Workday

Head of Global People Relations

Workday$250K — $375K *
Business Services
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years of progressive executive experience in global Employee Relations, HR Risk & Compliance, and People Consulting.
  • Expertise in AI platforms and digital transformation to modernize workflows.
  • Strong ability to translate data into actionable organizational insights.
  • In-depth knowledge of global labor standards and employment law.
  • Experience in leading diverse, high-performing teams with a focus on mentorship and development.

Responsibilities

  • Re-engineer People Relations workflows using AI automation to enhance advisory services.
  • Oversee global Employee Relations teams with a focus on fairness and empathy.
  • Direct the compliance strategy and risk management models to adapt to international laws.
  • Transform workplace sentiment data into actionable intelligence for leadership.
  • Establish responsible AI frameworks that prioritize employee trust and company values.
  • Mentor a global team of People consultants and specialists to foster capability building.

Benefits

  • Flexible work approach allowing remote and in-office collaboration.
  • Opportunity for professional development and clear career pathways.
  • Supportive organizational culture focused on fairness and inclusivity.
  • Access to cutting-edge AI and technology in People Operations.
Full Job Description

About the Team

Our People & Purpose organization fosters high-performing teams and exceptional workplace experiences. We are pioneering the next era of People Operations by integrating agentic AI, intelligence at scale, and Human-Centered design. Grounded in trust, fairness, and our core commitment to employees, we deliver global support that continuously elevates both organizational health and business performance.

About the Role

As the Head of Global People Relations, you will lead the strategic evolution of our People Consultant, Employee Relations, and Risk & Compliance organizations - a global team of 40 domain experts - into an AI-first, data-driven engine. You will re-engineer core processes—from performance management and coaching to employee relations and risk mitigation—by harnessing our agentic technology. Balancing continuous automation with empathy and legal rigor, you will build a global framework where employee trust remains our paramount metric.

Strategic Priorities & Key Responsibilities:

Agentic & AI-First Transformation

  • Re-wire end-to-end People Relations workflows using agentic automation to scale advisory services, performance coaching support, and intake systems seamlessly across all operating regions.

Modernized ER & Investigations

  • Oversee global Employee Relations and People Consulting teams, embedding AI-driven triage and standardized quality frameworks while maintaining absolute fairness, objectivity, and empathy.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

  • Direct global compliance strategy, Labor Relations, and automated risk models to navigate evolving international employment laws and data privacy standards.

Strategic Intelligence & Insights

  • Transform case data and workplace sentiment into scalable, and actionable intelligence, creating a virtuous cycle of organizational improvement for leaders and employees globally.

Trust & Responsible AI Guardianship

  • Establish and reinforce responsible AI frameworks for Global People Operations, ensuring every AI or automated system upholds employee trust, non-bias, and company core values.

People Leadership & Development

  • Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing global team of People Consultants, ER specialists, and Risk & Compliance experts; foster continuous capability building, a culture of trust, and clear career growth pathways.

Key Stakeholder Ecosystem & Relationship Capital

To drive transformation and align cross-functional priorities, this leader will actively build trust and strategic influence across key global stakeholders:

  • Legal & Employment Law: Partner to navigate complex employment regulations, investigations, workplace privacy, and ethical AI compliance frameworks.

  • HR Business Partners (HRBPs) & Talent Experience: Align People Relations strategy with broader organizational talent strategy, leadership coaching, and performance management enablement.

  • People Analytics & HR Technology / Systems: Collaborate to architect data pipelines, predictive models, and agentic AI integrations into daily People operations.

  • Business Unit & Regional Executive Leaders: Serve as a trusted advisor to senior business executives across AMER, EMEA, and APJ to drive consistent workplace practices and de-risk organizational change.

  • Works Councils, Labor Unions & Employee Representative Bodies: Build collaborative, transparent relationships across international jurisdictions to navigate global labor relations smoothly.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

  • Enterprise Leadership: 12+ years of progressive executive experience leading global Employee Relations, HR Risk & Compliance, and People Consulting organizations across Americas, EMEA, and APJ


Other Qualifications:

  • AI & Process Re-engineering: Proven track record of leveraging AI platforms, agentic workflows, or digital transformation models to modernize enterprise workflows at scale.

  • Data & Strategic Acumen: Demonstrated ability to build People Analytics capabilities that translate operational performance management and ER data into business-critical organizational insights.

  • Legal, Responsible AI, and Regulatory Mastery: Subject matter expertise in global labor standards, employment law, and ethical HR governance.


Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below.  Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please .

Primary Location: USA.CA.PleasantonPrimary Location Base Pay Range: $250,600 USD - $375,800 USD


 

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $211,600 USD - $375,800 USD



Our Approach to Flexible Work
 

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

About Workday

Workday, Inc. is a provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. The Company delivers financial management, human capital management and analytics applications designed for various companies, educational institutions and government agencies. As part of its applications, the Company provides embedded analytics that capture the content and context of everyday business events, facilitating informed decision-making from wherever users are working. Its applications include Workday Financial Management, Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and Other Applications. It also provides open, standards-based Web-services application programming interfaces, and pre-built packaged integrations and connectors. Workday, Inc. is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.
Learn more about Workday
Size
15,932 employees
Market Cap
$42.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$282.4 million
Founded
2005
5 Year Trend
+26.7%
Revenue
$4.3 billion
NASDAQ

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