Workday Functional Specialist – Spend
Intro
We have an incredible opportunity for a Workday Functional Specialist (Spend) to join our Finance team on a permanent basis, based in Darlington (hybrid working).
Who we are
Railpen is responsible for the safekeeping and investment of around £34 billion in assets and the administration of several pension schemes, including the Railways Pension Scheme, one of the UK's largest and longest established pension funds.
Our heritage of looking after the pension needs of the rail industry and its employees gives us our name and our unique outlook on how we serve our members. Railpen takes a holistic view, focusing on how we serve members today and how we can positively impact the communities and the world they will retire into.
To learn more about Railpen including our values, culture and purpose, visit our LinkedIn Life page here
The role
We are looking for a Workday Functional Specialist (Spend) to support the configuration and daily operation of Workday Procurement, ensuring that Supplier Management, Purchase‑to‑Pay and Employee Expenses processes run efficiently, compliantly, and in alignment with Procurement and Finance policies.
In this role, you will maintain core Workday configuration across suppliers, purchase orders, requisitions, invoices, and approvals, ensuring smooth and accurate workflow execution. You will also play a key part in overseeing supplier master data management—safeguarding data integrity, preventing duplication, and ensuring adherence to payment policy requirements. Additionally, you will contribute to testing cycles, take part in release reviews, and support post‑deployment validations to ensure system changes are successfully embedded and continuously optimised.
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.
The person
We are looking for someone with hands‑on experience using Workday within a finance operations or systems support environment, who understands how financial and procurement data flows through processes such as journals, procurement activity, and the general ledger. They will be able to analyse business needs, gather and interpret requirements, and translate these into accurate and effective Workday system configurations. This person will bring both technical capability and operational awareness, ensuring that system design aligns with real‑world processes and supports the wider Finance and Procurement functions.
We are looking for someone who can act as the key interface between Finance Development technical support and non‑Finance Workday users, demonstrating exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to build collaborative relationships across a diverse stakeholder group. They will bring strong analytical and problem‑solving capability, paired with attention to detail and a commitment to data accuracy. Clear, professional communication—both written and verbal—is essential, along with the ability to explain technical concepts in an accessible way. This person will thrive in a small, collaborative team environment, remain calm under pressure, and comfortably manage multiple priorities.
Our values of integrity, community and alignment are the guiding principles that influence our behaviour. They help us make decisions and shape our relationships with others. They're what we stand for. You will actively demonstrate our values, helping to create a safe environment, to place the needs of the community above oneself and, through a culture of 'fair challenge', align to the best interests of our members.
What we can offer you
Rewarding you
A competitive salary
28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Generous annual bonus plan
We provide membership of the Railways Pension Scheme, a Defined Benefit arrangement under which you get a pension for life and a lump sum when you retire, based on your length of service and pay
4x Life Assurance cover
Colleague referral scheme
Heath & Wellbeing
Employee assistance programme
Heath cash plan
Eye care vouchers
Flu vaccination
Lifestyle
We support hybrid and flexible working along with very generous family leave including 12 months full pay maternity leave and 6 months full pay paternity leave
Buy and sell holidays
Give as you earn scheme
Paid volunteering days
Flexible half days leave
Electric vehicle leasing
Cycle to work scheme
Next Steps
Please apply for the apply button or visit Careers Page by 2nd March 2026
Railpen is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment, we value diversity and welcome people from all backgrounds and walks of life