Director, HRIS

Job Description

Love helping people? Well, Zendesk is looking for a Director of HRIS who is a sharp go-getter!  You should be customer-centric, a problem solver, caring, honest, observant, humble, rational and above all else self-aware. To be successful here you should not be shy and be ready to address any task big or small. We are looking for someone who is collaborative, has a good work ethic and enjoys being part of a diverse team across the globe. 

About Zendesk

At Zendesk, we believe outstanding customer experiences come from exceptional service and collaborative teamwork. We lead with empathy, innovate with purpose, and celebrate diversity and inclusion in everything we do. Join us as a Director of HRIS you will be part of a global team that cares deeply about our people and the technology that powers them.

The Role

We are seeking a forward-thinking Director of HRIS to lead the strategy, governance, and optimization of our Workday platform for a global SaaS organization of 6,000+ employees. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring Workday is leveraged to deliver an exceptional employee experience, streamline HR processes, and provide actionable insights that enable our People team and business leaders to make informed decisions.

You will partner closely with HR, Finance, IT, and business leaders to maintain platform integrity, drive system enhancements, oversee integrations, and guide a high-performing HRIS team. This is both a strategic and hands-on role balancing long-term platform vision with execution excellence.

What You’ll Do

Key Responsibilities

Platform Strategy & Governance

• Own the strategic roadmap for Workday, ensuring it aligns with business priorities, scalability needs, and best practices for a high-growth SaaS environment.

• Establish and enforce governance processes for configuration, data integrity, security, and change management.

• Evaluate new Workday modules, features, and releases to drive platform evolution.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of HRIS analysts and administrators.

• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the HRIS function.

• Build strong partnerships with HR, IT, Finance, Payroll, and business stakeholders.

Operations & Optimization

• Oversee daily Workday operations, including HCM, Recruiting, Talent, Compensation, Absence, Time Tracking, and Payroll modules.

• Drive process automation, self-service adoption, and user experience improvements.

• Lead the design, testing, and deployment of enhancements, integrations, and reporting solutions.

• ​Maximize the value on existing investment within our platform(s)

Data & Insights

• Ensure high-quality HR data is available for analytics, compliance, and business insights.

• Partner with People Analytics to deliver dashboards and metrics that inform workforce decisions.

• Maintain compliance with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Manage Workday vendor relationships, contracts, and escalations.

• Serve as the primary liaison for Workday release management, ensuring smooth adoption of new features.

• Represent the HRIS function in cross-functional technology initiatives.

What You Bring

Required

• 10+ years of HRIS experience, including 5+ years in Workday leadership roles.

• Proven experience leading Workday for a large-scale organization (5,000+ employees).

• Deep expertise across Workday HCM and multiple modules (e.g., Recruiting, Talent, Compensation, Payroll, Absence).

• Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing HRIS teams.

• Excellent project management, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.

Preferred

• SaaS or high-growth tech industry experience.

• Experience with global Workday deployments and multi-country configurations.

• Familiarity with API-based integrations and