Principal, Software Engineer (Distributed Systems)

Workday, Inc.

Job Overview

Location

4 Locations

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• Lead a high-performing team of engineers to design, develop, and deliver AI-powered agents that deeply integrate into HR and Financial workflows within the Workday suite, accelerating intelligent decision-making.
• Define and own the tooling strategy for AI agents, including evaluation and selection of AI frameworks, orchestration platforms, and enterprise AI technologies to ensure scalability, efficiency, and compliance.
• Apply extensive knowledge of the AI system lifecycle—from problem definition and data acquisition to model training, system integration, and validation—to build robust, production-grade AI solutions.
• Stay at the forefront of advancements in large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), autonomous agents, and orchestration frameworks such as LangGraph to drive innovation in the AI Agent Engineering team.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and data science teams to translate complex business challenges in HR and Finance into scalable, AI-driven automation solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
• Partner with external AI vendors, cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), and open-source communities to integrate best-in-class technologies into Workday’s AI stack.
• Establish and maintain monitoring systems, feedback loops, and continuous learning mechanisms to improve agent performance, accuracy, and reliability over time.
• Build responsible AI practices into the Agent Factory pipeline, ensuring adherence to data privacy, security, and compliance standards in enterprise environments.
• Design and deploy machine learning solutions using large-scale datasets, including specification design, data collection and labeling, model development, validation, deployment, and ongoing monitoring.
• Conduct fine-tuning of LLMs by identifying, curating, and experimenting with datasets to iteratively improve model performance and alignment with business objectives.
• Architect enterprise-grade AI systems with deep integration into Workday’s existing platform, leveraging vector databases, API integrations, and large-scale automation frameworks.
• Serve as a technical leader and subject matter expert in AI agents for HR and Finance, influencing technical direction and mentoring engineers across the organization.
• Ensure all AI solutions are aligned with Workday’s cultural values of integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm, fostering a collaborative environment where innovation thrives.
• Spend at least 50% of each quarter in the office or in the field with customers, prospects, and partners, as part of Workday’s Flex Work policy, to maintain strong team connections and customer alignment.

🎯 Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in product engineering leading the development and delivery of highly available cloud products
• 5+ years of proven experience in AI, machine learning, or intelligent automation with a focus on enterprise applications
• 2+ years of experience with LLMs, AI agents, and orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangGraph)
• 5+ years of experience with Python, cloud AI services (AWS, Azure, GCP), and AI model deployment
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Mathematics, or Engineering
• Hands-on experience with vector databases, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and fine-tuning LLMs

🏖️ Benefits

• Eligibility for Workday Bonus Plan or role-specific commission/bonus
• Annual refresh stock grants
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, wellness, and retirement plans
• Flexible work model requiring at least 50% time in the office or field each quarter
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI agents integrated into HR and Finance systems at a Fortune 500 company
• Inclusive culture rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm

Skills & Technologies

Python

AWS

Azure

GCP

Senior

Remote

$197k-295k

Degree Required

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Workday, Inc.

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About Workday, Inc.

Workday, Inc. provides cloud-based enterprise software for finance, human resources, and planning. Its unified platform combines financial management, human capital management, analytics, and workforce planning to help organizations manage core business processes. Founded in 2005, the company serves Fortune 500 enterprises, educational institutions, and government agencies worldwide, delivering applications designed for adaptability, data-driven insights, and continuous innovation.

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