Associate Director, SAP Basis Lead

The Global SAP Basis Lead is responsible for working with IT teams, business stakeholders, and effectively managing Managed Service Providers to ensure the CSL SAP Ecosystem is Reliable, Secure, Compliant. To achieve the objective, the Global SAP Basis Lead should be adept at managing in an outcome based managed service environment and build and maintain a strong relationship with the Managed Service Provider to ensure the attainment of contractually agreed commitments.

This position reports to the Director, ERP Managed Service Operations Lead and can be based in London (UK) / Melbourne (Australia)/ King of Prussia (USA)/ Switzerland.

Main Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Basis Administration: Leading and managing the Basis team, responsible for the administration and maintenance of the technical infrastructure supporting the enterprise applications.
• System Installations and Upgrades: Planning and executing the installation, configuration, and upgrades of enterprise applications and their underlying technical components. Ensuring the system landscapes are up-to-date and aligned with business requirements.
• Performance Monitoring and Tuning: Monitoring the performance of application systems, databases, and servers. Proactively identifying and addressing performance issues, bottlenecks, and resource constraints to optimize system performance.
• System Security and Authorization: Ensuring the security and integrity of application systems through proper access controls, authorization management, and regular security assessments. Implementing security best practices and adhering to organizational security policies.
• System Backup and Recovery: Designing and implementing reliable backup and disaster recovery strategies to safeguard critical application data and minimize downtime in case of system failures.
• Patch and Release Management: Managing the application of patches, service packs, and upgrades to keep the systems current and secure. Coordinating with other teams to plan and execute changes with minimal disruption to operations.
• System Landscape Design: Collaborate with architects and IT teams to design and maintain the technical landscape for the application environment. Ensuring scalability, availability, and stability of the systems to meet business demands.
• Technical Troubleshooting: Leading the team in identifying and resolving technical issues and incidents affecting application availability and performance. Providing technical expertise and guidance to resolve complex problems.
• Change Control and Documentation: Implementing and managing change control processes for application configurations and technical changes. Maintaining up-to-date technical documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Vendor and Stakeholder Management: Engaging with vendors, service providers, and business stakeholders to address technical issues, discuss requirements, and coordinate technical activities.
• Continuous Improvement: Identifying opportunities for process optimization and automation within Basis administration. Driving initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and reduce manual effort.

Position Qualifications and Experience Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or Computer Science
• At least 8 years of experience as a SAP BASIS practitioner within large global organizations with multiple SAP instances
• Deep understanding of ERP Ecosystems anchored by SAP
• Strong Vendor management capability
• Strong leadership, team building and project management skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience managing a Managed Service Contract (Outcomes based) environment
• Experience working in an GxP environment is a plus.
• Knowledge of ITSM best practices and industry standards
• Experience with IT projects and project management methodologies
• Strong ability to work in a matrix organization and interact with various stakeholders
• Strong ability to work in a fast-paced, high-stress environment.