SAP S4/HANA Senior Project Manager (Public Cloud)

IBM
IBM

Operations

Tokyo, Japan · State College, PA, USA

Posted on Oct 31, 2026
Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You'll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you'll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Your role and responsibilities

We are hiring Senior Project Manager to lead end-to-end SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition implementations. You will own delivery from Prepare through Hypercare: scope, schedule, budget, margin, risk and customer satisfaction. You will run the project in SAP Cloud ALM, govern a fit-to-standard delivery model, and report to customer executives and steering committees. This is a client-facing leadership role with full accountability for outcomes.

Project Setup and Governance in SAP Cloud ALM

- Create and own the implementation project in SAP Cloud ALM using the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition – Implementation Activate roadmap, including timeboxes, project roles, team assignments and quality gates.
- Import scope from the Digital Discovery Assessment (DDA) into Cloud ALM (Solution Process Scope, Manage Scopes) and keep the process scope as the single source of truth.
- Set up system groups and deployment plans so upcoming SAP releases are tracked against the project timeline.
- Drive the Cloud ALM and Central Business Configuration (CBC) integration so configuration status syncs automatically to project deliverables.
- Use Cloud ALM dashboards and analytics to run weekly status reviews and steering committee reporting to customer and partner executive sponsors.

Prepare and Explore

- Mobilize the project: coordinate system provisioning through SAP for Me with the customer IT Contact, and onboard users through SAP Cloud Identity Services.
- Build the core team (Lead Configuration Expert, line-of-business configuration experts, integration, data migration and organizational change management), sizing each line of business by the volume of business processes in scope.
- Plan, schedule and run the Fit-to-Standard workshop program in the starter system, ensuring the right customer process owners attend.
- Drive completion of the Business Driven Configuration Questionnaire (BDCQ) and manage requirements and gaps in the Cloud ALM Requirements app.
- Enforce scope discipline: steer gaps to standard, key-user extensibility or side-by-side extensions on SAP BTP / Business AI Platform, never to modifications.
- Protect irreversible early decisions (group ledger scenario, fiscal year variant, group currency, organizational structure in CBC) with documented customer sign-off before each is saved.


Realize and Deploy

- Manage sprint-based configuration and the transport path from CBC to Development to Test to Production.
- Coordinate the integration, extensibility, data migration (Migration Cockpit), security and business role design workstreams.
- Own the test strategy and its execution in Cloud ALM Test Management: test cases, test plans, tester assignment, defect tracking and formal UAT sign-off before Deploy.
- Plan around the February and August SAP releases, including the 6-week advance notice, the Test system upgrading about 3 weeks before Development and Production, and regression testing with the Test Automation Tool.
- Lead cutover planning, go-live readiness assessments, hypercare, and handover to support or AMS.
- Partner with organizational change management to keep training, communications and end-user adoption on track.

Commercial and Financial Management

- Own project financials: budget, estimate at completion (EAC), forecasting, margin, invoicing milestones and resource utilization.
- Identify, document and negotiate change orders, and manage scope against the statement of work.
- Escalate risks early with recommendations and actively manage RAID logs (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies).
- Support account growth by identifying follow-on phases, rollouts and AMS opportunities.

This job can be performed from anywhere in the US.

Required education
Bachelor's Degree
Preferred education
Master's Degree
Required technical and professional expertise

- 15+ years of SAP experience: including at least 7 years leading SAP implementation projects as a Project or Program Manager.
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition (GROW with SAP): at least 1 full-cycle implementation as Project Manager, from Prepare through go-live.
If you do not have Public Cloud delivery experience, you must have led at least 1 full-cycle SAP S/4HANA RISE with SAP (Private Cloud Edition) implementation as Project Manager, and show a working understanding of clean core and fit-to-standard delivery.
- SAP Cloud ALM: hands-on experience setting up and running projects, including roadmaps, scope, tasks, requirements, test management and reporting. Experience limited to Solution Manager does not qualify.
- SAP Activate: expert knowledge of the methodology, phases, quality gates and deliverables.
- Public Cloud operating model: solid working knowledge of Central Business Configuration and its scoping lock points, the 3-system landscape, the 3 extensibility tiers (key-user in-app, developer in-app, side-by-side), and SAP-managed release cycles and upgrade testing.
- Financial management: proven record of managing budget, EAC, margin and change orders on fixed-fee or time-and-materials engagements.
- Team leadership: experience leading blended onshore and offshore teams of 15 or more consultants across several workstreams.
- Executive presence: able to run steering committees and handle difficult conversations with VP and C-suite stakeholders.

Preferred technical and professional experience

- Several Public Cloud go-lives, including multi-country or phased rollouts.
- SAP certification: SAP Certified Associate – SAP Activate Project Manager, and/or an SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition certification (PMP, PgMP or PRINCE2 certification).
- Experience with SAP Signavio Process Navigator, SAP Integration Suite, the Migration Cockpit, and test automation (Test Automation Tool or Tricentis).
- Industry experience in manufacturing, distribution, professional services or building materials.
- Experience with the IBM consulting delivery model or large-firm project governance.

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM Consulting is IBM’s consulting and global professional services business, with market leading capabilities in business and technology transformation. With deep expertise in many industries, we offer strategy, experience, technology, and operations services to many of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Our people are focused on accelerating our clients’ businesses through the power of collaboration. We believe in the power of technology responsibly used to help people, partners and the planet.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM’s greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

- Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being

- Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs

- Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law

- Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals

- Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.

IBM will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Therefore, in order to be considered for this position, you must have the ability to work without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.

The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.

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