Principal Accountant

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off for our people, customers, and the world. 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. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. About The Team At Workday, we help the world’s largest organizations adapt to what’s next by bringing finance, HR, and planning into a single enterprise cloud. We work hard, and we’re serious about what we do, but we also like to have fun. We put people first, celebrate diversity, drive innovation, and do good in the communities where we live and work. About The Role Workday is seeking a Principal Accountant who wants to make an impact in a growing organization. This individual contributor will own broad corporate accounting responsibilities and partner with FP&A and business leaders. The role reports to the Senior Accounting Manager and requires a self‑starter, strong communicator, and collaborator. Responsibilities Own core GL areas in the monthly and quarterly close for global consolidation, including preparation and review of journals, account reconciliations, and variance analyses. Manage accounting and reporting for variable compensation, ensuring accurate and timely recognition of commissions, bonuses, and incentives in accordance with US GAAP. Prepare and review monthly management reporting and analytics for owned areas, clearly explaining drivers, trends, and risks to Finance and business partners. Collaborate with Sales Ops, CX Ops, and Payroll to align compensation plans, quota changes, and system configurations with accounting. Support internal and external audits, including schedule preparation and inquiry response. Maintain and enhance internal controls over financial reporting, including design and execution of controls for new or evolving processes. Identify and drive process improvements and automation opportunities across corporate accounting with Finance Systems and IT. Contribute to ad hoc projects such as system implementations, process redesign, and department initiatives, communicating complex topics clearly to finance and non‑finance partners. About You We’re looking for candidates who bring the right mix of experience, education, and skills. Required Qualifications 8+ years of related accounting experience. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related field. Other Qualifications Master’s degree and/or active CPA license is a plus. Experience with a publicly traded company in the technology or SaaS industry preferred. Strong knowledge of US GAAP and solid understanding of general ledger accounting and financial statements. Demonstrated experience owning multiple areas of the close and improving processes, controls, and reporting quality. Experience with sales CRM tools such as Salesforce and incentive compensation management tools such as Xactly is a plus. Advanced Excel skills and comfort working with large data sets. Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills with high attention to detail and strong ownership mindset. Strong communication skills; able to explain complex compensation plans and accounting conclusions clearly to diverse stakeholders. Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment and adapt to changing priorities. Highly productive self‑starter with a strong work ethic, curiosity, and dedication to excellence. 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 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. Primary Location: USA.CA.Pleasanton. Primary Location Base Pay Range: $145,000 USD - $217,400 USD. Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $122,400 USD - $217,400 USD. Our Approach to Flexible Work With Flex Work, we combine the best of in‑person and remote. We require that employees spend at least half (50%) of their time each quarter in the office or in the field to deepen connections, maintain community, and collaborate effectively. Remote “home office” roles have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments. Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. At Workday, we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring experience where all candidates can fully demonstrate their skills. If you require assistance or an accommodation at any point, please email View email address on click.appcast.io. We value our candidates’ privacy and data security. Workday will never ask candidates to apply to jobs through websites that are not Workday Careers. Workday will never ask candidates to pay a recruiting fee, or pay for consulting or coaching services, to apply for a job at Workday. #J-18808-Ljbffr