SAP S/4 HANA Cloud EPPM Consultant

About Sapphire Systems:

Sapphire is the largest digital operating transformation provider to the mid-market and mid-enterprise clients. Our mission is to turn operating friction into digital business momentum. Through the passion and expertise of our people, we unlock the cloud-delivered operating platforms, digital user experiences, data analytics, and intelligent automation that transforms our client’s operational performance. We are globally significant partners for SAP, ServiceNow, Automation Anywhere, Infor, Hexagon and AWS, and we have transformed the digital operating capacity, capability, intelligence and resilience of over 1,250 clients in the UK and US through our portfolio of consulting, design, delivery, lifecycle service, and cloud services.

Job Summary:

The S4 HANA Cloud EPPM Consultant will be at the forefront of driving project management excellence within organisations by leveraging their extensive expertise in SAP S4 HANA Cloud's Enterprise Portfolio and Project Management (EPPM) module.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and industry-leading practices, shaping the future of project delivery and execution. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in implementing and optimising project management solutions, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative and value-driven outcomes.

With a focus on enhancing project visibility, efficiency, and profitability, the consultant will serve as a trusted advisor to clients, guiding them through complex project management challenges and opportunities. This role requires a unique blend of technical acumen, business acuity, and interpersonal skills to drive successful project outcomes and exceed customer expectations.

Join us on this transformative journey and be a catalyst for change in the evolving landscape of project management excellence.

Duties/Responsibilities: 

1. Solution Design and Implementation:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and design SAP S4 HANA Cloud EPPM solutions that meet business needs.

• Configure SAP S4 HANA Cloud EPPM modules to support project management processes, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and organisational objectives.

• Lead solution implementation projects, including system configuration, data migration, testing, and user training.

• Provide expertise in system integrations, ensuring seamless data flow between SAP S4 HANA Cloud and other business systems.

2. Master Data Management:

• Define and maintain master data structures related to project management processes, including customer accounts, supplier accounts, service agents, employees, labour resources, services, and materials.

• Establish data governance policies and procedures to ensure data integrity and consistency across the SAP S4 HANA Cloud environment.

• Monitor master data quality and address data discrepancies or issues in a timely manner to support accurate reporting and decision-making.

3. Project Planning and Execution:

• Assist project managers in developing comprehensive project plans, including cost estimation, resource allocation, and scheduling.

• Monitor project progress and performance against established baselines, identifying and addressing deviations to ensure timely delivery and budget adherence.

• Coordinate project resourcing activities, including resource assignment, capacity planning, and skills development.

• Facilitate project communication and collaboration among team members, stakeholders, and vendors to foster a culture of transparency and accountability.

4. Procurement and Supply Chain Management:

• Manage procurement processes for project-related goods and services, including sourcing, purchasing, and contract management.

• Optimise procurement strategies to minimise costs, reduce lead times, and mitigate supply chain risks.

• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to streamline procurement processes and improve vendor performance.

• Monitor project stock levels and consumption, implementing inventory management practices to ensure adequate supply and timely replenishment.

5. Financial Management and Reporting:

• Configure project billing processes, including milestone billing, time and material billing, and intercompany billing, to support accurate revenue recognition and invoicing.

• Conduct revenue recognition assessments in compliance with accounting standards such as ASC 606 and IFRS 15.

• Generate and analyse project reports, including plan vs. actual performance, earned value analysis, and baseline snapshots, to assess project health and identify areas for improvement.

• Provide insights and recommendations to stakeholders based on project reporting and analysis, supporting data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.

6. Training and Support:

• Deliver end-user training sessions and workshops to educate stakeholders on SAP S4 HANA Cloud EPPM functionalities and best practices.

• Provide ongoing support and guidance to end-users, addressing system issues, answering questions, and troubleshooting technical problems.

• Collaborate with IT support teams and SAP consultants to resolve complex system issues and implement system enhancements or upgrades as needed.

• Stay current on SAP S4 HANA Cloud EPPM updates, releases, and industry trends, sharing knowledge and insights with the project team and stakeholders.

