HIH - Software Engineering Advisor

Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company seeks an experienced SAP IBP Advisor to lead functional design, configuration, and governance across SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA supply chain capabilities. The role focuses on demand planning, response & supply, inventory planning, and Control Tower, with integration to real-time data and master data alignment.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years in SAP supply chain planning with hands-on IBP experience, strong governance skills, and a proven ability to drive

Qualifications

• 10+ years of SAP supply chain planning, SAP IBP, SAP APO, SAP S/4HANA, or related configuration and business analysis experience.
• Hands-on experience with SAP IBP Demand Planning, Response & Supply, Inventory Planning, Sales and Operations Planning, and Control Tower.
• Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience configuring IBP Control Tower alerts, exception monitoring, analytics, workflows, and management-by-exception processes.

Responsibilities

• Configure and support SAP IBP capabilities across Demand Planning, Response & Supply, Inventory Planning, S&OP, and Control Tower.
• Design and support Demand to Supply processes including forecasting, demand sensing, and deployment planning.
• Support planning-area design, key figure configuration, master data attributes, planning views, copy operators, planning algorithms, scenario simulation, and planner workspaces.
• Own functional design, configuration documentation, WRICEF requirements, test leadership, cutover planning, and release governance for IBP and SAP S/4HANA planning solutions.
• Lead transition readiness and data validation for transitioning to Order-Based Planning.
• Design, configure, test, and support Real-Time Integration between IBP and S/4HANA.

