Senior Inbound Product Manager, Grants Management

Senior Inbound Product Manager

Your work days are brighter here.

We're obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we're shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you'll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We're in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you'll do meaningful work with Workmates who've got your back. In return, we'll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you've found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

The Workday Grants Management team is transforming how research organizations and grant-funded programs manage their people, funding, and compliance. We are a critical part of the digital backbone for some of the largest higher education, government, and healthcare organizations across the globe. Our team empowers customers to manage their grants confidently through accurate data, analysis, and actionable insights. From post-award financial research administration to navigating complex US and global grant funding mechanisms, regulations, and reporting standards, we are helping our customers work smarter and focus on what matters most — advancing their missions. What makes this team special is the opportunity to shape a product that has real, meaningful impact. You will not only be the voice of the customer for our existing offerings, but also play a key role in crafting the next generation of Workday Grants Management for organizations worldwide. If you are energized by solving complex financial challenges and building products that make a difference, this is the team for you.

About the Role

As a Senior Inbound Product Manager on the Grants Management team, you will serve as a champion for our customers, deeply understanding their specific needs and challenges through in-depth research and close collaboration. You will translate those needs into actionable requirements and a compelling product vision, ensuring the next generation of Workday Grants Management delivers a transformational user experience and empowers customers to achieve greater efficiency and actionable insights.

You will lead both product discovery and delivery, guiding cross-functional teams — including Engineering, QA, Services, UX, and Research — to develop and deliver simple, complete, and lovable solutions. You will also serve as the active Product Owner for a cross-functional development team, converting vision into a groomed, prioritized backlog of outcomes that benefit customers the most.

Responsibilities:

• Lead product discovery by conducting in-depth customer research, identifying needs, and translating them into clear requirements and a compelling product vision
• Guide cross-functional teams through the full product development lifecycle, partnering with Engineering, QA, Services, UX, and Research to deliver high-quality solutions
• Serve as the active Product Owner, maintaining a groomed and prioritized backlog focused on customer outcomes in key areas such as award contracts, grant accounting, billing and payments, and reporting
• Identify and champion opportunities to apply AI and automation — such as document ingestion to auto-create awards, predictive spending analytics, or automated compliance auditing — to reduce manual friction and improve customer outcomes
• Define success through measurable KPIs (e.g., reducing time-to-spend, increasing automated reconciliation rates) and use data-driven insights to inform prioritization and pivot when needed
• Design solutions with global customers in mind, ensuring the product addresses the diverse needs of higher education, government, and healthcare organizations
• Collaborate with the broader product management team, contributing fresh ideas and deep grants management expertise to shape the future of the product and support Workday's expansion

About You

Basic Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in product management for enterprise-scale financial software, or in high-level consulting in grants, financials, or payroll

Other Qualifications

• Deep understanding of customer needs within grants management and post-award research administration across higher education, healthcare, not-for-profit, and state and local government, with the ability to represent customer interests and influence product direction based on their feedback — ensuring the product continually improves the customer experience
• Skilled in understanding and sharing the experiences of customers in complex grant-funded environments, using active listening and effective communication to ensure their perspective is at the center of every product decision
• Experience working effectively with members from different teams and disciplines — including Engineering, QA, UX, Services, and Research — with exceptional written and verbal communication skills and the ability to influence cross-functional leadership, advocate for complex technical trade-offs, and collaborate closely with developers to build toward customer outcomes
• Proficient in inspecting, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information, identify trends, and provide insights that guide product decisions — comfortable defining success through measurable KPIs and pivoting based on data-driven insights
• Deep functional expertise in higher education, healthcare, or government sectors, with a sophisticated understanding of grant funding mechanisms, accounting principles, billing and payment application requirements, financial reporting standards, and relevant regulations such as US Uniform Guidance or CAN standards, with a focus on audit-readiness
• Experienced in building productive relationships with key partners across the organization, understanding their needs and expectations, and developing effective communication strategies that drive alignment and informed decision-making
• Skilled at selecting a course of action from multiple alternatives by evaluating potential outcomes, assessing risk, and balancing priorities to make well-informed product decisions that benefit customers and the business
• Experienced in generating and applying unique business insights to identify opportunities, develop long-term product goals, and shape a compelling vision for Workday Grants Management that creates lasting value for customers
• Demonstrated ability to identify and implement AI and automation opportunities to improve product efficiency and reduce manual processes for customers
• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies, including day-to-day backlog management, prioritization, and collaboration with a scrum team to identify, prioritize, and deliver the solutions customers need
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline such as Business, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience

The following qualifications are not required but would be especially valuable in this role:

• Experience navigating the grant funding landscape, regulatory requirements, and public or private sector accounting standards in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand
• 4+ years of experience as a Subject Matter Expert or Lead Implementation Consultant specifically for Workday Grants Management
• Specialized expertise in grant-specific revenue recognition, effort certification, or project-based payroll accounting
• Understanding of how modern data models and automation support scalable, high-performance enterprise ecosystems