Principal, Partner Innovation Business Development

Workday • Pleasanton, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

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 Strategic Cloud, Agentic and Industry partnership team works within GPO (Global Partner Organization) and is focused on developing our most strategic innovation partnerships. GPO is driving a rapid and intentional change to engage with agentic platforms, cloud service providers and top industry partners. Our organization develops and manages strategic partnerships across Cloud, Agentic AI, and Industry that complements the strategy from Workday Products and Technology. The strategic innovation partnership team develops new partnerships, formalizes partnership strategy and initiates go-to-market. About the Role This is a senior, dynamic position focused on driving Workday’s top agentic, AI, and data partnerships. Operating within our Partner Innovation organization—which manages the breadth of our technology partnerships—you will be responsible for recruiting and onboarding new partners, defining comprehensive partnership strategies in alignment with our product and technology teams, and supporting the expansion of the Workday Agent Partner Network. As a key contributor to our ecosystem's growth, you will ensure our organization achieves its strategic targets by bridging the gap between technical innovation and business development. This role requires a blend of high-level technical competency to engage with leading Agentic and Data platforms and the business acumen to define joint solutions across various Workday internal organizations.

Requirements

• 5+ years of partner management experience
• Functional Background: 5+ years of product management, strategy, application pre-sales, or consulting experience.
• Domain Expertise: 2 years of experience in AI, Agentic AI, or Data Cloud topics.
• Proven Track Record: Past experience includes the successful development of at least 5 strategic technology partnerships.
• Application Domain and Technical Competency: Ability to engage in functional and technical discussions with Agentic and strategic innovation partners to understand integration possibilities and joint value propositions.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to transform partner relationships into clear business strategies and go-to-market plans.
• Influence & Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate complex internal organizations and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Results-Oriented: A self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment and has a consistent history of meeting or exceeding partnership targets.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of presenting to executive-level audiences both internally and externally.

Responsibilities

• Partnership Recruitment: Identify, recruit, and onboard new strategic partners within the Agentic AI and Data ecosystem.
• Strategy Development: Define and execute partnership strategies that align with Workday’s Product and Technology roadmap.
• Ecosystem Growth: Actively support and scale the Workday Agent Partner Network efforts to drive innovation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work across various Workday organizations (Product, Marketing, Sales, and Tech) to ensure successful joint solution definitions and go-to-market execution.
• Performance Management: Manage the health of the partnership portfolio and ensure all organizational targets and KPIs are met.
• Relationship Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for senior leadership within partner organizations, fostering long-term strategic alignment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed