SAP Project Director

SAP Project Director

Experience & Profile Requirements

• Total Experience: 12–20 years

• SAP Experience: 8–12 years including 5+ in S/4 HANA (private and public cloud)

• Engagement / Project Director Experience: 5–10 years

• Ideal Background: Former functional or technical SAP consultant who progressed into Project Management and then Engagement or Project Leadership

• Typical Client Industries: Life Sciences, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), High-Tech Manufacturing

Location & Travel

• Geography: Central or Eastern U.S. preferred (Central strongly preferred)

• Travel: Approximately 35–50%, dependent on project and sales support needs (may vary based on demand)

Compensation

• Base Salary: $250,000 – $265,000

• Bonus: Variable, based on a combination of utilization, managed revenue, and project success

• Additional Incentives: Competitive benefits and performance-related extras

Role Overview

The SAP Project Director is accountable for overall project success, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, and client satisfaction. This role represents the firm at the executive level and is responsible for delivery excellence, commercial governance, and long-term client relationships.

The Project Director partners closely with the Project Manager, who owns day-to-day execution activities such as scheduling, RAID management, staffing, and cutover. The Project Director provides oversight, resolves escalations, drives executive alignment, and ensures delivery and commercial objectives are met.

This role may oversee one or multiple SAP programs and plays a critical role in pre-sales, solution shaping, and executive governance.

Key Responsibilities

Delivery Leadership

• Own overall delivery success across assigned SAP programs

• Review and approve project plans, cutover strategies, and delivery milestones

• Support Project Managers on RAID management, staffing decisions, and execution challenges

• Resolve cross-workstream issues and executive-level escalations

• Ensure high-quality deliverables prior to client review

• Govern cutover, go-live, and hypercare activities

Executive & Client Leadership

• Lead and facilitate Steering Committee meetings

• Present delivery status, risks, scope changes, and financial positions to executives

• Maintain strong, trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders

• Ensure executive decisions translate into actionable direction for Project Managers and teams

Commercial Governance

• Own change control governance with support from the Project Manager

• Protect project margins and ensure budget discipline

• Maintain scope clarity and proactively manage scope creep

• Manage sales-to-delivery handoff and ensure commercial continuity

• Represent the firm’s commercial position with clarity and professionalism

Pre-Sales & Growth Support

• Participate in RFPs and sales pursuits

• Support solution architecture and delivery strategy development

• Validate delivery approaches, estimates, risks, and success criteria

• Ensure proposals align with the firm’s delivery capabilities and execution standards

Multi-Project Oversight Expectations

• Oversee 2–3 active projects, depending on size and complexity

• Bill approximately 12–16 hours per week per project

• Maintain delivery awareness across executive status, steering cadence, risks, financials, and client satisfaction

• Operate effectively in fast-paced, multi-project environments

Required Qualifications

Delivery Experience

• Delivered multiple SAP programs through go-live and hypercare

• Directed 5+ large or 8–10 medium-sized SAP projects end-to-end

• Experience with public and private SAP cloud environments

• Strong understanding of core SAP functional domains

• Familiarity with structured SAP delivery methodologies and tools

Leadership & Communication

• Proven experience managing executive relationships and Steering Committees

• Ability to communicate effectively with senior business and IT leaders

• Strong influencing skills without reliance on positional authority

• Comfortable handling difficult conversations and escalations

• Experience coaching Project Managers and delivery teams

Commercial Acumen

• Hands-on experience managing change control and commercial impacts

• Strong understanding of budgets, forecasts, margins, and SOW terms

• Experience supporting proposal development and project scoping

• Ability to protect delivery expectations during pre-sales and execution

Personal Attributes

• Highly structured and organized

• Clear, accurate, and executive-ready communicator

• Confident and credible with senior stakeholders

• Calm, decisive, and resilient under pressure

• Strong focus on outcomes, accountability, and client success

Keywords:  Pharmaceutical, Medical Equipment, Medical Device, BioTech, BioPharma, Life Sciences, GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, Validation, FDA Regulation, Serialization, Track & Trace, Batch Management, S/4 HANA, Private Cloud, Public Cloud, Delivery, Implementation, Activate, ASAP, Methodology, Internal Stakeholder Management, C-Suite Stakeholder Management.