Principal Process Functional Consultant and Solution Architect - SAP Central Finance

Gulf Business Machines PND; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

A consulting firm seeks a Principal Process Functional Consultant and Solution Architect in Riyadh to lead SAP Central Finance initiatives. You will define the architecture and oversee integration of financial landscapes. Ideal candidates have over 15 years of experience in SAP Finance consulting, with specific expertise in Central Finance implementations. Strong communication skills and a Bachelor’s degree are essential. The position offers a strategic leadership role within a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead Architect for SAP Central Finance initiatives, defining solution roadmap.
• Design Central Finance architecture and validate system landscapes.
• Act as trusted advisor to executive sponsors articulating architecture strategy.
• Develop comprehensive architectural documentation throughout project lifecycle.

Skills

Expert-level knowledge of SAP Central Finance architecture

Exceptional ability to conduct workshops

Strong knowledge of integration technologies

Superior verbal and written presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Job description

Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is rooted by long‑term relationships and close collaboration with clients across the globe. You'll work with visionaries across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Your ability to accelerate impact and make meaningful change for your clients is enabled by our strategic partner ecosystem and our robust technology platforms across the IBM portfolio.

The Principal Process Functional Consultant and Solution Architect - SAP Central Finance is a highly strategic and technical leadership role. This architect is responsible for defining the end‑to‑end blueprint and technical architecture for the organization's financial transformation, with CFIN as the core component. The role involves overseeing the design, integration, and deployment of complex financial landscapes, ensuring the solution is scalable, compliant, and meets all global business requirements for consolidated reporting and process centralization.

Your role and responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Lead Architect for all SAP Central Finance and S/4HANA Finance initiatives, defining the solution roadmap, design principles, and technical standards.
• Design and validate the complete Central Finance architecture, including system landscape design, data flow, integration with source ECC/non‑SAP systems, and subsequent processing in the CFIN system.
• Architect and oversee the setup of key CFIN components: Initial Load, ongoing replication (SLT, AIF), Error Handling, Key Mapping, Business Mapping, and Cost Object Mapping.
• Ensure the CFIN solution integrates seamlessly with other S/4HANA Finance capabilities like Universal Journal (ACDOCA), Group Reporting, Central Payments, and Embedded Analytics.
• Evaluate and recommend technologies within the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) or other tools for integration, data quality, and financial reporting extensions.

Technical and Functional Expertise

• Provide expert‑level functional and technical guidance on core SAP Finance/Controlling (FI/CO) modules, including New GL, Asset Accounting (AA), Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Cost Center Accounting (CCA), and Profit Center Accounting (PCA).
• Lead complex, interactive solution design workshops with business process owners, functional leads, and technical teams to translate high‑level business requirements into detailed, approved technical specifications.
• Drive the definition of the global chart of accounts and financial reporting structure within the S/4HANA/CFIN environment.
• Provide technical oversight for data migration, data cleansing, and ensuring data integrity between source systems and Central Finance.

Leadership and Governance

• Act as the trusted advisor to executive sponsors (CFO, VP of Finance, CIO), articulating the technical value proposition and architecture strategy for financial transformation.
• Establish and enforce architecture governance processes to ensure all project solutions adhere to enterprise standards, security policies, and SAP best practices.
• Lead the architecture review board for CFIN‑related projects, vetting designs and approving critical technical decisions.
• Mentor, guide, and provide technical direction to functional consultants, developers, and project managers across multiple global deployment teams.

Project Delivery and Quality

• Responsible for the architectural integrity and overall quality of the solution throughout the entire project lifecycle (Blueprint, Realization, Cutover, Hyper‑care), often using the SAP Activate methodology.
• Develop comprehensive architectural documentation, including design specifications, integration diagrams, high‑level project estimates, and decision matrices.
• Collaborate with Basis/Infrastructure teams on system sizing, performance tuning, and landscape strategy for the CFIN instance.

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

Master's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

• Experience:
  • Minimum of 15+ years of progressive experience in SAP Finance consulting and solution architecture.
  • At least 7+ years of dedicated experience as a Solution Architect/Lead on SAP Central Finance (CFIN) implementations.
  • Proven experience leading three or more full lifecycle SAP S/4HANA or ECC‑to‑S/4HANA transformation projects.
• Technical Expertise:
  • Expert‑level knowledge of SAP Central Finance architecture, configuration, and data replication mechanisms (SLT, AIF).
  • Deep functional and configuration expertise in SAP S/4HANA Finance (Universal Journal, Asset Accounting, GL, AP, AR, CO).
  • Strong knowledge of integration technologies (e.g., SAP CPI, PI/PO, Web Services) and data governance tools (MDG).
• Leadership & Consulting Skills:
  • Exceptional ability to conduct workshops, drive consensus, and influence diverse global stakeholders.
  • Superior verbal, written, and presentation skills.
  • Demonstrated experience managing complex technical risks and dependencies across a multi‑system, global landscape.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• SAP S/4HANA or Central Finance Certification.
• Familiarity with related financial solutions like SAP Group Reporting (S/4HANA for Group Reporting) or SAP Treasury Management.
• Architecture certification (e.g., TOGAF, The Open Group Architecture Framework).