SAP Application Lead and Project Manager

Our client is has become India's leading manufacturer in the furnishing industry. Our strengths include a range of core competencies in manufacturing, an ever-widening product range, stringent quality standards, affordable prices and an all-India distribution network.It has been funded by a majority acquisition from the global private equity firm Warburg Pincus in August 2024, with the promoters retaining a significant minority stake and continuing to be involved in the company. Warburg Pincus's investment is aimed at capturing the growth in India's furniture fittings and architectural hardware market. they are looking for a SAP Application Lead and Project Manager to oversee end-to-end SAP project delivery and provide leadership in SAP application support and enhancement initiatives.This role requires a strategic thinker with strong hands-on SAP experience, excellent stakeholder management skills, and a proven track record in leading cross-functional teams in SAP project implementations and continuous improvement initiatives.Key Responsibilities:Project Management: Lead the planning, execution, monitoring, and delivery of SAP-related projects (e.g., S/4HANA implementations, upgrades, rollouts, enhancements). Define project scope, objectives, timelines, budgets, and resource requirements. Prepare and maintain project plans, schedules, risk registers, and status reports. Manage stakeholders, ensuring alignment between business goals and technical solutions. Coordinate with internal teams, third-party vendors, and consultants to ensure project milestones are met. Ensure adherence to project governance standards, documentation, and change control procedures. Report on project progress, risks, and issues to senior leadership and steering committees.SAP Application Leadership: Serve as the functional/technical lead across multiple SAP modules (MM, SD, FICO, PP, WM, etc.) ensuring smooth application performance and enhancements. Oversee application support operations, managing incident resolution, service requests, and change requests. Drive SAP best practices, continuous improvement, and optimization of existing processes and configurations. Work closely with business process owners to gather requirements, designsolutions, and implement functional or technical changes. Manage integration points between SAP and other systems (e.g., third-partyapps, middleware, data warehouses).Team Leadership & Collaboration: Lead and mentor a team of SAP consultants, analysts, and support staff. Provide guidance, training, and performance feedback to ensure teamdevelopment. Facilitate workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions to align IT and businessobjectives. Promote cross-functional collaboration across business units (Finance, Supply Chain, Sales, HR, etc.). Governance ; Documentation: Ensure all SAP configurations, developments, and changes are properly documented and comply with internal controls and audit requirements. Enforce SAP data governance, security, and compliance policies. Maintain up-to-date documentation of business processes, functional specifications, and technical designs.Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field. 8+ years of experience in SAP application support, implementation, and project delivery. 3+ years of proven experience in project management or leading SAP initiatives. Deep functional understanding of core SAP modules (e.g., MM, SD, FICO, PP, WM) and integration points. Strong understanding of SAP architecture, business process mapping, and solution design. Hands-on experience with SAP S/4HANA is highly desirable. Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., MS Project, JIRA, ServiceNow) and methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid). SAP project lifecycle experience from blueprint to go-live and post-go-live support.Preferred Skills: PMP, PRINCE2, or SAP Activate Project Management certification. SAP Certification in one or more modules. Experience in managing third-party vendors and offshore support teams. Familiarity with SAP Solution Manager, SAP Fiori, and SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills. Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.