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, defining the global Fit-to-Standard planning template.

What you'll do

• Lead the IT solution underpinning the global standard process design for your capability or lead area, 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 that support the strategic direction.
• Support the data team in the definition, migration and creation of data objects required for the AZ global design across the application landscape.
• Ensure effective prioritisation of activities in line with the overall deployment strategy, project imperatives, Business Technology Group portfolios and BAU services.
• Ensure existing and new AZ IT projects outside the Axial programme remain consistent with the overall solution design for your domain/capability area.
• Partner with AZ Architecture, Non-SAP systems and Integration teams to ensure solution and data design support the strategic IT landscape and integration requirements across internal and external systems.
• Ensure the latest industry and SAP capabilities are proactively considered within your capability and the wider programme, supporting the IT Enterprise Business Partner in your domain area.
• Work with programme partners to document and test the solution design in accordance with AZ compliance standards.
• Report on activity status against the plan, handle RAID items in your area and escalate as appropriate to the Enterprise domain.
• Champion the design for your capability through appropriate governance forums and represent IT as an SME and leader at relevant programme and business data forums.
• Conduct fit-gap assessments, evaluate local requirements and recommend appropriate solutions while protecting the integrity of the global template.
• Design SAC models, dimensions, hierarchies, versions, drivers, assumptions, allocations, workflows, security and reporting requirements, together with integration to SAP S/4HANA, SAP Datasphere and relevant third-party systems.
• Support localisation, business readiness, data migration, cutover, issue resolution and hypercare during deployment.

What you'll need

• In-depth knowledge of SAP ECC / S4 Finance solutions.
• Solid understanding of business processes in a Life Sciences environment, including core end-to-end Finance process streams such as R2R, P2P and OD2C.
• 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 SAP Analytics Cloud (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 operating expense, profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow planning, including models, dimensions, versions, data actions, allocations and reconciliation with SAP S/4HANA financial data.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully deliver IT change across multiple global locations and/or Business Functions, including translating 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 profit and loss 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 solution design.
• Solid understanding of SAP Project System (PS), including work breakdown structures (WBS), project budgeting, availability control, commitments, actual costs and settlement, with the ability to define 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.