Senior Director, SAP Finance - London, N1C 4AG

Senior Director, SAP Finance - London, N1C 4AG, United Kingdom

The A Side: A Day in The Life

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Senior Director, SAP Finance (FICO) to lead global SAP Finance transformation initiatives. This strategic leadership role is focused on defining and delivering the SAP Finance (FICO) roadmap, ensuring high-quality functional configuration, and implementing scalable solutions that enable standardized, efficient financial processes across all regions. The ideal candidate brings deep SAP FICO functional expertise, hands-on configuration experience, and a strong background in global solution delivery and architecture.

The B Side: Skills & Experience

Strategic Leadership

• Define and lead the global SAP Finance (FICO) functional roadmap aligned with enterprise-wide finance transformation objectives.
• Translate business needs into well-architected SAP FICO solutions across General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Asset Accounting (AA), Controlling (CO), and Product Costing (PC).
• Drive the global adoption of S/4HANA Finance and next-generation finance capabilities including Central Finance, automation (RPA), and AI/ML integration.
• Act as a strategic partner to global Finance operations, IT, and Business stakeholders.

SAP FICO Functional Configuration & Solution Delivery

• Lead and oversee hands-on SAP FICO configuration across GL, AP, AR, AA, CO, PC, and related modules.
• Ensure design consistency, reusability, and compliance with global template standards and local regulatory needs.
• Deliver robust, end-to-end SAP Finance solutions, including requirements gathering, blueprinting, functional specs, unit testing, integration testing, and deployment.
• Guide and review functional design documents, test scripts, and configuration work performed by internal teams and system integrators.
• Own the solution delivery lifecycle for SAP FICO programs, ensuring high quality and timely delivery across project phases.
• Lead cutover planning, data validation, reconciliation strategies, and post-go-live support for FICO processes.

Program Governance & Delivery

• Oversee greenfield and brownfield SAP S/4HANA implementations and enhancements.
• Govern finance solution delivery through structured methodologies, standardized documentation, and robust change management.
• Coordinate with SAP ABAP / Development, SAP Basis, BTP, Security, and Data teams to ensure end-to-end solution integrity.
• Manage vendor partners, project timelines, budgets, and resource allocations.

People & Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and grow a global team of SAP FICO functional consultants and solution architects.
• Promote a culture of accountability, excellence in design, and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing, documentation, and skill development across regions.

Technical Ownership

• Ensure integrated design of SAP FICO with third-party systems including BlackLine, Concur, Treasury platforms, Tax Engines, and HFM.
• Own functional solution architecture and design integrity across all SAP Finance programs.
• Drive SAP system performance, scalability, and usability through design optimization.
• Ensure compliance with SAP best practices, upgrade readiness, and adherence to SAP OSS guidelines.

Operational Excellence

• Support steady-state operations by ensuring stable incident, change, and enhancement management for SAP FICO modules.
• Proactively optimize business processes and configuration based on evolving business needs and user feedback.
• Collaborate with service delivery teams to ensure adherence to SLAs and high user satisfaction.

Compliance, Controls & Risk Management

• Ensure SAP FICO configurations align with SOX, audit, and internal control requirements.
• Work closely with GRC and audit teams to maintain financial system integrity and documentation.
• Lead remediation efforts and design controls for segregation of duties and financial compliance.

Person Specification

• Strong SAP experience, as well as experience in SAP FICO functional and solution delivery roles.
• Proven experience delivering hands-on SAP FICO configuration and managing global deployment programs.
• Strong expertise in finance processes: R2R, P2P, O2C, Costing, Treasury, and Reconciliation.
• Experience in multinational environments or shared service models.
• Deep configuration knowledge of SAP FICO modules: GL, AP, AR, AA, CO, PC.
• Strong understanding of integration points with external finance systems (e.g., BlackLine, Concur, Tax Engines).
• Familiarity with SAP Central Finance, Group Reporting, and S/4HANA architecture.
• Experience with data migration, cutover, and testing tools.
• Awareness of cloud, hybrid, and modern digital finance ecosystems.
• Demonstrated leadership in building and guiding global functional teams.
• Strong communication skills for engaging with Finance, IT, and executive leadership.
• Ability to convey technical solutions in business language and drive stakeholder buy-in.

Desirable

• SAP S/4HANA Finance certification.
• Experience with SAP Analytics Cloud, Central Finance, and agile delivery methods.
• Familiarity with tools like JIRA, ServiceNow, and Solution Manager.