Senior Manager, People Products

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy. Our People Products (HR Tech) team is transforming how Toast scales. We’re moving beyond traditional HR support to a product operating model—buying, building, and integrating the tools that define the "Toaster" experience. Our mission is to make our internal technology a key reason why people choose to join and stay at Toast. Are you a technical leader who thrives at the intersection of employee experience and scalable technology? As the Senior Manager, Workday, you will be the Product Owner for Workday and a strategic partner for our IT organization. Reporting to the Director of People Products, you will lead a global team (US & India) to bridge product management principles with Workday expertise. You’ll drive the roadmap for our core systems, champion AI-forward strategies, and ensure our tech stack evolves as fast as our business. Note to Applicants: We are prioritizing candidates located in the EST or CST time zones, with a strong preference for those based near our hubs in NYC and Boston. A day in the life (Responsibilities) Product Leadership • Strategic Roadmap: Lead the development and presentation of annual product strategies to immediate leadership, ensuring alignment with the broader People Products portfolio while driving quarterly execution focused on high-impact automation. • Scalable Architecture: Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to architect a robust Workday ecosystem designed for scale, translating the aligned roadmap into actionable bi-annual roadmaps. • AI & Innovation: Recommend AI-forward initiatives and system optimizations that modernize the "Toaster" employee experience and streamline internal workflows. • Compliance & Integration: Orchestrate deep partnerships with IT and Security to manage SOX compliance, complex audits, and seamless integrations, ensuring a secure and efficient operational foundation. Product Management & Delivery • Agile Execution: Apply product management methodologies to implement enhancements and stay ahead of HR tech trends. • Vendor Management: Lead selection, negotiations, and management of third-party SaaS partners to maximize ROI. Team Leadership • Performance & Coaching: Build and manage a high-performing global team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and customer-centricity. • Capacity Planning: Manage workload distribution and product backlogs while modeling Toast values. System Ownership & Support • Operational Excellence: Oversee Workday ticket management, configuration, testing, and troubleshooting to provide world-class global support. • Data Integrity: Ensure security, compliance (including SOX), and seamless system upgrades. • Cycle Support: Lead the technical execution of critical cycles like Open Enrollment, Performance Reviews, and Compensation Planning. What you'll need to thrive (Requirements) • 10+ years in HR technology, with deep mastery of Workday HCM and Talent modules. • Bachelor’s degree in Info Systems, Business, HR, or a related field. • A "people-first" leader with a proven track record of managing global teams and large-scale system implementations. • Experience in hyper-growth environments; able to navigate ambiguity with resilience and a positive "can-do" attitude. • Strong understanding of Workday Architecture, APIs, and product management/Agile practices. Special Sauce (Preferred): • Master’s degree in a relevant field. • Experience maturing SOX compliance processes in a public company environment. • Familiarity with broader HR tech ecosystems and complex third-party integrations. AI at Toast At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture. Our Total Rewards Philosophy We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits . The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. You can…