s growth through clear, practical guidance that balances risk and opportunity while supporting our culture and values
- In partnership with leaders around the globe, we help shape how Workday hires, develops, and supports its employees in a rapidly changing regulatory environment
- In the year ahead, the team will focus on enabling Workday’s expansion into new markets, supporting innovation through responsible AI and automation, and strengthening how we manage employment-related risk across the organization—from day‑to‑day employee relations, policy design and, litigation strategy
- You will join a collaborative, business‑minded legal team that values thoughtful judgment, curiosity, teaming across regions, and a commitment to fairness, development, and fun in how we work together
- As a Senior Employment Counsel, you will be a key advisor to People & Purpose and business leaders on complex employment matters across the U.S. and the broader Americas region, while teaming closely with Employment Legal colleagues supporting EMEA and APJ
- You will apply sound legal judgment to help Workday live its core values of innovation, customer service, integrity, and profitability, while maintaining a culture of fairness and opportunity for employees
- Serving as a trusted advisor to People & Purpose on a wide range of employee relations matters, including performance management, terminations, leaves of absence, accommodation requests, benefits, and ERISA‑related questions
- Providing pragmatic, business‑oriented advice on domestic and international employment laws and regulations, with a primary focus on the Americas, helping leaders understand risk, options, and recommended paths forward
- Advising on employment law and people-related issues arising from the use of AI and automation in HR and business processes, helping ensure Workday advances innovation in a responsible, transparent, and compliant way
- Drafting, reviewing, and updating employment-related documentation, including offer letters, employment agreements, separation agreements, and other templates and playbooks
- Managing employment-related disputes, administrative claims, and litigation, including managing and partnering with external counsel where appropriate
- Supporting mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions by conducting employment diligence, advising on risk, and helping design and implement integration and transition plans for employees
- Driving employment-related projects, such as refreshing policies and internal procedures, advising on new or evolving benefits, and contributing to scalable processes and tools that help the business manage employment risk effectively
Our take
Workday is a cloud-based software vendor that provides management of workforces and finances. The company uses a single database for workforce management and financial management to offer integration and optimize business intelligence across companies. It has added to the packages and tools it offers over the years, providing analytic options that allow companies to combine third-party data with information collected by Workday.
The company has also grown through acquisitions and partnerships to broaden its capabilities.. Most recently, in 2025 it purchases Sana, an AI-driven enterprise knowledge and learning platform, to create a "new front door for work". This acquisition allows Workday to integrate Sana's AI-powered search, agents, and learning capabilities with its own data and workflows, allowing employees to access information, automate tasks, and complete their day entirely within Workday.
Through a combination of strategic acquisitions and in-house development, WOrkday has built a comprehensive suite of HR, financial, and enterprise tools. By focusing on innovation and AI-driven workflows, the company continues to push productivity and decision-making for organizations worldwide. Building on this track record, Workday is very much positioned for even more growth, reinforcing its status as a leader in shaping the future of work.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
16% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Oct 2011
$85m
SERIES F
Apr 2009
$75m
SERIES E
Total funding: $215.3m
Company HQ
Pleasanton, CA
Leadership
Aneel Bhusri
(Co-Founder & Executive Chair)Annel began his career at Morgan Stanley as a Corporate Finance Analyst. He then spent nearly 6 years at PeopleSoft as a Senior VP before co-founding Workday in 2005, where he has served as the CEO ever since.
Carl Eschenbach
(CEO)Carl joined Workday in 2022 as Co-CEO, becoming CEO in 2024. He has also been a Partner at Sequoia Capital since 2016. Previously, he spent 14 years at VMware as President and COO and 3 years at Inktomi Corporation as the VP of North America Sales.
Peter Bailis
(CTO)Prior to joining Workday in 2025, People was a VP of Engineering at Google. He also previously founded Sisu Data, where he served as the CEO for over 5 years.
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