How to Create a Position in Workday HCM: Admin Guide

To create a position in Workday HCM, the supervisory organization must use the position management staffing model. An authorized user then runs the Create Position task for that organization, enters the position details and any restrictions, and submits it through the configured approval workflow. Once approved, the position is open and can be filled by a hire or internal move.

Key takeaways

• Positions exist only in supervisory organizations set to position management, not job management.
• Workday sets one staffing model per supervisory organization, and it cannot be changed once workers are assigned.
• Create Position runs as a business process, so approvals and routing follow your configuration.
• Departments and projects are usually represented through organizations and cost centers, not separate position types.

Position management or job management: which applies?

Workday's administrator documentation describes two staffing models. Under position management, hiring is tied to specific positions: an open position is required before you can hire, restrictions can be set per position, and reporting can show both open and filled positions with position history. Under job management, there is no fixed number of positions, and hiring restrictions apply to the organization as a whole.

Question	Position management	Job management
Open position required to hire?	Yes	No
Where restrictions apply	Each position	Whole organization
Reporting	Open and filled positions, position history	Filled positions
Best fit	Budgeted headcount, regulated or funded roles	Flexible, high-volume hiring

Workday's setup guidance notes that you choose one model per supervisory organization and cannot change it after a worker is assigned to that organization. Decide carefully during organization design; our guide to Workday supervisory organizations and cost centers covers that structure.

What should you prepare before creating a position?

• Approved headcount: confirm budget or workforce plan approval exists.
• Supervisory organization: the team and manager the position will report to.
• Job profile: the job the position is for, which drives job family, management level and pay eligibility.
• Location and worker type: where the work is done and whether it is employee or contingent.
• Time type and schedule: full time or part time, standard hours.
• Organization assignments: cost center, company, region or other organizations your tenant uses.
• Restrictions: any qualifications the position requires, such as education, experience or languages.

Exact field names and which fields are required depend on how your tenant is configured, so check with your Workday administrator.

How do you create a position step by step?

1. Find the organization. Search for the supervisory organization and confirm its staffing model is position management.
2. Start the task. From the organization's related actions, or by searching for the task, start Create Position.
3. Enter position details. Add the job posting title, availability and expected hire timing, job profile, location, worker type and time type as your configuration requires.
4. Set restrictions. Limit the position to specific job profiles, locations or qualifications if needed.
5. Assign organizations. Add the cost center and any other organizations used for budgeting and reporting.
6. Submit. The request moves through the business process: approvals, reviews and any sub-processes your tenant has configured.
7. Confirm the result. After final approval, verify the position appears as open for that organization.

Routing and approvers are controlled by the business process definition, which we explain in Workday business process routing: approvals and delegation. If recruiting runs in Workday, the open position can then feed a job requisition; see Workday Recruiting setup from requisition to offer.

How do departments and projects fit in?

Many people searching for this topic want to create positions for a department or a project. In Workday, the department is normally a supervisory organization (who reports to whom) combined with a cost center (where costs are charged). Create the position in the supervisory organization and assign the cost center that the department uses.

Project roles need more thought. Options include:

• A regular position in the owning team, with project costing handled through organization assignments or time tracking.
• A position with an end date in mind, closed with the Close Position task when the project ends.
• A contingent worker position, if the project is staffed with contractors.

Avoid creating a new supervisory organization for every short project. It adds approval chains, security changes and reporting noise that outlive the project.

Common mistakes

• Creating positions in a job management organization by mistake, then trying to switch models after hiring.
• Leaving vacant positions open after budget is withdrawn, which inflates open position reports.
• Skipping restrictions, which lets the wrong job profile be hired into a budgeted slot.
• Assigning the wrong cost center, causing payroll costing errors later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can create a position in Workday?

It depends on your security configuration. Typically HR partners, HR administrators or managers with the right security group can initiate the Create Position task for organizations they support. The request then goes through approvals defined in the business process. If you cannot see the task, ask your Workday security administrator to confirm your role assignment.

Can you change a supervisory organization from job management to position management?

Workday's setup guidance states that you cannot change the staffing model after a worker has been assigned to the organization. If you need a different model, the usual approach is to create a new supervisory organization with the right model and move workers into it. Plan this with your administrator and test it in a sandbox first.

What happens to a position when an employee changes jobs?

Under position management, moving to a new organization assigns the worker to a different position, and Workday's documentation notes that a change between organizations creates a new position ID. The former position can then be refilled or closed. Review open position reports after reorganizations so vacated positions are handled deliberately.

Next steps

Confirm which supervisory organizations use position management, document the fields and restrictions your organization requires for every new position, and test the Create Position business process in a sandbox with your real approval chain before rolling out guidance to managers.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

Sources

• Reference: Staffing Model Comparisons, Workday Administrator Guide
• Setup Considerations: Staffing, Workday Administrator Guide