SAP S/4HANA Solution Architect
Location: Cleveland, OH (Hybrid)
Chemical & Process Industries Domain Expertise Required
Position Overview
The SAP S/4HANA Solution Architect will lead the end‑to‑end design and delivery of a Global Template for a greenfield S/4HANA implementation in the Chemical and Process Industries. This strategic role sits at the intersection of SAP functional leadership, deep process industry domain expertise, and enterprise architecture, ensuring a scalable, compliant, and future‑ready solution landscape.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the overall S/4HANA solution architecture for a global greenfield program, with specific focus on Chemical and Process Industry requirements (e.g., batch management, compliance, EHS, REACH, GHS, hazardous materials).
- Lead the design and governance of the Global Template, including core processes, data models, integration patterns, and localization strategy across regions.
- Facilitate and drive end‑to‑end process design workshops (Order‑to‑Cash, Plan‑to‑Produce, Procure‑to‑Pay, Record‑to‑Report, Quality Management, Plant Maintenance, Supply Chain and Logistics) with business and IT stakeholders.
- Translate business strategy and regulatory requirements into a coherent S/4HANA roadmap, target architecture, and solution design principles.
- Define and enforce architectural standards, design guidelines, and fit‑to‑standard / clean core principles, minimizing customizations while addressing critical business needs.
- Partner closely with business process owners, product managers, and functional/technical leads to validate requirements, prioritize scope, and manage design decisions and trade‑offs.
- Oversee integration architecture with surrounding systems (MES, LIMS, SCM, CRM, EHS, Labeling, Data Lake, Analytics, etc.) leveraging SAP BTP, CPI, and other middleware where applicable.
- Support the overall data strategy, including data model definition, master data governance approach, and data migration design for key objects (materials, customers, vendors, recipes, BOMs, routings, batch data).
- Provide hands‑on solution leadership during build, testing (SIT/UAT), cutover, and go‑live, ensuring design integrity and resolving complex issues.
- Guide and mentor on‑shore/off‑shore functional and technical teams, ensuring alignment to the Global Template and architecture standards.
- Collaborate with enterprise architects, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure performance, scalability, security, and high availability of the S/4HANA landscape.
- Prepare and deliver executive‑level updates, architecture documents, and decision papers to program leadership and steering committees.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related discipline (Master’s degree preferred).
- 12+ years of overall SAP experience with at least 5+ years as a Solution Architect on large, complex SAP programs.
- Strong, hands‑on experience with SAP S/4HANA (1709 or later), with at least one full‑cycle S/4HANA implementation as a lead Solution Architect, preferably greenfield.
- Deep functional expertise in key S/4HANA modules relevant to Chemical and Process Industries, such as SD, MM, PP‑PI, QM, PM, EWM/TM, and FI/CO.
- Demonstrated experience in the Chemical or Process Industries, including regulatory, safety, and compliance requirements (e.g., EHS, product safety, hazardous substances, labeling, batch traceability, quality).
- Proven track record designing and deploying Global Templates, including multi‑country rollouts, template governance, and localization.
- Strong understanding of integration patterns and tools (e.g., SAP BTP, CPI, PI/PO, APIs, IDocs) and how S/4HANA integrates with MES, LIMS, planning, CRM, and analytics platforms.
- Familiarity with clean core concepts, cloud extensibility, and SAP best practices for extensibility (in‑app, side‑by‑side).
- Solid knowledge of SAP Activate methodology, solution blueprinting, and agile/iterative delivery methods.
Preferred Skills
- Experience with advanced functionalities such as embedded EWM, embedded TM, advanced ATP, PP‑PI for process industries, Global Batch Traceability, and Product Compliance / EHS.
- Exposure to SAP BTP services, Fiori UX design, and role‑based access concepts.
- Experience in architecting solutions for high‑availability, disaster recovery, and performance optimization in S/4HANA landscapes.
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with ability to quickly understand complex business processes and propose pragmatic, scalable solutions.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with ability to engage confidently with business leaders, IT executives, and cross‑functional teams.
- Prior experience working in hybrid on‑site/remote delivery models with global teams.