Abstract: A workload automation (WLA) system and method operates a job scheduler to automate jobs, that each specify one or more tasks to be performed by corresponding software programs, within and across computer systems. The job scheduler enables secure transfer of a job that includes sensitive information from a first instance of the job scheduler to a second instance by decrypting each encrypted item of sensitive information for transfer to the second instance and encrypting each such item with a transfer key which is used by the second instance to decrypt the transferred sensitive items and to then re-encrypt such sensitive items with a different key for storage and usage by the second instance.