Skills

SAP IBP

SAP S/4HANA

Demand Planning

Response & Supply

Inventory Planning

Control Tower

Real-Time Integration

Master Data Alignment

Scenario Modeling

Governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT or related field

Tools

SAP IBP Tools

SAP Analytics Cloud

Job description

**HIH - Software Engineering Advisor – SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP)** **Position Overview:**We are seeking an experienced SAP IBP Advisor to lead functional design, configuration, integration, and solution governance across SAP Integrated Business Planning and related SAP S/4HANA supply chain capabilities. **Job Overview:** We are seeking an experienced SAP IBP Advisor to lead functional design, configuration, integration, and solution governance across SAP Integrated Business Planning and related SAP S/4HANA supply chain capabilities.The ideal candidate will bring strong SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA supply chain planning expertise, with practical experience in demand planning, response and supply planning, inventory planning, Control Tower, Order-Based Planning, Real-Time Integration, scenario modeling, exception management, and master data alignment. **Responsibilities:** SAP Configuration & Delivery* Configure and support SAP IBP capabilities across Demand Planning, Response & Supply, Inventory Planning, Sales and Operations Planning, and Control Tower.* Design and support Demand to Supply processes including forecasting, demand sensing concepts, supply planning, inventory projections, days-on-hand targets, constrained planning, deployment planning, and purchase order recommendation logic.* Support planning-area design, key figure configuration, master data attributes, planning views, copy operators, planning algorithms, scenario simulation, and planner workspaces.* Configure and enhance IBP Control Tower capabilities, including custom alerts, intelligent visibility, exception monitoring, case management, analytics, and workflows that support daily planning operations and management by exception.* Own functional design, configuration documentation, WRICEF requirements, test leadership, cutover planning, and release governance for IBP and SAP S/4HANA planning solutions.* Ensure global template adherence, standardized planning controls, and scalable solution design across products, plants, locations, resources, suppliers, and customers.Order-Based Planning Transformation* Provide functional leadership for the transition from time-series or legacy supply planning processes to SAP IBP Order-Based Planning.* Assess current planning models, integration methods, master data, transactional data, planning horizons, and process dependencies to develop an Order-Based Planning transition roadmap.* Configure and support flexible planning areas, business meanings, application mappings, planning run profiles, versions, scenarios, supply heuristics, optimizers, allocations, response planning, and deployment planning.* Support detailed operational planning using stock, planned orders, production orders, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, stock transport orders, sales orders, deliveries, resources, and sourcing data.* Lead transition readiness, data validation, reconciliation, regression testing, parallel planning, cutover, and stabilization activities.* Partner with business and technical stakeholders to manage process changes, capability gaps, adoption risks, training needs, and operating-model impacts associated with the transition to Order-Based Planning.Real-Time Integration* Design, configure, test, and support Real-Time Integration between SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA for planning-relevant master and transactional data.* Support Real-Time Integration architecture, communication arrangements, logical systems, communication systems, integration profiles, application mappings, Core Interface models, queues, and background remote function call connectivity.* Validate initial and delta transfers for products, locations, resources, production data structures, transportation lanes, stock, orders, purchase documents, sales documents, deliveries, and other planning-relevant objects.* Monitor data queues, integration health, reconciliation results, exceptions, and failed transactions; coordinate root-cause analysis and reprocessing with SAP Basis, integration, data, and application teams.* Support the transition from batch-oriented or legacy integration methods to Real-Time Integration, including readiness assessments, dependency mapping, testing, cutover, reconciliation, and production support.* Ensure integrated data is timely, complete, accurate, and aligned with Order-Based Planning and Control Tower requirements.Cross‐Functional Integration* Collaborate closely with Supply Chain, PTP, OTC, EWM, Finance, Master Data, Integration, Data, Security, and Analytics teams to maintain seamless end-to-end Demand to Supply processes.* Partner with demand planners, supply planners, inventory planners, business process owners, architects, and technical teams to translate planning requirements into reliable SAP solutions.* Validate integration of demand forecasts, inventory, purchase orders, open sales orders, backorders, lead times, resources, sourcing priorities, safety stock targets, and planning outputs between SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA.* Coordinate Control Tower alert definitions, thresholds, escalation paths, analytics, and workflows with business stakeholders to ensure exceptions lead to timely and effective business action.Operational Leadership* Lead production support, planning-cycle issue resolution, root-cause analysis, and process optimization across IBP and Demand to Supply capabilities.* Act as a senior subject matter expert for planning governance, solution design decisions, audit readiness, compliance alignment, and operational stability.* Support data readiness, integration validation, parallel testing, cutover, hypercare, and post-release adoption for IBP and SAP S/4HANA planning enhancements.* Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve forecast and supply planning accuracy, strengthen inventory visibility, accelerate exception resolution, and increase planner productivity.* Establish operational procedures, monitoring standards, support documentation, and knowledge-transfer materials for Control Tower, Order-Based Planning, and Real-Time Integration.**Education:**· Any bachelor’s degree **Technical Skills*** Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.* 10+ years of SAP supply chain planning, SAP IBP, SAP APO, SAP S/4HANA, or related configuration and business analysis experience.* Experience with at least one full lifecycle SAP S/4HANA, SAP IBP, SAP APO-to-IBP, or major supply chain planning implementation.* Hands-on experience with SAP IBP Demand Planning, Response & Supply, Inventory Planning, Sales and Operations Planning, and Control Tower.* Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience configuring IBP Control Tower alerts, exception monitoring, analytics, workflows, and management-by-exception processes.* Demonstrated experience planning or executing a transition to Order-Based Planning, including flexible planning areas, business meanings, application mappings, operational planning data, planning runs, testing, reconciliation, cutover, and adoption.* Hands-on experience with Real-Time Integration between SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA, including integration profiles, master and transactional data, initial and delta transfers, queue monitoring, reconciliation, error handling, and production support.* Strong understanding of demand planning, constrained supply planning, response planning, deployment planning, inventory planning, Sales and Operations Planning, MRP, procurement planning, master data, and end-to-end Demand to Supply processes.* Experience with SAP IBP planning areas, key figures, master data, planning views, planning operators, versions, scenarios, heuristics, optimizers, and supply planning algorithms.* Proven ability to create functional designs, analyze business requirements, support testing, troubleshoot integrations, and drive alignment across business and technology stakeholders.* Strong communication skills with the ability to explain complex planning processes, transformation impacts, and technical dependencies to business and technical audiences. **Preferred Skills*** Experience in wholesale distribution, healthcare, pharmaceutical, or life sciences environments.* Advanced experience with SAP IBP Control Tower, Response & Supply, Order-Based Planning, Inventory Optimization, Sales and Operations Planning, and SAP Analytics Cloud.* Experience transitioning from Smart Data Integration, Cloud Integration for Data Services, or other batch-oriented integration patterns to Real-Time Integration.* Familiarity with SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Connectivity service, Cloud Connector, Cloud Integration Automation Service, Core Interface, background remote function call queues, application mappings, and Real-Time Integration profiles.* Experience with flexible master data, the SAP7F or I\\_SAPIBP2 planning-area model, supply heuristics, order-based supply optimization, fair-share logic, allocations, deployment planning, and available-to-promise concepts.* Experience with supply planning algorithms, constrained planning, inventory projections, projected days on hand, safety stock, sourcing priorities, and purchase order recommendations.* Experience working in Agile delivery environments using JIRA, Confluence, SAP Activate, SAFe, or related delivery methods.* SAP IBP, SAP S/4HANA, SAP SCM, or supply chain planning certification preferred. **Soft Skills*** Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities, ability to work independently and lead functional discussions, and a proactive mindset with attention to detail and quality. **Work Hours:**Standard work hours are 2:30 PM to 11:30 PM IST, with flexibility required to support US Eastern Time business hours as needed.