ERP Project Manager

Next Ventures is seeking an experienced ERP Project Manager specialising in Travel Management Systems (TMS) for a contract role with our client in Noida. (CONTRACT)

Start Date: ASAP

Location: Chennai, India

Duration: 12 months + extensions

Role Overview:

We are seeking an exceptionally skilled and experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the strategic implementation and ongoing enhancement of our corporate Travel Management System (TMS). This critical role requires a proven track record in delivering complex, large-scale travel projects, a strong technical background, and expert knowledge in integrating travel policy into a seamless digital platform. The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader, an expert negotiator with suppliers, and deeply familiar with the enterprise technology landscape, particularly ERP systems.

Required Experience & Qualifications:

• Experience: Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in IT/Business Project Mgt.
• Certifications: At-least one of these certifications PMP / PRINCE2 / Agile / Scrum certification.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Reporting To: Solid line reporting Project Management Office, Functional reporting to Project Sponsors
• Location: Must be currently available in Noida or Chennai, India.
• Time Zone coverage: Should be able to cover India and Europe timezones.
• Linguistic proficiency in English

Required Technical Expertise:

• Domain Expertise: Mandatory experience in leading and successfully delivering at least two end-to-end Travel system implementation/migration projects in a large-scale enterprise environment (5,000+ employees).
• Technical Integration: Proven, hands-on experience managing the integration of Travel related modules within a major ERP platform (e.g., configuring data flows, interfaces, and master data synchronization).
• System Design & Digitalization: Possess a fair idea of the end-to-end functionality of a corporate travel system. Utilize technical excellence to effectively translate complex, company-specific travel policies and compliance requirements into the digitalization of the platform.
• Functional understanding of the integration points between HR and Payroll modules in a major ERP system (e.g., Oracle HRMS). Ability to articulate data flow and process dependencies.
• Seamless Integration Management: Drive the crucial integration of the Travel management module within the ERP system, ensuring data integrity, process alignment, and data flow
• Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading and mentoring large, geographically dispersed project teams (internal, consulting, and vendor resources).
• Financial Acumen: Proven ability to manage large project budgets, forecast resource needs, and perform vendor management and contract negotiation.
• ERP & System Interfacing: Demonstrate a good understanding of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and possess the technical expertise to define and manage the required levels of interfacing and integration with other critical organizational systems
• Supplier & Vendor Management: Must have significant experience in strategic supplier engagement to customize and tailor in-house developed or external travel tools. This includes driving competitive enhancements to ensure the tool meets company-specific needs while remaining highly competitive with standard market offerings.

Key Responsibilities:

• Project Leadership & Execution:
• Lead and manage the full project lifecycle for large-scale payroll system implementation and ERP integration projects, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to specified quality standards.
• Develop detailed project plans, scope definitions, resource allocations, risk management strategies, and communication plans.
• Manage multi-disciplinary project teams, including internal stakeholders (HR, Finance, IT) and external vendors/consultants.
• Stakeholder Management:
• Act as the primary point of contact for executive stakeholders, providing regular, transparent updates on project status, risks, and mitigation strategies.
• Manage change adoption across the organization, particularly for process shifts resulting from new system implementation.
• Facilitate workshops and requirement gathering sessions with business process owners.
• Risk & Quality Management:
• Proactively identify potential project risks and bottlenecks, developing effective contingency plans.
• Ensure rigorous testing protocols (UAT, parallel testing) are followed to guarantee data accuracy and system functionality post-integration.
• Agile Methodology: Strong proficiency in project management methodologies Agile/Scrum and project management tools.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical issues to a non-technical audience and present to senior leadership.
• Organizational Change Management (OCM): Develop and execute a robust OCM plan, including training, communication, and readiness activities, to ensure smooth adoption of the new systems and processes by end-users across the organization.

If you are interested please submit your CV and we will reach out to discuss further.