SAP S/4HANA

Role: SAP S/4HANA Finance Solutions Architect

Location: London, UK (Hybrid – 4 days onsite initially, then 3 days/week)

Employment Type: Permanent / Contract

Start Date: Immediate (max 2 weeks’ notice)

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced SAP S/4HANA Finance Solutions Architect to lead the end-to-end finance solution design and governance for a greenfield S/4HANA implementation within a Banking & Financial Services (BFS) environment.

This role will act as the design authority for all finance-related areas, ensuring alignment with business requirements, regulatory standards, and SAP best practices, while overseeing the transition from implementation to Business as Usual (BAU).

Key Responsibilities

Finance Solution Architecture

• Own and govern the end-to-end SAP S/4HANA Finance architecture.
• Ensure solution alignment with BFS regulatory, audit, and compliance requirements.
• Drive standardization and consistency across entities and geographies.

Finance Functional Leadership

• Lead solution design across key finance modules:
• FI-GL (General Ledger / Universal Journal)
• FI-AP (Accounts Payable)
• FI-AR (Accounts Receivable)
• Bank Accounting & Cash Management
• Asset Accounting (FI-AA)
• Oversee financial closing cycles (month-end, year-end) and reporting frameworks.
• Ensure support for parallel accounting, ledger structures, and regulatory reporting.

Design Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Lead requirements gathering workshops with business and IT stakeholders.
• Review and approve solution architecture, functional specifications, and configurations.
• Act as the final design authority for finance decisions and change requests.
• Ensure adherence to design standards, accounting principles, and compliance controls.

Integration & Cross-System Design

• Define and govern integrations with:
• SAP Ariba (procurement, invoicing, payments)
• SAP SuccessFactors (HR-related financial postings)
• Other enterprise systems
• Ensure integration supports financial reconciliation, control, and auditability.

Cutover, Go-Live & BAU Transition

• Lead finance workstream cutover planning and execution.
• Manage opening balances, data validation, and reconciliation activities.
• Ensure smooth transition to BAU operations, including knowledge transfer and stabilization.

Leadership & Delivery Oversight

• Provide architectural leadership and guidance to delivery teams.
• Identify and mitigate design risks and issues proactively.
• Support stakeholders with solution trade-offs and roadmap decisions.

Required Skills & Experience

• 15+ years of experience in SAP Finance roles.
• Strong expertise in SAP S/4HANA Finance (greenfield implementations).
• Deep knowledge of:
• Financial Accounting (GL, AP, AR, Asset Accounting)
• Banking & Cash Management
• Financial Reporting & Closing processes
• Proven experience in solution architecture, governance, and design authority roles.
• Strong understanding of BFS regulatory, audit, and compliance frameworks.
• Experience in cutover planning and BAU transition.
• Solid integration experience with SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors.