• Architect Global Benefits and Absence Plans: Own the strategic design and configuration of all absence and benefit plans, plan types, coverage levels, and complex eligibility rules, ensuring alignment with global and regional philosophies. • Lead Enrollment Events: Configure and manage end-to-end Open Enrollment and Life Events/Change Benefits Events, defining workflow rules, validation processes, and the employee self-service experience. • Own Carrier Integrations: Serve as the technical owner for the Workday Cloud Connect for Benefits, architecting and validating the secure and accurate transmission of enrollment and deduction data to external carriers. • Benefits-to-Payroll Integration: Ensure the seamless integration of Benefit Deductions into Payroll, setting up the necessary Pay Components and mappings to guarantee accurate gross-to-net calculations and compliance (e.g., ACA reporting). • Evaluate and shape new project and product requests for strategic fit, technical feasibility, and alignment with enterprise system architecture. • Act as a thought partner to senior leadership and a mentor to HRIS and business analysts, fostering a culture of continuous learning and architectural excellence. • Serve as a strategic advisor to People, Total Rewards, Finance, and IT leaders, translating complex business needs into scalable, maintainable Workday solutions. • Partner with stakeholders to define problem statements, assess business impact, and ensure alignment between technology investments and business priorities. • Ensure Workday architecture, configurations, and change management processes meet SOX compliance and audit standards, partnering closely with internal audit, InfoSec, and compliance teams. • Champion governance practices across the Workday ecosystem, balancing flexibility with control to enable secure and compliant innovation.