Detailed knowledge of project management business scenario:

• All the different project types (including asset under construction) and how they are used: This entails a deep understanding of various project structures such as internal projects, customer projects, and asset under construction projects. Knowledge of how these project types are utilised in different industries and scenarios is essential for effective project management.
• Relevant approval processes: Mastery of approval workflows and processes within project management, ensuring compliance with organisational policies and industry regulations. Proficiency in configuring approval chains and understanding the impact on project timelines and budgets.
• Project planning (cost and revenue): Expertise in project planning methodologies, including cost estimation, resource allocation, and revenue forecasting. Ability to create comprehensive project plans that align with organisational objectives and financial targets.
  1. Pricing (customer and intercompany): Understanding the intricacies of pricing structures for both customer-facing projects and intercompany transactions. Skill in configuring pricing models within SAP S4 HANA Cloud to optimise profitability and competitiveness.
• Integration with sales processes: Seamless integration of project management with sales functions to ensure alignment between project delivery and customer expectations. Knowledge of sales order processing, contract management, and quotation-to-cash processes.
• Project scheduling: Proficiency in project scheduling techniques, including critical path analysis, resource levelling, and milestone tracking. Capability to create realistic project schedules that account for dependencies and resource constraints.
• Project resourcing/ skills and cost: Ability to effectively allocate resources based on skill sets, availability, and project requirements. Skill in cost estimation and budget management throughout the project lifecycle.
• Time entry (all methods): Familiarity with various methods of time entry such as manual entry, timesheets, and mobile applications. Experience in configuring time entry processes to capture accurate project labour costs.
• Project stock consumption: Understanding of inventory management principles and their application to project-based industries. Knowledge of stock consumption processes within project execution and procurement activities.
• Project procurement (including intercompany): Proficiency in procurement processes for project-related goods and services, including sourcing, purchasing, and vendor management. Experience in managing intercompany procurement transactions to support global project operations.
• Inter-company projects: Expertise in managing projects across multiple legal entities or subsidiaries within a corporate group. Understanding of intercompany accounting principles and implications for project financials.
• Project billing (including inter-company): Skill in project billing processes, including milestone billing, time and material billing, and progress billing. Knowledge of intercompany billing mechanisms to facilitate accurate revenue recognition and financial reporting.
• Revenue recognition: Understanding of revenue recognition standards such as ASC 606 and IFRS 15. Ability to configure revenue recognition rules within SAP S4 HANA Cloud to comply with accounting standards and ensure revenue accuracy.
• Reporting:
  1. Plan vs. Actual: Capability to generate plan vs. actual reports to track project performance against baseline targets. Proficiency in analysing variances and identifying corrective actions to keep projects on track.
  2. Earned Value Analysis: Expertise in earned value management techniques to assess project progress and performance. Ability to calculate key metrics such as planned value, earned value, and actual cost to determine project health.
  3. Baseline and snapshot reporting: Skill in creating baseline reports to establish project benchmarks and monitor deviations over time. Experience in generating snapshot reports to capture project status at specific points in time for historical analysis and audit purposes.

Education, Training and Experience:

1. Detailed knowledge of master data relating to project management processes:
2. Customer account: Understanding of customer master data management, including customer creation, maintenance, and relationship mapping. Knowledge of customer hierarchies and segmentation for targeted marketing and sales efforts.
3. Supplier account: Proficiency in supplier master data management, encompassing supplier onboarding, qualification, and performance evaluation. Experience in configuring supplier hierarchies and collaboration portals for efficient procurement processes.
4. Service agent: Knowledge of service agent master data, including service technician profiles, certifications, and skill sets. Ability to manage service agent assignments and dispatching based on service requests and work orders.
5. Employee: Familiarity with employee master data management, covering employee profiles, roles, and organisational structures. Skill in configuring employee self-services and workflows for HR processes such as time and attendance, leave management, and performance appraisal.
6. Labour resources: Expertise in managing labour resource master data, including labour rates, availability, and utilisation. Capability to define labour resource categories and skills for resource planning and allocation purposes.
7. Services: Understanding of service master data management, including service catalogue creation, pricing, and SLA definition. Knowledge of service hierarchies and dependencies for service delivery and fulfilment.
8. Materials as they pertain to the stock and non-stock procurement process: Proficiency in material master data management, encompassing stock and non-stock items, pricing conditions, and procurement attributes. Experience in configuring material types, categories, and valuation methods to support project procurement and inventory management processes.