Job Description
Workday Solution SME –Comp & Performance(12 Month contract)
Derby / Hybrid (2 days a week in the office)
Full time
Why join Rolls-Royce?
At Rolls-Royce we are proud to be a business that has truly helped to shape the modern world and are committed to always being a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.
By joining Rolls-Royce, you'll have the opportunity to work on world-class solutions, supported by a culture that believes individuality is our greatest strength, and all perspectives, experiences and backgrounds help us innovate and enable our high-performance culture.
Position Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Workday Compensation SME who will provide specialist expertise to optimise, enhance and support all aspects of the Workday Compensation module. This role will act as the primary subject-matter expert for compensation configuration, processes, and governance, ensuring the system enables an effective and compliant pay strategy across the organisation. The SME will partner closely with Reward, HR, HRIS and business stakeholders to deliver robust annual cycles, resolve issues, and drive continuous improvement.
What you will be doing:
Workday Expertise & Configuration
- Lead configuration, testing and deployment of changes within Workday Compensation, including compensation plans, merit, bonus, allowances, grades, ranges and eligibility rules.
- Design and maintain compensation frameworks that support organisational pay philosophy, including pay structures, guidelines, and modelling.
- Own the set-up and execution of annual compensation cycles (merit, bonus, salary reviews).
Cycle Management & Delivery
- Prepare and manage Workday’s compensation review events, templates, and calculations.
- Coordinate UAT cycles, data validations and stakeholder signoffs.
- Ensure smooth end-to-end delivery of compensation cycles with clear communication and training for HR and managers.
Business Partnering & Advisory
- Act as the go-to expert for Reward and HR teams, providing guidance on Workday capabilities, configuration impacts and best-practice.
- Support the Reward team in modelling scenarios and understanding system options for compensation strategy changes.
- Translate business needs into Workday configuration requirements and solutions.
Data, Reporting & Governance
- Build, refine and maintain compensation reports, dashboards, and audit outputs.
- Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and strong controls across all compensation processes.
- Monitor compliance with internal policies, pay governance and regulatory requirements.
Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to enhance process efficiency, reduce manual workarounds and maximise use of Workday functionality.
- Keep abreast of Workday releases, advising on relevant new features and leading their adoption.
- Support integration touchpoints (Payroll, Finance, Talent, Recruiting) to ensure downstream data quality.
Position Qualifications:
- Proven experience as a Workday Compensation SME, Consultant or Advanced Analyst.
- Hands-on configuration experience in Workday Compensation (including base pay, advanced comp, merit/bonus cycles).
- Strong understanding of compensation principles and reward processes.
- Excellent analytical, troubleshooting and data validation skills.
- Comfortable leading testing cycles, fixing defects and managing configuration through change control.
- Strong stakeholder management, communication and documentation skills.
Preferred Requirements:
- Experience with UK compensation and reward practices.
- Exposure to other Workday modules (Talent, HCM, Advanced Compensation, Payroll).
- Experience in a global organisation or complex matrix environment.
- Detail-oriented, structured and committed to data accuracy.
- Strong problem solver with a continuous improvement mindset.
- Confident communicator who can explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Able to work autonomously and manage workload effectively in a fast-paced environment.
Regional Benefits:
- Work in a safety-first environment where doing the right thing and keeping it simple are core principles.
- Join a culture that values making a real difference through your work.
- Develop your career as a mid-career professional blending technical expertise with strong personal qualities.
- Thrive in a role that encourages integrity, accountability, resilience, and curiosity.
- Collaborate and build relationships in a team-focused environment while also working independently.
- Take initiative, lead, and make smart decisions with confidence and support.
- Grow through continuous learning, openness to improvement, and exposure to challenging opportunities.
Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.
Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.
Closing Date: 09/02/2026
As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided.
Job Category
Information Technology
Posting Date
27 Jan 2026; 00:01
Posting End Date
09 Feb 2026
