SAP Functional / Technical Consultant vs Workday / ERP Specialist: Salary & Career Benchmarks in the US

In the US, SAP Functional / Technical Consultant roles typically command a higher median salary than Workday / ERP Specialist positions. According to our 2026 live benchmark data, a mid-level SAP Functional / Technical Consultant earns a median salary of $125K, whereas a Workday / ERP Specialist brings in roughly $117K (a gap of $8K at the median).

Seniority, tech stack, and location all move this gap. Senior practitioners in either discipline can exceed the upper range through specialist skills. See the skills premium section below for the specific certifications and tools that push offers to the top of the range.

While both positions are vital to a modern tech organisation, SAP Functional / Technical Consultant and Workday / ERP Specialist have fundamentally different daily workflows.

SAP Functional / Technical Consultant focuses primarily on configuring and customising SAP S/4HANA modules to match Saudi Aramco's, SABIC's, or a bank's business processes. Day-to-day work revolves around configuring SAP FICO, MM, or SD modules, writing ABAP customisations, running user-acceptance testing cycles, and supporting go-live cutover weekends.

Workday / ERP Specialist focuses on configuring and maintaining Workday HCM modules to match Saudi labour-law and Saudization reporting requirements. Their time is spent configuring Workday business processes and security groups, building integrations via Workday Studio, running payroll and HR reporting cycles, and supporting Nitaqat compliance reporting.

Transitioning between these two paths is achievable but requires targeted upskilling.

Moving from SAP Functional / Technical Consultant to Workday / ERP Specialist: HR systems analysts or Workday-certified consultants with at least one full implementation cycle are the standard entry point; familiarity with Saudi labour law and GOSI reporting requirements is a strong differentiator locally.

Moving from Workday / ERP Specialist to SAP Functional / Technical Consultant: Business analysts or developers with SAP module certification (FICO, MM, SD, or ABAP) and at least one full implementation cycle are the standard entry point for Saudi Aramco and SABIC-scale programmes.

Neither path requires starting from scratch. Professionals in both roles share underlying technology fluency; the gap is usually domain knowledge and specific tooling rather than core engineering fundamentals.

In the US in 2026, both roles are seeing demand, but with different drivers.

SAP Functional / Technical Consultant demand is high, particularly in product engineering teams across Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, and Austin, led by employers such as Goldman Sachs and Capital One. Workday / ERP Specialist demand is moderate, concentrated in product engineering teams across New York, Austin, and San Francisco Bay Area, led by employers such as Stripe and Block.

Workspace flexibility significantly impacts total compensation value in the US.

SAP Functional / Technical Consultant roles score 35% on our remote-friendliness index (Moderate). This is because much of the work is asynchronous and tool-driven, though many US employers, particularly larger firms with formal return-to-office mandates, still expect two to three days a week in a Seattle or San Francisco Bay Area office. Where in-office attendance is required, it is typically driven by cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder alignment sessions, which US employers headquartered in Seattle and San Francisco Bay Area increasingly formalize into a fixed hybrid schedule rather than leaving to team discretion.

Workday / ERP Specialist roles score 45% (Moderate). Much of the work is asynchronous and tool-driven, though many US employers, particularly larger firms with formal return-to-office mandates, still expect two to three days a week in a New York or Austin office is the primary driver of flexibility. When office days are required, it is usually for cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder alignment sessions, which US employers headquartered in New York and Austin increasingly formalize into a fixed hybrid schedule rather than leaving to team discretion.