Senior Developer (Workday)

Working pattern: This is a full-time, permanent hybrid position on Crick terms and conditions of employment. Salary: Circa £65,000 with benefits, subject to skills and experience. Application closing date: 31st of May 2026 at 23.59pm.

About us: The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

About the role: Are you a Senior Developer (Workday) looking for your next big challenge? Known internally as Workday Enterprise Systems Manager, we’re looking for someone passionate about delivering value through cutting-edge enterprise technology and eager to advance their career in a supportive, forward-thinking environment. This is more than a technical role; it’s a chance to use your expertise to directly enable scientific discovery and real-world impact. Every improvement you make helps researchers advance knowledge and tackle complex global challenges, with technology acting as a powerful catalyst for change. If you’re driven by purpose and want your work to make a meaningful difference, this role delivers impact at scale. You’ll take ownership of the Workday platforms, shaping their future to deliver real impact and transform how our organisation works. The role offers hands-on opportunities to build custom applications and develop proofs of concept that drive innovation across the business, with a strong focus on automation and AI as key elements of our technology strategy. This does not involve managing a team but instead involves technical leadership. You will be offered the opportunity to mentor a growing team of developers, reporting into the Senior Solution Architect, and receiving structured development to eventually step into team management responsibilities. It offers genuine training, guidance and mentorship to support your continued growth.

What you will be doing:

• Ensure Workday alignment with business needs and priorities, and IT strategic objectives by capturing, assessing and prioritising improvements across People and Finance, ensuring agile sprints are delivered on time, within scope, and budget in line with business objectives.
• Manage all aspects of the implementation, configuration, and optimisation of all Workday modules working with cross-functional colleagues to create the detailed designs, define technical specifications, and develop delivery plans.
• Ensure robust development practices, including coding standards, testing, and documentation, are followed and continuously improved through regular lessons learned/retrospective exercises, e.g., in accordance with ITIL best practices.
• Awareness of GDPR, considering and managing related risks.
• Monitor health, usage, and overall compliance of Workday and its applications.
• Create and/or maintain internal technical documentation and manuals with regards to Workday processes and automation tasks.
• Monitor and resolve escalated BAU issues, providing advanced technical troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.

About you: You will have:

• Strong hands-on Workday development and configuration experience in one or more modules (e.g., HCM, Core HR, Financials, Absence, Security, Integrations) including using AI and automation.
• Solid understanding of business processes.
• Demonstrable experience in system integration, platform development, and change delivery in an enterprise context.
• Knowledge of large-scale data uploads.
• Workday Security Model: Experience managing domains, security groups, and role-based access controls.
• Workday Integrations: Proficiency with EIBs, Core Connectors, Workday Web Services (WWS).
• API & Web Services: Understanding of REST/SOAP APIs, JSON, and XML for integration work.
• Change Control & QA: Experience with peer reviews, structured testing, deployment practices, and environment management.
• Familiarity with Agile or iterative delivery methods.
• Benchmarking & Innovation: Awareness of Workday roadmap, emerging features, and innovation opportunities.

About Working at the Crick: Our values:

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently.
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world.
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community.

At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, and personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment process, so we’ll make reasonable adjustments if you need them – just let us know when you apply.

Benefits:

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK.
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• Occupational health services and mental health support programmes.
• Eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-life balance.
• Childcare support allowance.
• Annual leave purchase options.
• Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.
• Perks: Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts.
• Subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed. We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.