SAP FICO - Product Lead

As a Product Manager within the Enterprise IT Products and Application team, you will play a pivotal role in driving the development, deployment, and operation of software products and applications. You will be responsible for overseeing the entire product lifecycle, from conception to delivery, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technological capabilities. Your expertise will be instrumental in fostering collaboration between cross-functional teams, guiding the product development process, and delivering high-quality solutions that meet customer needs and exceed expectations.

The SAP Analyst will be expected to work on projects and BAU and contribute to the SAP Finance roadmap. Collaborating with stakeholders to understand business processes, challenges, and objectives, formulate the business case, document requirements, create specifications, and establish acceptance criteria. This involves conducting workshops, interviews, and analysis to gather comprehensive requirements.

There will be a key focus on the Finance and Control (FICO) Solution design: Translating business requirements into SAP solutions. This includes configuring SAP modules, customizing functionalities, and designing processes that align with business goals while adhering to best practices.

Support and Maintenance: implementing enhancements or updates to optimize system performance and usability for P2P (Procure to Pay), S2C (Sales to Cash), R2R (Record to Report) and H2R (Hire to Retire) modules.

§ Define and communicate the vision and strategic direction for assigned applications, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives and market needs.

§ Conduct thorough market research and analysis to identify opportunities, prioritise features, and develop a roadmap that guides the product development process.

§ Collaborate with stakeholders from various departments to refine strategies and make informed decisions that drive the product's success.

§ Schedule and facilitate regular product workshops with users and other relevant stakeholders to understand business priorities for application functionality enhancement.

§ Act as a liaison between product management, engineering, architecture, and operations teams, facilitating effective communication and collaboration.

§ Oversee the entire product development lifecycle, from concept to release, working closely with engineering teams to define technical requirements, address implementation challenges, and maintain product integrity throughout the process.

§ Monitor project progress, track key metrics, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products and applications.

§ Facilitate transparent communication channels with internal and external stakeholders to keep all parties informed and engaged.

§ Present product plans, status updates, and performance metrics to leadership and other relevant forums, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and organisational goals.

§ Solicit and incorporate feedback from customers, partners, and end-users to validate assumptions and drive product innovation.

§ Foster a culture of collaboration where ideas flow freely and collective problem-solving leads to innovative solutions.

§ Build and maintain an ever-green product backlog containing all required enhancements, changes, defects, research spikes and technical debt that require implementation by the corresponding DevOps delivery team.

§ Responsible for elaboration and refinement of user stories to produce the 'Definition of Done'.

§ Ensure acceptance criteria and constraints are added to user stories where appropriate.

§ Responsible for signing off deliverables once developed by DevOps delivery team ensuring they meet the Definition of Done.

• Act as a liaison between product management, engineering, architecture, and operations teams, facilitating effective communication and collaboration.
• Oversee the entire product development lifecycle, from concept to release, working closely with engineering teams to define technical requirements, address implementation challenges, and maintain product integrity throughout the process.
• Monitor project progress, track key metrics, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products and applications.
• Facilitate transparent communication channels with internal and external stakeholders to keep all parties informed and engaged.
• Present product plans, status updates, and performance metrics to leadership and other relevant forums, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and organisational goals.
• Solicit and incorporate feedback from customers, partners, and end-users to validate assumptions and drive product innovation.
• Foster a culture of collaboration where ideas flow freely and collective problem-solving leads to innovative solutions.
• Build and maintain an ever-green product backlog containing all required enhancements, changes, defects, research spikes and technical debt that require implementation by the corresponding DevOps delivery team.
• Responsible for elaboration and refinement of user stories to produce the 'Definition of Done'.
• Ensure acceptance criteria and constraints are added to user stories where appropriate.
• Responsible for signing off deliverables once developed by DevOps delivery team ensuring they meet the Definition of Done.

Knowledge

• Is fully familiar with recognised industry bodies of knowledge both generic and specific, and knowledge of the business, suppliers and partners.
• Develops a wider breadth of knowledge across the industry or business. Applies knowledge to help to define the standards which others will apply.

Skills

• Demonstrates leadership in operational management.
• Analyses requirements and advises on scope and options for continual operational improvement.
• Assesses and evaluates risk.
• Takes all requirements into account when making proposals.
• Shares own knowledge and experience and encourages learning and growth.
• Advises on available standards, methods, tools, applications and processes relevant to group specialism(s) and can make appropriate choices from alternatives.
• Understands and evaluates the organisational impact of new technologies and digital services.
• Creatively applies innovative thinking and design practices in identifying solutions that will deliver value for the benefit of the customer/stakeholder.
• Clearly demonstrates impactful communication skills (oral, written and presentation) in both formal and informal settings, articulating complex ideas to broad audiences.
• Learning and professional development - takes initiative to advance own skills and identify and manage development opportunities in area of responsibility.

Security, privacy and ethics - proactively contributes to the implementation of appropriate working practices and culture