Head of Workday Platform & Governance

Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries. People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It's what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities - work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Role Purpose

The Head of Workday leads the Group IT Workday Centre of Excellence (CoE) and is accountable for enterprise platform ownership of Workday globally. Group IT owns the Workday technology platform, governance, security, integrations, service management, and technical roadmap. Business process ownership, policy design, and functional accountability remain with HR and Finance as Business Owners. The role ensures Workday operates as a secure, scalable, governed enterprise platform enabling HR and Finance to deliver business value, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. At present, the Workday Finance platform remains in a programme delivery phase, while HCM operates in a more established BAU state. The Head of Workday will provide consistent enterprise platform governance across both domains, ensuring appropriate controls during ongoing programme delivery while maturing HCM operations within a stable BAU model.

Key Accountabilities

• Enterprise Platform Governance & Strategy: Partner closely with the Workday Financials Implementation Programme to ensure platform standards, security controls, architecture principles and governance frameworks are embedded throughout delivery and transition into BAU. Own the enterprise Workday platform strategy aligned to HR and Finance roadmaps. Provide executive-level reporting on platform health, risk, cost and value realisation. Define and maintain the Workday Target Operating Model. Develop and execute a 3-year technical platform roadmap. Establish Workday as a formal enterprise platform within Group IT governance.
• Governance & Control: Chair the Workday Executive Steering Committee. Establish, document and maintain a clear RACI separating Platform Ownership (IT) from Business Process Ownership (HR/Finance). Define, maintain and operate formal demand intake, change prioritisation, and design governance processes. Ensure Business Owners approve process and policy decisions. Maintain IT authority over security model, integrations, tenant strategy and release governance in line with enterprise standards. Prevent uncontrolled configuration or 'shadow' changes outside governance framework. Implement a clear decision rights framework (Business vs IT vs Vendor). Define and enforce design authority standards. Ensure ITIL-aligned service management (Incident, Problem, Change, Release). Drive structured release management and feature adoption planning.
• Security & Risk Management: Own the global Workday security model and access governance framework. Ensure Segregation of Duties (SoD) compliance and periodic recertification. Maintain audit readiness (SOx, GDPR, DORA as applicable). Enforce non-production data controls and environment governance.
• Architecture & Integrations: Own integration architecture standards and lifecycle management. Approve all new integrations through formal architectural review. Rationalise integration landscape and reduce technical debt. Define tenant and environment strategy.
• Operational Excellence & CoE Leadership: Accountable for total cost of ownership (TCO) optimisation and commercial performance of the Workday platform. Lead and mature the Workday Centre of Excellence. Define SLA/OLA model between IT and Business. Own vendor management (Workday and AMS partners). Drive continuous optimisation and platform maturity.
• Value Realisation & Business Enablement: Enable HR and Finance to maximise value from Workday. Support benefit tracking and ROI measurement.

Scope Boundaries

• Does not own HR or Finance policy decisions.
• Does not replace Business Process Owners.
• Does not approve policy changes without Business Owner sign‑off.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential Experience: 10+ years' experience in enterprise SaaS platform leadership. Significant experience with Workday across both HCM and Financials domains, with the credibility to govern enterprise platform standards across each. Experience transitioning platforms into formal IT ownership. Strong governance, security, and ITIL service management experience. Experience operating within regulated environments.

Desirable Experience: Experience in rapid growth or acquisition‑led organisations. Experience driving post‑implementation stabilisation. Experience in platform security uplift programmes. Familiarity with Workday Success Plans and optimisation models. Knowledge of SOx, GDPR, AI Governance and European regulatory environments.

Qualifications: Workday Pro certification(s) advantageous (e.g., HCM, Finance, Security and Integrations). ITIL certification (v3 or v4) desirable. Relevant security or governance certifications advantageous.

Leadership & Personal Attributes:

• Strategic & Commercial: Thinks in enterprise‑scale outcomes, not module silos. Strong commercial awareness and cost discipline. Able to balance innovation with control.
• Governance‑Oriented: Naturally structured and control‑focused. Comfortable implementing formal standards in maturing environments. High integrity and risk‑aware mindset.
• Influence & Communication: Executive presence with ability to engage C‑suite stakeholders. Able to challenge constructively and drive alignment. Communicates complex technical issues in business terms.
• Operationally Grounded: Comfortable diving into security, integrations, and configuration detail when required. Bias toward proactive risk mitigation over reactive firefighting. Data‑driven decision maker.
• Growth Mindset: Comfortable operating in ambiguity. Thrives in a fast‑growing, evolving organisation. Resilient under pressure. Able to build structure without slowing innovation.

Team & Scope: Leads Workday functional, security, integration, and reporting specialists. Works closely with Enterprise Architecture, Security, and Service Management. Accountable for global Workday tenant(s). Budget ownership for platform operations and optimisation.

Success Measures (First 12‑24 Months): Clear RACI and governance framework embedded. Strengthened security posture and audit readiness. Standardised integration and release management model. Reduction in technical debt backlog. Improved operational predictability and platform stability.

What do we offer in return? Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new. We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges. We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond.