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The Sr. Director, IT – SAP Finance is accountable for the ongoing leadership, stability, and evolution of SAP Finance systems that support core financial operations and reporting across the enterprise. This role serves as the primary technology partner to Finance leadership, including the Controller, Accounting, Treasury, and FP&A, ensuring SAP Finance capabilities are reliable, compliant, and aligned to business priorities. 

This position owns the continuous improvement of SAP Finance platforms and related financial planning, reporting, and asset accounting systems. The role focuses on operational excellence, governance, vendor management, and incremental enhancement of Finance capabilities. 

Scope & Decision Authority 

• Accountable for SAP Finance systems and supporting finance applications, ensuring operational reliability, regulatory compliance, and data integrity.
• Owns Finance technology roadmaps focused on system stability, functional enhancements, cost optimization, and evolving business needs.
• Provides governance over Finance system design, integrations, release management, and production support in collaboration with Architecture, Data, Cybersecurity, and Infrastructure teams.
• Serves as the primary escalation point for Finance system issues, risks, and prioritization decisions.
• Manages vendor and system integrator performance related to SAP Finance operations and enhancements.
  

SAP Financial Portfolio Ownership 

• Own and oversee end‑to‑end SAP Finance capabilities, including GL, AP, AR, Treasury and Cash Management, and FP&A enablement
• Own and support SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) and related planning tools
• Partner with FP&A to ensure planning, forecasting, consolidation, and reporting tools are stable, well-integrated, and fit for purpose.
• Coordinate enhancements to planning and consolidation capabilities based on evolving business and regulatory needs.
• Provide overall system ownership for PowerPlan, including system support, integrations, and data accuracy.
• Ensure PowerPlan is effectively integrated with SAP Finance to support asset accounting, revenue recognition, and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Partner with Accounting stakeholders to ensure PowerPlan meets controllership and compliance expectations. 

Service Delivery

• Balance system stability with delivery of prioritized enhancements and automation opportunities.
• Ensure effective change management, testing discipline, and segregation of duties for all Finance system changes. 
• Promote standardization, documentation, and knowledge retention across Finance support teams. 

Lean-Agile Delivery & Value Stream Execution

• Execute Finance technology initiatives using Lean and Agile principles, emphasizing flow 
  efficiency, predictability, and business outcomes over project throughput.
• Align SAP Finance delivery teams to end-to-end Finance value streams (e.g., Record-to-Report, Order-to-Cash), rather than purely functional or project-based structures.
• Establish and maintain predictable delivery cadences, release rhythms, and integrated planning across build and run activities.
• Apply pragmatic Agile practices (Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid) appropriate to regulated Finance environments, avoiding unnecessary ceremony while maintaining controls.
• Actively manage work-in-progress (WIP), dependencies, and capacity to reduce bottlenecks, 
  improve cycle time, and increase delivery reliability. 

Business Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Act as the primary IT partner to Finance leadership, including the Controller, Accounting, 
  Treasury, and FP&A leaders.
• Translate Finance business priorities into clear, achievable system initiatives and enhancement roadmaps.
• Provide transparent communication on system performance, risks, and improvement 
  opportunities.
• Support Finance process owners in driving adoption and effective use of SAP Finance 
  capabilities.
• Manage day-to-day vendor and system integrator relationships supporting SAP Finance and 
  related applications.
• Oversee SLAs, service quality, and commercial performance.
• Coordinate with Procurement and Supplier Management as needed. 

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure SAP Finance systems comply with internal controls, audit requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Partner with Architecture, Data, and Cybersecurity teams to enforce standards for security, integrations, and data integrity.
• Support audits and control reviews related to Finance systems and processes

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience. 
• Plus 13 years of relevant work experience.
• Significant leadership experience owning SAP Finance systems in a production, business-as-usual environment.
• Deep functional knowledge of SAP Finance, including GL, AP, AR, Fixed Assets, Treasury, and management/accounting and reporting processes.
• Demonstrated experience applying Lean, Agile, or hybrid delivery models in large ERP or Finance transformations.
• Ability to operate effectively in product-oriented, value-stream aligned delivery environments.
• Hands-on experience supporting financial close, audit, and regulatory reporting processes.
• Experience owning or supporting SAP BPC and financial planning/consolidation solutions.
• Strong experience partnering with Controllers, Accounting leaders, and FP&A teams.
• Proven experience managing vendors, system integrators, and mixed onshore/offshore support models.
• Experience managing large hybrid teams (internal employees, contractors, and system integrators) across multiple vendors.
• Solid financial acumen, including budget ownership, investment prioritization, and measurable value realization.
• Demonstrated financial and budget management capability. 

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience. 
• Plus 15 years of relevant work experience.

• Strong understanding of financial controls, audit requirements, and compliance within SAP Finance environments.
• Ability to lead stable, highly reliable Finance systems while driving incremental improvement.
• Practical understanding of SAP integrations and Finance data flows across enterprise systems.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technology concepts to Finance leadership in business terms.
• Sound judgment in balancing risk, control, cost, and business needs.