Role Overview:

We are looking for an experienced Associate Director – SAP Program Manager to lead large-scale, complex SAP transformation programs across business functions, geographies, and technology landscapes.

The role will have end-to-end accountability for SAP program outcomes, including strategy, roadmap, governance, delivery, financial management, risk management, stakeholder engagement, organizational change, and value realization.

The successful candidate will act as a trusted advisor to CIOs, CXOs, business leaders and senior technology stakeholders, while leading geographically distributed teams, system integrators, SAP partners and multiple delivery workstreams.

The role requires strong expertise in SAP S/4HANA transformation, enterprise program management and the ability to translate business strategy into successful technology-enabled transformation.

Key Responsibilities

1. SAP Program Leadership

- Own end-to-end delivery of large and complex SAP transformation programs from strategy and initiation through deployment, stabilization and hypercare.
- Lead SAP S/4HANA Greenfield, Brownfield, Selective Data Transition, rollout, migration, upgrade and modernization programs.
- Define program vision, objectives, roadmap, milestones, operating model and success criteria aligned with business strategy.
- Manage multiple interdependent projects and workstreams across functional, technical and business teams.
- Ensure delivery across SAP and adjacent platforms including Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, Sales, Analytics, BTP, Ariba, SuccessFactors and enterprise integration platforms, as applicable.
- Drive business process standardization, simplification and adoption of SAP best practices.

2. Program Governance & Delivery Excellence

- Establish and operate robust program governance covering scope, schedule, cost, quality, risks, issues, dependencies and benefits.
- Lead Steering Committee, Executive Review and Program Governance forums.
- Maintain program RAID, decision logs, dependency management and escalation mechanisms.
- Establish program KPIs, dashboards and executive reporting.
- Ensure delivery adheres to agreed scope, timelines, quality standards and financial targets.
- Drive SAP Activate, Agile, Waterfall or Hybrid methodologies based on program requirements.




- Ensure effective management of testing, data migration, integration, cutover, deployment and hypercare.

3. Executive & Client Stakeholder Management

- Serve as the senior program interface for CIO, CFO, COO, CTO, business executives and senior IT leadership.
- Build trusted-advisor relationships with client and business stakeholders.
- Translate complex technology and delivery issues into clear business implications and executive decisions.
- Manage expectations, escalations and critical program decisions.
- Provide transparent communication on program health, risks, financials, milestones and business outcomes.
- Facilitate executive workshops, transformation roadmap discussions and strategic decision forums.

4. Team & Leadership

- Lead large, multi-disciplinary and geographically distributed teams comprising:
- Program / Project Managers
- SAP Solution & Enterprise Architects
- Functional and Technical Consultants
- Data & Integration Teams
- Testing and Quality Teams
- Change Management Teams
- PMO and Governance Teams
- Establish clear accountability, performance expectations and delivery ownership.
- Mentor senior project/program managers and develop leadership capability.
- Drive collaboration across onshore, offshore and global delivery teams.
- Manage system integrators, SAP partners, vendors and third-party providers.

5. Financial & Commercial Management

- Own program financials including budget, forecasting, resource costs, vendor spend and financial performance.
- Monitor program profitability / cost efficiency and ensure appropriate financial controls.
- Drive resource planning and optimal utilization.
- Manage commercial governance across multiple vendors and delivery partners.
- Support contract management, scope changes and commercial negotiations.
- Identify opportunities for cost optimization and delivery efficiency.

6. Risk, Quality & Compliance





- Proactively identify and mitigate strategic, operational, technology, delivery and organizational risks.
- Establish effective risk and issue management frameworks.
- Drive resolution of critical issues and cross-program dependencies.
- Ensure appropriate quality assurance and delivery controls.
- Ensure compliance with organizational, regulatory, security and SAP governance standards.

7. Business Transformation & Value Realization

- Partner with business leadership to ensure SAP transformation delivers measurable business value.
- Drive process simplification, standardization, automation and operational excellence.
- Establish perks realization frameworks and track business outcomes.
- Lead organizational change, communications, training and adoption initiatives.
- Promote innovation through SAP cloud, automation, analytics, AI and emerging technologies where relevant.

8. Business Development & Practice Leadership

- Contribute to account growth and strategic client relationships.
- Identify new SAP transformation opportunities within existing accounts.
- Support pre-sales, RFP/RFI responses, proposals, solutioning and executive presentations.
- Develop transformation roadmaps and business cases with clients.
- Contribute to SAP practice development, methodologies, reusable assets and delivery best practices.
- Build and maintain relationships with SAP, system integrators and strategic technology partners.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration or a related discipline.
- MBA / advanced qualification preferred.
- 15+ years of experience in SAP consulting, program management, technology transformation or enterprise delivery.
- Proven experience leading large-scale SAP transformation programs.
- Strong hands-on program leadership experience with SAP S/4HANA.
- Experience across one or more of:
- S/4HANA Greenfield
- Brownfield / System Conversion
- Selective Data Transition
- Global Template / Rollouts
- SAP Cloud / RISE with SAP
- SAP AMS / Managed Services
- SAP modernization and migration
- Experience managing complex, multi-workstream and multi-vendor programs.
- Demonstrated experience managing geographically distributed teams.

📌 SAP Program Manager (Chennai)
🏢 Mindsprint
📍 Chennai