Purpose of the Job

The Head of SAP Center of Excellence (COE) plays a critical leadership role in designing, developing, and sustaining a world-class SAP COE that drives business transformations across global operations. This role will lead the strategic direction, operational management, and continuous enhancement of SAP capabilities to empower cross-functional teams and maximize technology value.

The incumbent will foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability while ensuring seamless alignment between SAP initiatives and overarching corporate objectives. Key responsibilities include architecting governance frameworks, standardizing processes, and promoting best practices in SAP deployment and lifecycle management to achieve operational excellence and efficiency.

As a visionary leader and trusted advisor, this position will champion stakeholder engagement, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement practices that propel the organization’s digital agenda forward.

Customer-Centric Delivery and Partnership

• Champion the delivery of superior SAP-driven solutions that streamline workflows, enhance business processes, and elevate user satisfaction across diverse global teams.
• Develop and nurture productive partnerships with business unit leaders to understand strategic goals and translate requirements into scalable, effective SAP implementations aligned with evolving business needs.
• Facilitate ongoing communication channels, including feedback processes and user forums, to ensure continuous engagement and rapid responsiveness to stakeholder input.

Inspirational Leadership and Team Development

• Lead an inclusive, high-performing global SAP team by promoting collaboration, professional growth, and a shared sense of purpose within a complex multinational matrix environment.
• Exemplify visible and accessible leadership through mentoring, coaching, and empowering team members to excel and innovate.
• Steer strategic change management initiatives, ensuring cohesive adoption of SAP transformations while mitigating risks and fostering cultural adaptability.
• Employ strong communication and negotiation skills to align diverse stakeholder interests, advocate for SAP strategies, and secure executive sponsorship.

Strategic Operational Excellence

• Oversee SAP architecture and lifecycle management, ensuring robust integration, system stability, and optimal performance of modules such as S/4HANA, Finance, Procurement, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and other relevant applications.
• Lead efforts to harmonize SAP templates and processes globally while accommodating key regional adaptations to regulatory and operational demands.
• Manage vendor relationships proactively to optimize service delivery, contracts, innovation acceleration, and cost controls.
• Ensure rigor in SAP support frameworks including incident resolution, system upgrades, performance tuning, and continuous platform enhancements.

Financial Governance and Resource Optimization

• Take charge of financial planning and governance related to SAP initiatives, ensuring resource allocations align with strategic priorities and deliver measurable ROI.
• Administer comprehensive SAP budgets encompassing project expenditures, licenses, operations, and vendor contracts, pursuing efficiency and fiscal discipline.
• Partner with finance and compliance teams to uphold integrity in financial reporting and adherence to regulatory standards supported by SAP solutions.
• Drive cost-saving innovations through automation, process redesign, and diligent contract management.

This role is an exceptional opportunity for an established SAP leader to influence the digital enterprise landscape profoundly, fostering innovation, operational rigor, and sustainable growth across a dynamic global organization.

Job Requirements - Experience and Education

Educational and Professional Credentials

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Advanced SAP certifications (e.g., S/4HANA Specialist, Solution Architect, SAP COE leadership) are strongly preferred.

Experience Requirements

• 15+ years of senior leadership experience within SAP environments, ideally in large multinational organizations.
• Proven experience establishing and leading SAP Centers of Excellence, including governance and operational frameworks.
• Strong track record delivering SAP S/4HANA transformation programs and multi-module implementations with measurable results.
• Experience partnering with C-level executives to align SAP strategy with business goals.
• Demonstrated expertise in vendor management, contract negotiations, and value realization.
• Proven leadership in building high-performing, diverse global teams.

Key Expertise

• Led large-scale SAP S/4HANA programs across multiple countries and business functions.
• Managed multidisciplinary Inhouse SAP teams (functional, technical, integration, security, data, architecture).
• Strong knowledge of SAP ecosystem: S/4HANA, Ariba, SuccessFactors, SAC, BTP, Integration Suite, and Fiori.
• Broad understanding of end-to-end business processes (Finance, Supply Chain, Sales, HCM, EAM).
• Prior experience in SAP architecture, integration, data governance, and system design.
• Familiarity with SAP best practices, Clean Core principles, and cloud strategy.
• Experience in SAP lifecycle management, security, compliance, and AMS/vendor governance.
• Background in SAP architecture roles (e.g., Solution/Enterprise Architect) is a plus.
• Proven ability to define SAP standards, governance, and COE operating models.

Leadership Behaviors

Skills