Principal/senior service executive

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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 Japan Services Executive team brings together a diverse range of skills and experience across professional services, functional subject-matter expertise, and sales. The team plays a pivotal role in connecting Workday's services and sales organizations, ensuring that we support subscription sales by differentiating Workday's services approach and deployment methodology, and that our customers are set up for successful deployments that deliver on their business objectives.

Our aim is to be trusted advisors to our prospects and customers, working to Workday's core values of Customer Service and Integrity, and protecting Workday's proven track record of customer happiness. Successful candidates will be passionate about working as part of an account team to drive and support complex sales cycles; engaging with customers and partners to develop deployment strategies and plans that meet their requirements; and leading detailed, sophisticated services sales processes, including estimates, proposals, and contracts.

About the Role

Workday is the leader in enterprise-class, software-as-a-service (SaaS) Human Capital Management and Financial Management solutions for running global businesses. As a Principal Service Executive within our Professional Services organization, you will be a senior, trusted advisor responsible for the planning, management, and execution of Professional Services business development for our most strategic and complex opportunities in Japan. You will be a key member of the Workday Pre-Sales Services team, working alongside Account Executives and Customer Success Managers to drive Workday subscription sales across market segments.

This is not a product-only sales role. To succeed, you will draw on real-world enterprise implementation and consulting experience to help prospects design a plan for a successful project, including scope, deployment approach, resources, timeline, cost, and risk. You will apply your understanding of multiple deployment methodologies, selecting and adapting the right approach to each customer's context. You will build compelling services value propositions, not just product pitches, and position Workday's Professional Services and innovative deployment methodology as the efficient, modern, and lower-risk path to value. As a Principal, you will lead the largest and most complex services deals, engage at the executive (CxO) level, and act as a role model who mentors peers and shares best practices across the team.

You will work closely with our Service (implementation) Partners, who play a central role in the Japanese market, to jointly plan successful projects, manage partner capacity, and grow the ecosystem. If you have a strong consulting-delivery or project-management background combined with a passion for solution-oriented services selling, are a self-starter, and thrive in a multifaceted environment, then Workday Japan's Services Executive team is the place for you.

What you'll do

• Lead and own Professional Services business development for large, strategic, and complex opportunities, taking accountability for services revenue, services attach rate, and deal profitability targets.
• Understand the competitive landscape and prospect needs so you can effectively position the value of our deployment methodology and Professional Services against alternatives, including in-house and low-cost options.
• Partner with Account Executives and Customer Success Managers to define the Services Strategy for named and complex accounts.
• Present Workday Customer Services overviews and lead services discovery sessions with customer stakeholders, up to and including executive (CxO) level.
• Design and validate credible Professional Services proposals, effort estimates, staffing models, high-level project plans, and risk assessments, drawing on hands-on implementation experience.
• Build and articulate differentiated services value propositions that connect Workday's methodology to the customer's business outcomes.
• Develop mutually beneficial relationships with Workday Service Partners; jointly plan projects, manage partner capacity, and support partner enablement and growth.
• Assess project team training and enablement needs for prospects and customers.
• Maintain accurate and timely prospect, pipeline, and services forecast data.
• Manage, negotiate, and close Professional Services Agreements, Statements of Work (SOWs), and other contractual documentation, ensuring commercial soundness and appropriate risk/margin management.
• Act as a role model within the team by mentoring colleagues, sharing best practices, and contributing thought leadership.
• Provide support for services activities and events, and respond to RFIs/RFPs/RFQs.

About You

Basic Qualifications (Must-have)

• 10+ years of relevant experience, including a substantial track record in enterprise application implementation and/or consulting delivery, and/or Professional Services sales for enterprise software.
• Hands-on experience implementing enterprise applications (e.g., HCM, Financials, ERP, or comparable SaaS solutions) as a consultant, project manager, and/or services sales professional, sufficient to earn the credibility of delivery consultants, project managers, product pre-sales, and account executives.
• Demonstrated understanding of multiple implementation/deployment methodologies and the judgment to select and adapt the right approach for each customer's context.
• Experience structuring project scope, effort estimates, staffing, timelines, and risk for enterprise implementations.
• A meaningful level of understanding of the target business processes (HR and/or Finance) and/or the relevant software domain.
• Fluent (native-level) Japanese and business-level English, both required.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• Ability to travel 10% or more of the time.

Other Qualifications (Nice-to-have / Preferred)

• Proven ability to manage complex services sales cycles end-to-end, with a track record of services revenue and profitability attainment.
• Ability to build and communicate services (not just product) value propositions.
• Strong project-management background and/or formal consulting experience on enterprise transformation programs.
• Ability to understand and clearly explain the benefits of cloud/SaaS architecture.
• Experience working with system integration / implementation partners (e.g., in the Japanese market), including joint proposals and partner capacity management.
• Executive presence and the ability to engage credibly with CxO-level stakeholders.
• Strong commercial and financial literacy (estimating, margin, risk, contract negotiation).
• Excellent presentation, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration skills in a fast-paced, complex product and services sales cycle.
• Strong knowledge of vendors, products, and services in the enterprise SaaS / HCM / Financials / ERP space.
• Self-starter with ownership and comfort operating amid ambiguity.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

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