SAP Manager

About the job

Job Title: SAP Service Delivery Manager
Location: Birmingham (Hybrid – Multi-Office Environment)
Salary: Competitive + Full Benefits Package

About the Role

We're recruiting for an experienced SAP Service Delivery Manager to join a leading professional services organisation in Birmingham, currently undergoing a major digital transformation programme.

This is an exciting opportunity for an established SAP leader to take ownership of the operational stability, service delivery, optimisation and ongoing development of a complex SAP S/4HANA environment.

You'll be responsible for ensuring high-quality day-to-day SAP service delivery, managing incidents and change requests, overseeing system enhancements and supporting strategic transformation initiatives, including preparations for SAP RISE.

Leading a team of SAP analysts and developers, you'll drive performance, accountability and continuous improvement while ensuring business-critical SAP services remain stable, secure and aligned with organisational requirements.

Working closely with stakeholders across Finance, HR, IT and wider business functions, you'll balance operational priorities with longer-term transformation objectives, ensuring SAP systems continue to support business performance and future growth.

This role would suit an experienced SAP Service Delivery Manager, SAP Applications Manager, SAP Operations Manager or SAP Support Manager with strong leadership capabilities and extensive experience managing enterprise SAP environments.

Key Responsibilities

SAP Service Delivery & Operational Management

• Take ownership of end-to-end SAP S/4HANA service delivery, ensuring system availability, performance and operational stability.
• Oversee day-to-day SAP support activities, incident management and service request resolution.
• Ensure effective support is provided during month-end, year-end and other critical business cycles.
• Monitor SAP service performance and identify opportunities to improve system reliability and operational effectiveness.
• Manage competing operational priorities while maintaining service quality and business continuity.
• Ensure SAP support processes are aligned with established IT service management principles.

SAP Team Leadership & Resource Management

• Lead, coach and manage a team of SAP analysts, developers and technical specialists.
• Allocate resources effectively across business-as-usual support, system enhancements, audits and transformation workstreams.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability and service delivery standards.
• Support team development through coaching, mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure appropriate technical expertise and support coverage across business-critical SAP services.
• Promote collaboration, continuous improvement and a proactive approach to problem resolution.

SAP Change, Release & Enhancement Management

• Prioritise and coordinate SAP configuration changes, system enhancements, fixes and technical improvements.
• Oversee SAP transport management and ensure changes are implemented in a controlled and structured manner.
• Govern change and release processes in accordance with Change Advisory Board (CAB) procedures.
• Balance business requirements, technical dependencies and operational risk when assessing change requests.
• Support system upgrades, patching, performance tuning and ongoing system health management.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, testing and governance are maintained throughout change and release activities.

SAP Transformation & Strategic Development

• Support the organisation's wider SAP transformation programme and strategic technology initiatives.
• Contribute to operational and technical readiness for SAP RISE.
• Identify opportunities to optimise the existing SAP landscape and improve service delivery processes.
• Work collaboratively with project teams to ensure transformation activities are aligned with operational requirements.
• Support the transition of new SAP capabilities and enhancements into business-as-usual operations.
• Provide practical technical and operational insight to inform SAP improvement and transformation decisions.

Vendor Management & Technical Governance

• Manage relationships with external SAP service providers, including Application Management Services (AMS), hosting providers and auditors.
• Oversee supplier performance and ensure external services support agreed operational requirements.
• Maintain robust technical documentation across SAP system landscapes, integrations and support processes.
• Support audit requirements and ensure appropriate governance is maintained across SAP operations.
• Oversee SAP user access, authorisations and workflow-related service requirements.
• Identify operational risks and work with relevant stakeholders to implement effective controls and improvements.

Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management

• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders across Finance, HR, IT and wider business functions.
• Drive collaboration across SAP FICO, HCM, Materials Management (MM), Integration and Basis areas.
• Communicate SAP service performance, operational risks and improvement priorities to relevant stakeholders.
• Translate business requirements into practical SAP support and enhancement priorities.
• Manage expectations across competing business and technical demands.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for SAP service delivery and operational matters.

Candidate Profile

• Proven experience managing SAP teams within complex enterprise environments.
• Strong operational understanding of SAP S/4HANA on-premise environments.
• Experience supporting SAP FICO and HCM modules.
• Background working within high-availability, audit-heavy or regulated environments.
• Strong understanding of SAP service delivery, incident management and operational support processes.
• Experience coordinating SAP changes, enhancements and release management activities.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence technical teams and senior business stakeholders.
• Demonstrable leadership experience, including managing, coaching and developing SAP specialists.
• Ability to prioritise effectively across competing business, operational and technical demands.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to service improvement.
• Excellent communication, organisational and relationship-building skills.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to balance operational stability with strategic transformation objectives.

Technical Skills & Knowledge

• SAP S/4HANA: Strong operational knowledge of on-premise enterprise environments.
• SAP FICO: Understanding of Finance and Controlling functionality and associated business processes.
• SAP HCM: Experience supporting Human Capital Management processes and applications.
• SAP Integration: Knowledge of SAP PI/PO or equivalent integration middleware.
• SAP Security & Access: Understanding of user access, authorisations and workflows.
• Transport Management: Experience coordinating SAP configuration changes, transports and releases.
• Change Governance: Familiarity with CAB procedures and controlled release processes.
• IT Service Management: Knowledge of ITIL-aligned service management frameworks.

Desirable Experience

• Exposure to SAP RISE preparation, readiness assessments or related transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing SAP Application Management Services (AMS) providers.
• Experience supporting SAP upgrades, patching and performance optimisation.
• Experience working across multiple offices or complex organisational structures.
• Previous involvement in enterprise-scale SAP transformation programmes.
• Experience supporting audit requirements and technical governance within regulated professional services environments.

What Our Client Offers

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible hybrid working model based in Birmingham.
• Strong focus on professional development and career progression.
• Collaborative and supportive team culture.
• Opportunity to contribute to a major SAP transformation programme.
• Exposure to enterprise-scale systems and strategic technology initiatives.
• Opportunity to lead and develop a team of SAP specialists.
• A varied role combining operational leadership, service optimisation and strategic transformation.

How to Apply

If you're an experienced SAP Service Delivery Manager, SAP Applications Manager or SAP Operations Manager looking to take ownership of a critical enterprise SAP environment and drive operational excellence within a forward-thinking organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

Please apply with your CV or contact the PYVITAL team for a confidential discussion about this opportunity.