Project Principal Consultant

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Dubai; On-site; AED 550,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

SAP Services and Delivery – Middle East South in Dubai seeks a seasoned program manager to lead large SAP S/4HANA and cloud programs for major enterprises across the region. You will drive delivery from inception through on-time, on-budget completion, coordinating cross-functional teams and steering committees.

You will apply SAP Activate, governance processes and senior-level stakeholder management to ensure successful outcomes, while leveraging AI capabilities and cloud migrations.

Qualifications

• PMP or an equivalent qualification.
• SAP Activate Project Manager certification.
• Certification in at least one major SAP module.
• Experience with cloud migrations, RI SE with SAP and cloud platforms.
• Fluent English; Arabic capability is a plus.
• Ability to engage with C-level executives and large multi-party teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead large, complex SAP S/4HANA and cloud programs for major enterprises in the Middle East.
• Plan and control scope, schedule, resources, cost, quality and people; lead QA gate reviews.
• Establish governance, manage steering committees and drive decisions with sponsors, teams and partners; manage status, risk and escalations.
• Align with SAP product management on roadmaps; own forecasts, margins, change requests and contracts; produce management reporting.
• Position and deliver SAP Business AI use cases, including SAP Joule and embedded AI across S/4HANA, SuccessFactors and Ariba.

Skills

Project Management

Customer Orientation

Project Implementation

Conflict Management

Project Planning and Implementation

Business Acumen

AIAdoption Capability

Job description

You have more than ten years of core SAP project and program management experience and a proven record of leading at least five large programs, each involving teams of more than twenty people for six months or longer. You are a career program manager rather than a solution or functional lead moving into project management, and you have owned at least three engagements with budgets of USD 2 million or more. Your experience includes recent delivery in the Middle East and work in at least one of the Oil and Gas, Utilities or FMCG industries, supported by functional knowledge across at least two S/4HANA areas such as Finance, Supply Chain or Human Resources. You have delivered at least two cloud projects using platforms such as SuccessFactors, Ariba or CX and have acted as a trusted advisor on partner-led implementations.

You can demonstrate practical examples of using AI in SAP delivery or project management, while applying responsible practices for privacy, confidentiality and human review. You hold PMP or an equivalent qualification, SAP Activate Project Manager certification and certification in at least one major SAP module. SAP Business AI, SAP BTP or SAP Joule enablement, an Agile qualification, experience with RISE with SAP and cloud migrations, and exposure to SAP Cloud ALM, SAP Signavio or process mining strengthen your fit. You communicate fluently in English, with Arabic capability considered an advantage, and you are confident working with C-level executives, large multi-party teams, enterprise project management tools and commercially binding project documentation.

What you'll build

You will lead large, complex SAP S/4HANA and cloud programs for major enterprises across the Middle East, taking accountability from inception through on-time and on-budget completion. You will plan and control scope, schedule, resources, cost, quality and people, lead quality assurance gate reviews in line with SAP Activate, and keep decisions, records and documentation audit-ready. You will establish effective governance, manage steering committees and drive the decisions needed to keep delivery on track, while advising customer sponsors, project teams and partners and handling status, risk and escalations directly with senior executives.

You will align with SAP product management where roadmap items affect scope or timelines. Commercially, you will own forecasts, margin, change requests and large project budgets, apply statements of work, order forms and contract terms throughout delivery, and produce clear management reporting for internal and customer audiences. You will also position and deliver SAP Business AI use cases, including SAP Joule and embedded AI across S/4HANA, SuccessFactors and Ariba. This includes assessing customer readiness across data quality, process maturity, security and change impact, using AI to improve reporting, meeting records, RAID analysis, document review and test planning, and coaching teams and partners to use AI safely and practically.

Where you belong

You will be part of SAP Services and Delivery for Middle East South, based in Dubai with regional travel, and will provide leadership across complex customer, partner and SAP delivery environments. The role relies on your ability to act as a trusted advisor, bring structure to high-stakes transformation programs and motivate large, multi-party teams while maintaining precise communication and documentation. You will combine strategic judgement with commercial discipline, using tools such as MS Project, Jira and SAP Cloud ALM to sustain delivery control. You will also help teams distinguish where AI can create practical value and where established programme controls and human judgement remain essential. If you are motivated by leading some of the region's largest SAP transformations and want to raise the predictability, quality and pace of delivery, this role offers the opportunity to do so at scale.

Qualifications

• Project Management
• Customer Orientation
• Project Implementation
• Conflict Management
• Project Planning and Implementation
• Business Acumen
• AIAdoption Capability

Additional Information

About SAP

With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improves people’s lives. As a leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience.

We win with inclusion

SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone, regardless of background, feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or complete your application, please send an email with your request to the Recruiting Operations Team: [e-mail].

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy and childbirth), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.