Principal Analytics Engineer

About the Team Workday has launched an Enterprise Data and Analytics (ED&A) Team to transform and optimize the way Workday creates, shares, and uses trusted data. The Analytics Engineering team builds scalable data products, ensures data quality and governance, and operates at the intersection of product, engineering, and business operations. About the Role We are seeking a Principal Analytics Engineer with expertise in data product development, pipeline management, data modeling, transformation, and analytics to support enterprise analytics and AI initiatives. Job Responsibilities Architect, design, and lead the build‑out of end‑to‑end performant, reliable, and scalable data pipelines and the transformation layer. Act as the dbt subject matter expert, defining and championing data modeling standards and best practices across the organization while managing the full lifecycle of complex dimensional models and metrics from prototyping to production. Partner cross‑functionally with Product Owners, Data Analysts, and business leaders (Sales, Marketing, Finance) to scope and deliver high‑impact analytics initiatives, ensuring analytics requirements are clearly understood and effectively implemented. Operate as a highly independent individual contributor, solving complex, ambiguous problems and delivering high‑quality, architecturally sound solutions with minimal oversight and a high degree of ownership over critical data domains. Mentor, guide, and coach junior and mid‑level engineers to deliver complex and next‑generation features, actively instilling a culture of software engineering rigor, code quality, best practice, standards, and technical excellence within the team. Master the dynamics of high‑stakes projects, expertly navigating stakeholder and internal complexities to align business needs with technical feasibility and secure consensus on enterprise‑wide metric definitions. Design and build database architectures to handle massive and complex data volumes, skillfully balancing computational load, query latency, and data warehouse cost efficiency, integrating strong data quality audits and testing frameworks at scale to ensure resilience. Boost overall data team productivity by proactively identifying technical debt, improving tooling, automating complex workflows, and streamlining processes for transformation and deployment. Bring a customer‑centric, product‑oriented mindset to the table, collaborating with external and internal stakeholders to resolve ambiguities and ensure shipped data features are impactful, reliable, and align with business outcomes. Build and maintain user‑friendly documentation for data models, data processes, workflows, and systems for transparency and knowledge sharing. Basic Qualifications 7+ years of professional experience in an Analytics Engineering or Data Engineering role, preferably within a SaaS or high‑tech environment. 7+ years of professional experience in SQL and strong production experience with a major cloud data warehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift). Extensive experience with DBT, including advanced features (macros, packages, source freshness, custom tests). Strong familiarity with version control (GitHub), CI/CD, and modern development workflows. Strong understanding of data warehousing concepts and dimensional modeling. Other Qualifications Experience in a technical coaching or mentoring role with demonstrable impact on junior engineers’ development. Demonstrated ability to manage requirements and expectations across multiple, competing business units. Strong communicator who can build trusted partnerships across GTM, Finance, and Exec stakeholders. Experience with a major orchestration tool and defining complex data dependencies. Deep functional knowledge of core SaaS business domains (e.g., Salesforce/CRM data, Product telemetry, Financial modeling). Proficiency in Python for scripting, data manipulation, and pipeline orchestration. Bias for action – you prefer launching usable, iterative data models that deliver immediate value over waiting for perfect solutions. Comfortable working through ambiguity in fast‑moving, cross‑functional environments. Familiarity with data governance tools, data catalogs, and data observability solutions. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or quantitative field. Master’s or Ph.D. degree preferred. Workday Pay Transparency Statement Annualized base salary ranges for the primary location (USA, CA, Pleasanton): $184,000 – $276,000 USD. Additional U.S. locations: $155,400 – $276,000 USD. This role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role‑specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Flexible Work We require at least 50% of working time in office or field each quarter. Remote home‑office roles have flexibility but may attend important in‑person events as needed. EEO Statement Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. We consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Workday provides accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and other protected characteristics. #J-18808-Ljbffr