Development Lead

SAP S/4HANA Development Lead (12-Month Contract) Global FMCG - London (3 Days Onsite per Week)

A leading global FMCG organisation is seeking an experienced SAP S/4HANA Development Lead to play a pivotal role in a major ERP transformation programme, transitioning from ECC to S/4HANA. This senior leadership position is suited to a technical expert who has recently led or delivered S/4HANA implementations and is committed to building a clean, future-ready digital core.

The role is accountable for shaping the end-to-end development strategy, leading global development teams, and ensuring high-quality delivery of custom applications, extensions, and integrations across a complex, multinational FMCG landscape. This programme will form the foundation of global operations for many years ahead, offering a significant opportunity to influence architecture and drive modernisation.

• Serve as the Development Lead for the global S/4HANA transformation, owning the application development workstream.

• Translate the programme roadmap into a clear development and delivery strategy aligned with business and architectural requirements.

• Define and enforce clean core principles, custom code strategy, and governance frameworks for development, testing, and transport management.

• Work closely with Enterprise Architecture, Functional, and Integration teams to maximise standardisation, reuse, and innovation.

• Oversee all custom development across the S/4HANA ecosystem, including in-app and side-by-side extensions.

• Manage interfaces, APIs, and integrations using SAP BTP, CPI, and related tools.

• Lead SAP Fiori/UI5 application development and modern UX enablement.

• Drive custom code remediation and optimisation from ECC to S/4HANA, including CDS views, ABAP on HANA, and ABAP Cloud.

• Lead and manage a global development factory (internal and offshore teams) to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.

• Apply Agile and DevOps practices, enabling iterative development, automated testing, and continuous deployment.

• Ensure all development complies with GxP, SOX, and GDPR requirements within a regulated FMCG environment.

• Establish coding standards, review processes, and automated testing frameworks (e.g., ABAP Unit, ATC).

• Partner with QA and Validation teams to ensure deliverables meet regulatory and audit standards.

• Maintain full documentation and traceability across the SDLC.

• Act as the primary development point of contact within the S/4HANA programme.

• Collaborate with business process owners, functional teams, and integration partners to translate requirements into robust technical designs.

• Communicate risks, issues, progress, and dependencies to programme leadership and stakeholders.

• Mentor global development teams, fostering capability growth and collaboration.

• Champion modernisation through SAP BTP, Fiori, automation, and best-practice engineering techniques.

• Drive system performance tuning and post-go-live optimisation.

• Support knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across SAP development teams.

Essential

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.

• 10+ years of SAP technical experience, including recent leadership of S/4HANA implementation workstreams.

• Expertise in:

  • ABAP on HANA, CDS, AMDP, OData

  • SAP Fiori/UI5 development and extensibility

  • SAP BTP, CPI, and modern integration patterns

  • Custom code remediation and optimisation for ECC to S/4HANA transformation

• Strong understanding of clean core strategy and global development leadership.

• Experience working in regulated industries such as FMCG, food, pharma, or consumer health.

• Strong knowledge of SAP development tools (Eclipse), SAP Solution Manager or Cloud ALM, transport and release management, and DevOps toolchains.

Desirable

• SAP certifications in ABAP for S/4HANA, SAP BTP, or Fiori.

• Experience with SAP Activate and Agile methodologies.

• Familiarity with MES, PLM, LIMS, and external manufacturing system integrations.

• Exposure to data migration tools such as LTMC or BODS.

• Experience in multi-country, multi-entity environments with complex supply chains.

• Awareness of emerging AI and automation capabilities in SAP development.

• Strategic and hands-on leadership within global transformation programmes.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

• Confidence operating within a matrixed, multinational environment.

• Commitment to quality, compliance, and business value delivery.

This is a rare chance to contribute to a major global FMCG S/4HANA transformation that will define operational capabilities for the next decade. The role offers exposure to leading-edge SAP technologies, complex global landscapes, and the opportunity to make a significant long-term impact.