Workday is hiring: Software Development Engineer III / Sr. Software Development Engineer - AI Platform in Boulder

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.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Agent Runtime team builds Workday's secure execution platform for enterprise AI agents.
We are creating the runtime substrate that enforces policy by architecture, not by prompt, with deterministic controls for data access, tool use, model routing, and auditability.
Our charter spans runtime isolation, policy enforcement boundaries, model mediation, and observability at scale.
We partner closely with other engineering and platform teams at Workday to deliver a multi-language, enterprise-grade agent runtime.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Senior Software Development Engineer, you will design and build core runtime capabilities for policy-governed agent execution.
You will own high-impact technical areas across sandbox execution, sidecar interfaces, enforcement flows, and production reliability.
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER
* Design and implement core runtime services for secure, isolated agent execution.
* Build deterministic enforcement pathways for data, context, tool, and model boundaries.
* Define and evolve service interfaces and contracts across maincar and sidecar components.
* Improve performance, scalability, and resilience for high-concurrency workloads.
* Build deep observability into runtime behavior, policy decisions, and audit traces.
* Partner with cross-functional teams to integrate data prep, context assembly, tool gating, and model mediation.
* Participate in architecture reviews, incident response, and operational hardening.
* Mentor engineers and help raise engineering quality across the team.
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER III
* Build backend services and runtime components for cell lifecycle and execution control.
* Implement policy-aware data, context, tool, and model access pathways.
* Contribute to interface development between runtime components and partner systems.
* Write high-quality, testable code and participate in code and design reviews.
* Develop telemetry and logging capabilities for traceability and operational insight.
* Support production operations, performance tuning, and incident follow-through.
* Collaborate closely with senior engineers and partner teams on roadmap delivery.
QUALIFICATIONS
SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
* 8+ years experience in software development engineering, architecting, building, and scaling robust and efficient software systems.
* 6+ years of software engineering experience building backend or platform systems.
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
* Strong experience with distributed systems, APIs, and service-oriented architecture.
* Experience building secure systems with least-privilege patterns and policy controls.
* Proficiency in at least one systems or backend language (for example, Java, Go, Rust, or Python).
* Experience operating production services with strong reliability and observability practices.
* Demonstrated ownership of complex technical projects from design through production.
* Strong collaboration and communication skills in cross-functional environments.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER III
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
* 5+ years experience in software development engineering including designing, developing, and deploying software solutions.
* 3+ years of software engineering experience in backend or platform development.
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
* Solid foundation in distributed systems fundamentals, APIs, and data modeling.
* Proficiency in one or more programming languages used for backend systems.
* Experience building and shipping production services with testing and monitoring.
* Working knowledge of security fundamentals, including authentication, authorization, and least-privilege concepts.
* Ability to debug complex issues and deliver reliable fixes in production environments.
* Strong written and verbal communication skills and effective team collaboration.
COMPENSATION AND LOCATION
Primary
Location: USA.CO.Boulder
Primary Location Base Pay Range: $156,000 USD - $234,000 USD
Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $148,200 USD - $264,000 USD
Note: Each candidate's compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need.
Application Deadline: 06/30/2026
OUR APPROACH TO FLEXIBLE WORK
With Flex Work, we're combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote.
We spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
- Workday is an
Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.
If you require assistance or an accommodation, please email [email protected].
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