Workday HR Operations Analyst - 2 year contract

The City of Markham is consistently ranked among Canada’s top municipal employers. In 2026, the City received its sixth consecutive Canada’s Best Employers recognition from Forbes and Statista Inc., placing third among municipalities and 15th overall in Government Services. An award winning municipality, Markham is recognized for its leadership in sustainability, innovative urban planning, and strong fiscal management. Serving a diverse and growing community of more than 370,000 residents, Markham combines rich heritage with a vibrant local economy and offers employees the opportunity to contribute to meaningful, impactful work that helps strengthen the community we serve.

We offer a competitive salary, paid vacation and sick days, benefits and a hybrid work environment. We also offer discounted rates for City Fitness Memberships and Transit Passes, and access to the Perkopolis Perks program, which provides exclusive access to discounts on a wide range of products and services available to all City employees.

The Workday HR Operations Analyst serves as the primary People Services (PS) operational expert for the City’s new Workday system across the full suite (HCM, Compensation, Talent, Learning, Absence, Recruitment, and related modules). This role ensures that Workday is optimized, configured appropriately, and aligned to PS operational needs, workflows, and end‑user experience.

Working closely with the Sr. HRIS Implementation Specialist (implementation lead) and HR & Data Systems Analyst (data/reporting lead), this position acts as the functional operations owner, supporting the day‑to‑day running of Workday, troubleshooting, configuration updates, business process improvements, system governance, and ensuring data integrity across the employee life cycle.

This role is critical to achieving a smooth transition to Workday and establishing sustainable, efficient PS workflows post‑go‑live.

Key Duties And Responsibilities

• Workday Functional Operations & Configuration Support
• Serve as the PS functional expert for Workday’s operational setup, ensuring business processes, workflows, and configurations meet PS operational needs.
• Manage configuration updates, including supervisory organizations, job profiles, position management, security roles, notifications, and workflow routing.
• Monitor and troubleshoot functional issues; collaborate with IT, HRIS vendors, and internal stakeholders to resolve system-related problems.
• Support the build and testing of enhancements, releases, and new functionality, ensuring minimal disruption to PS operations.
• Business Process Optimization & Workflow Management
• Review and refine Workday business processes to ensure efficiency, compliance, and alignment with PS practices.
• Map and document end‑to‑end PS workflows, identifying opportunities to standardize, streamline, or automate processes.
• Partner with PS Divisions (Recruitment, Compensation & Benefits, Health & Safety, Labour Relations) to optimize module‑specific workflows and ensure successful adoption.
• Recommend system‑enabled improvements that reduce manual work and enhance user experience.
• Data Governance, Data Quality & System Integrity
• Maintain strong oversight of PS master data within Workday to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
• Collaborate with the HR & Data Systems Analyst on audits, discrepancy resolution, and data corrections.
• Support configuration of compensation cycles, absence plans, job profiles, and other core PS structures.
• Workday Support, Troubleshooting & End‑User Guidance
• Act as first‑line functional support for PS staff and managers using Workday.
• Identify recurring user challenges and recommend system or process changes to reduce errors.
• Maintain Workday documentation including process maps, configuration notes, quick reference guides, and business rules.
• Testing and Release Management
• Lead or support user acceptance testing (UAT) for new releases, enhancements, and fixes.
• Support in change impact assessments and provide input into change strategies as required.
• Ensure that system changes are communicated clearly to PS team members and end users.
• Coordinate with the Sr. HRIS Implementation Specialist on go‑live readiness and post‑go‑live transition plans.

Required Skills & Competencies

• University degree or college diploma in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of experience working with Workday in an HR operational or functional role (post‑implementation experience strongly preferred).
• Experience in HR process design, workflow management, or system optimization within an HR context.
• Experience working in public sector or unionized environments is an asset.
• Strong understanding of Workday configuration concepts, including business processes, security roles, job/position architecture, and core HCM features.
• Familiarity with data governance principles, HR master data structures, and system integrity requirements.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships across HR, IT, and operational departments.
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to prioritize in a dynamic environment.

CORE BEHAVIOURS

• Service Excellence: Meets or exceeds service standards when interacting with customers in the community and in the organization.
• Change & Innovation: Responds positively and professionally to change and helps others through change.
• Teamwork & Relationship Building: Interacts with others in an inclusive, collaborative and respectful way that creates effective working relationships.
• Communication: Communicates in a clear, professional and respectful way; demonstrates active listening.
• Accountable & Results Oriented: Demonstrates ethical behaviour and accountability, aligns with City values, and abides by relevant policies and legislation.
• Management & Leadership: Demonstrates self‑management, professionalism and engagement; leads by example.

The City of Markham is committed to inclusive, accessible and barrier free employment practices and to creating a workplace that reflects and supports the diversity of the community we serve. Please let us know if you require an accommodation and we will work with you to ensure a barrier free hiring process.

AI Disclosure

At the City of Markham, we value transparency and fairness in recruitment. While our system (ADP Workforce Now) includes AI‑powered features, we do not use AI to screen, assess, or select applicants. All evaluations are conducted by people.