Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human
Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.
This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.
The Enterprise Technology Team
The Enterprise Technology team designs and delivers the secure, scalable systems that power how our business runs. Our People Technology Team sits at the heart of this work, owning the full Hire-to-Retire ecosystem — Including core applications Workday, Greenhouse, Cornerstone, and ServiceNow — and ensuring these platforms evolve alongside the company's growth. We partner closely with HR, Finance, Operations, and Security to bring data-driven, compliant, and innovative solutions to life, and we are actively architecting the next generation of AI-powered employee experiences.
The Architect, People Technology Opportunity
Reporting to the Director of People Technology, this role will serve as the technical anchor for Okta's People Technology portfolio, shaping the future-state architecture. You will lead the architectural vision for Workday and its adjacent platforms, partner with stakeholders across HR, Finance, Operations, and Security, and drive the design of modern AI capabilities — including Agentic AI workflows and a custom Workday Model Context Protocol (MCP) — all in service of Okta's ambitious 100k-hour HR automation goals. This is a senior, highly strategic role that blends deep hands-on technical expertise with executive influence, team mentorship, and cross-functional leadership.
What you'll be doing
• Enterprise Architecture & Ecosystem Strategy: Provide deep architectural oversight across all core Workday domains — including Core HCM, Benefits, Payroll, Absence & Time Tracking, Advanced Compensation, Talent & Performance, Integrations, Reporting, and Security — while partnering with the People Technology Product Manager to define the overall technical vision for the global Hire-to-Retire ecosystem.  In addition, partnering with Enterprise Architects across the organization to ensure alignment with Okta's broader enterprise standards and technology roadmap
• Integration & Infrastructure: Design scalable, secure enterprise integration and middleware solutions that connect People systems with the broader corporate technology stack, ensuring alignment with Okta's enterprise standards, infrastructure, and technology roadmap
• AI, Automation & Innovation: Architect the technical foundation for Okta's HR automation goals, including the design of Agentic AI workflows, a MCP ecosystem spanning Workday and all adjacent platforms, and unified experience layers built within Okta One Studio — while establishing strict architectural guardrails for the responsible use of Generative AI, ensuring data privacy, compliance, and human oversight are embedded into all HR technology innovations
• Hands-On Building & Prototyping: Operate as a true techno-functional builder, developing Proofs of Concept and rapid prototypes to validate complex integrations, new configurations, and innovative solutions before scaling to production
• Product, Platform & Operations Partnership: Partner directly with the People Technology Product Manager to translate business strategy into a prioritized technical roadmap, while providing governance and oversight for internal delivery teams and external vendors
• Technical Feasibility Assessments: Own technical feasibility assessments for net-new vendor tools surfaced through the People Tech intake process, providing integration complexity scoring and architectural recommendation to support PM vendor selection recommendations"
• Workday Environment & Release Strategy: Own the Workday environment and release strategy, defining sandbox structures, tenant management protocols, impact assessments, and deployment readiness for all major and minor releases
• Data, Security & Compliance Governance: Shape the HR data architecture to ensure data integrity, enabling advanced People Analytics, leadership dashboards, and robust cross-module data flows with strict adherence to SOX controls and global privacy regulations
• Technical Mentorship & Team Elevation: Serve as a technical mentor for internal analysts, engineers, and functional leads, and advise HR, IT, and Finance executive leadership on technology direction, championing Okta's "Door 2" strategy to drive internal efficiency through AI adoption
What you'll bring to the role
• 15+ years of experience in IT, including 10+ years of hands-on Workday expertise and 4+ years in a Solutions Architect or Enterprise Architect capacity supporting HR/People systems
• Deep Workday architecture knowledge across integrations, reporting, and governance, with a proven track record of owning complex tenant management, sandbox strategies, and release readiness protocols
• Strong command of enterprise integration patterns and middleware, with experience connecting adjacent HR and service platforms such as Greenhouse, Cornerstone, and ServiceNow
• Demonstrated experience architecting or evaluating AI capabilities — including Agentic AI and Generative AI — with a strong grasp of responsible AI practices, data privacy, and risk controls
• Proven success operating in an Agile/POD delivery model, partnering with Product Managers, and providing technical governance across internal and external delivery teams
• Deep understanding of compliance and security standards, including SOX controls, global privacy regulations, and user access frameworks such as UAC-04
• Hands-on experience building or partnering on Model Context Protocol (MCP) designs or similar AI agent frameworks within an enterprise HR context
And extra credit if you have experience in any of the following!
• Relevant industry certifications such as Workday Pro, TOGAF or a similar enterprise architecture framework, or Agile/Scrum credentials
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The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in the San Francisco Bay area is between: