Lead SAC Functional Consultant – Finance Planning

Overview

Lead the functional and technical design of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) Planning for Finance within AstraZeneca's Axial S/4HANA transformation programme, shaping the global Fit-to-Standard planning template.

What you'll do

• Define the functional and technical design of SAC Planning for Finance and related multi-functional capabilities within the Programme.
• Lead workshops to demonstrate best-practice approaches, provide functional consultancy, and promote adoption of the global template.
• Design SAC models, dimensions, hierarchies, versions, drivers, assumptions, allocations, workflows, security and reporting, including integration with SAP S/4HANA, SAP Datasphere and relevant third-party systems.
• Conduct fit-gap assessments, evaluate local requirements and recommend solutions while protecting the integrity of the global template.
• Assess the capabilities of SAC and other relevant platforms, define system boundaries and recommend where each capability should reside.
• Ensure the solution is fully documented, tested and governed in accordance with programme standards.
• Support localisation, business readiness, data migration, cutover, issue resolution and hypercare during deployment.
• Lead the IT solution underpinning the global standard process design for your capability, including integrations.
• Align system design and SAP standards with business capability requirements, ensuring consistency with S/4HANA and SAC standard functionality.
• Represent your process domain on internal and external forums and contribute solution and technology opportunities.
• Support the data team in the definition, migration and creation of data objects required for the AZ global design.
• Prioritise activities in line with the deployment strategy, project imperatives, Business Technology Group portfolios and BAU services.
• Ensure existing and new AZ IT projects outside Axial remain consistent with the overall solution design for your domain.
• Partner with AZ Architecture, Non-SAP systems and Integration teams to support the strategic IT landscape.
• Work with programme partners to document and test the solution design in accordance with AZ compliance standards.
• Report on activity status against plan, handle RAID items in your area and escalate as appropriate.
• Champion the design through governance forums and represent IT as an SME and leader at programme and business data forums.

What you'll need

• In-depth knowledge of SAP ECC / S4 Finance solutions.
• Solid understanding of business processes in a Life Sciences environment, including R2R, P2P and OD2C finance process streams.
• Recognised SME in SAP and associated technologies, with a consistent record of delivering sophisticated planning solutions within large-scale business transformation programmes.
• Strong functional design skills in SAC CAPEX planning, including investment demand, project-level budgeting, phased expenditure forecasting, scenario modelling, approval requirements and budget-versus-actual reporting.
• Functional design expertise in SAP BPC / Analytics Cloud Integrated Financial Planning, linking CAPEX and depreciation assumptions with opex, profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow planning, including models, dimensions, versions, data actions, allocations and reconciliation with S/4HANA financial data.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver IT change across multiple global locations and/or business functions, and to translate technical information into clear business language.
• Strong partner management and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across Business and IT teams and influence key partner groups.

Nice to have

• Certification in specific SAP S/4HANA areas relevant to your domain.
• Experience working in a hybrid environment with a mix of internal and external resources across multiple geographical locations.
• Functional design experience in SAC planning across opex, workforce, product costing, cash receipts and payments, working capital drivers and liquidity forecasting, including integration with P&L and balance sheet plans.
• Solid understanding of SAP Enterprise Portfolio and Project Management (EPPM), including investment portfolio planning, project prioritisation, governance and alignment of capital investment requirements with SAC CAPEX design.
• Solid understanding of SAP Project System (PS), including WBS, project budgeting, availability control, commitments, actual costs and settlement, and defining project master data and financial integration requirements for SAC CAPEX planning.
• Additional depth in SAC workforce planning, including headcount and FTE planning, recruitment and attrition assumptions, salary and benefit costs, and allocation of personnel expenses to cost centres and financial plans.
• Functional design experience in group reporting and consolidated planning, including group account mapping, consolidation units, intercompany eliminations, currency translation and integration between SAC planning/reporting and SAP S/4HANA Group Planning.
• Experience with S/4HANA implementations for complex global organisations, covering the lifecycle from design through deployment.

Details

• Location: Chennai, India.
• Work mode: in-person, a minimum of three days per week from the office.