SAP Project Manager
Blue Pearl · Johannesburg, South Africa ·
- Category
- Project management
- Experience
- 10+ years
Leads end-to-end SAP ECC to S/4HANA transformations using RISE with SAP, overseeing scope, budget, and cross-functional teams to deliver cloud-based business systems with minimal disruption.
Role Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced SAP Project Manager to lead end-to-end ECC to S/4HANA
transformation programme, with a strong focus on RISE with SAP.
This role is accountable for driving large-scale, business-critical transformation initiatives,
including system conversion (Brownfield), new implementations (Greenfield), or selective
landscape transformations.
The ideal candidate will operate as the overall delivery lead across all phases of the programme,
managing complex, multi-workstream environments spanning functional, technical, data,
integration, and change management domains. This includes guiding the organisation through
cloud adoption, SAP best practice alignment (fit-to-standard), and clean core principles,
while ensuring minimal business disruption.
The role requires a proven delivery leader capable of aligning IT and business objectives,
engaging senior stakeholders, and ensuring successful execution from programme initiation
through design, build, deployment, Go-Live, and Hypercare, with clear ownership of delivery
outcomes, governance, and value realization.
Requirements
Key Responsibilities
• Lead full lifecycle delivery of ECC to S/4HANA transformation programmes (Brownfield,
Greenfield, or Selective Data Transition)
• Drive RISE with SAP implementations, including cloud operating model adoption and
hyperscaler alignment
• Apply SAP Activate methodology across all project phases (Discover, Prepare, Explore,
Realize, Deploy, Run)
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and resources with full accountability
for delivery outcomes
• Oversee project financials including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control
• Establish and manage governance structures, including steering committees and
executive reporting
• Maintain RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) logs and ensure proactive
mitigation strategies
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (functional, technical, integration, data migration,
testing, and change management)
• Engage and manage senior stakeholders, including business leadership and executive
sponsors
• Manage system integrators, SAP partners, and third-party vendors
• Drive fit-to-standard workshops and enforce clean core principles
• Lead Go-Live readiness assessments, cutover planning, and Hypercare execution
• Ensure adherence to quality standards, compliance requirements, and SAP best practices
Required Experience & Qualifications
• 10+ years of SAP project management experience
• Proven delivery of 3+ end-to-end ECC to S/4HANA transformation programmes
• Hands-on experience with RISE with SAP engagements
• Experience managing large, complex, multi-workstream SAP programmes
• Strong understanding of S/4HANA architecture, cloud models, and SAP transformation
approaches
• Demonstrated experience managing global or multi-entity implementations
• SAP Activate Project Manager Certification (strongly preferred)
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, IT, Engineering, or related field
Key Skills
• SAP transformation delivery leadership
• Stakeholder and executive management
• Budgeting, financial governance, and forecasting
• Risk, issue, and dependency management (RAID)
• Vendor and partner management
• Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery methodologies
• Strong communication and executive reporting
Nice to Have
• Experience with SAP BTP, Integration Suite, and Fiori
• Exposure to hyperscalers (Azure, AWS, GCP) within RISE context
• Industry experience in manufacturing, automotive, or complex supply chain environments
• PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile/Scrum certification
Success Measures
• Successful and stable S/4HANA Go-Live
• Delivery within approved timeline and budget
• High stakeholder satisfaction and executive confidence
• Effective risk mitigation and programme control
• Realization of business value and transformation objectives
Success Profile
• Proven SAP transformation leader with strong commercial and delivery acumen
• Ability to operate in high-pressure, executive-facing environments
• Focus on business outcomes, not just technical delivery
• Strong governance, discipline, and attention to detail