Workday Time Tracking & Absence Specialist
Location: Hertfordshire – Hybrid (2 days onsite / 3 days remote)
Contract Length: 3-4 months initially (strong likelihood of extension)
Start Date: December 2025 / January 2026
IR35 Status: Outside IR35
Day Rate: Competitive
Overview
We’re looking for a highly experienced Workday Time Tracking & Absence Specialist to step into a critical contract role supporting and enhancing our Workday environment. This position will take ownership of Time Tracking, Absence, and Time Off configuration and support, ensuring stable operations, strong user experience, and continuous improvement of processes.
You’ll work closely with HR, Payroll, People Ops, and IT stakeholders, acting as the subject matter expert for all Time/Absence related activity, from troubleshooting and change requests through to process optimisation and future enhancements.
Key Responsibilities
* Act as the Workday SME for Time Tracking and Absence, supporting operations and system performance.
* Own and configure Time Tracking & Absence components including:
Time Off plans, leave plans, eligibility rules
Work schedules / period schedules / time entry
Time calculation rules and validations
Absence business processes and approvals
* Provide end-to-end support for Time & Absence issues, including:
Root-cause analysis, fix deployment, and stakeholder communication
Managing priorities across BAU support and change activity
* Lead or support Workday change requests:
Requirement gathering
Solution design/configuration
UAT and regression testing
Release communications and documentation
* Ensure effective alignment between Workday Time/Absence and Payroll:
Partner with payroll teams to ensure accuracy of outputs, rules, and cut-offs
Support audits and compliance requirements
* Develop and maintain:
Functional documentation / config workbooks
Process guides and training materials
* Deliver training/knowledge transfer to HR and operational users.
* Identify opportunities to improve user experience, data quality, automation, and process efficiency.
Required Skills & Experience
* Strong recent hands-on experience as a Workday Consultant / HRIS Specialist focused on Time Tracking and Absence.
* Proven configuration expertise across:
* Time Off & Leave Plans
* Work Schedules / Period Schedules
* Time Tracking setup
* Validations & condition rules
* Business Process configuration
* Confident troubleshooting complex Time/Absence scenarios in live Workday tenants.
* Solid understanding of how Time/Absence flows into Payroll.
* Strong reporting capability for Time/Absence metrics (Workday reports, calculated fields).
* Comfortable working autonomously in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
* Excellent stakeholder management at all levels.
Desirable
* Experience across broader Workday HCM modules (Core HCM, Security, Reporting, Learning, Recruiting etc.).
* Integration exposure linked to Time/Absence (EIBs, RaaS, time-to-payroll outputs).
* Workday Pro certifications.
What We’re Looking For
* A confident, delivery-focused contractor who can “pick up and run” quickly.
* Analytical and detail-driven, particularly around rules, schedules, and eligibility.
* Collaborative and pragmatic, able to balance business needs with system best practice.
* Passionate about making Workday simple, compliant, and user-friendly.