Executive Program Leader, SAP S/4HANA Transformation

Eliassen Group; Chicago (IL); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401k with company matching

Life insurance

Job summary

Eliassen Group seeks an Executive Program Leader to own a large-scale SAP S/4HANA transformation for a global enterprise. The role reports to executive sponsors and steering committee leadership, serving as the independent authority for delivery readiness, risk management, and program execution.

Responsibilities include directing build/test/cutover, enforcing quality gates, and guiding stakeholders to ensure on-time go-live and hypercare success.

Qualifications

• Executive-level leadership presence with credibility among senior sponsors and boards.
• Proven success delivering enterprise SAP S/4HANA transformations through deployment and hypercare.
• Deep understanding of SAP architecture and integration strategies.
• Data migration and master data management expertise.
• Cutover planning and go-live readiness experience.
• Environment and landscape management across large programs.

Responsibilities

• Direct the SAP S/4HANA program with executive authority and reporting to sponsors.
• Own program build, test, and cutover readiness including defects and data conversions.
• Manage solution and architecture decision processes and drive escalation of issues.
• Validate technical readiness and enforce quality gates and exit criteria.
• Lead cutover, go-live readiness, and hypercare transition.
• Communicate status and risks to executives and SteerCo with clear timelines.
• Provide governance and drive accountability across multiple workstreams.

Skills

Executive leadership

Program management

SAP S/4HANA transformation

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Change leadership

Decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Engineering/Business

Master's degree preferred

SAP certification or PMP/PgMP/SAFe desirable

Tools

SAP S/4HANA

Job description

Description:

We are seeking an Executive Program Leader to take ownership of a large-scale SAP S/4HANA transformation for a global enterprise organization. This is a high-impact leadership role for a proven transformation executive who can drive accountability, accelerate decision-making, and ensure program success from build and testing through cutover, go-live, and hypercare.

Reporting directly to executive sponsors and steering committee leadership, this individual will serve as the independent authority responsible for delivery readiness, technical risk management, and program execution.

We can facilitate w2 and corp-to-corp consultants. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.

Rate: $125.00 to $140.00/hr. w2

Responsibilities:

• Direct the SAP S/4HANA program with executive authority, reporting to the executive sponsor and SteerCo.
• Own program-level build, test, and cutover readiness including defect trends, test coverage, environment availability, interfaces, and data conversions.
• Manage solution and architecture decision processes and drive escalation and resolution of technical issues.
• Validate that the technical critical path and plan reflect reality and enforce technical quality gates and exit criteria.
• Challenge leadership and internal SAP teams when decisions stall or commitments slip and make accountability visible.
• Pressure-test assumptions, estimates, and technical recommendations on their merits and separate genuine risk from noise.
• Safeguard design integrity and scope across workstreams and control unresolved scope disguised as design decisions.
• Lead cutover and go-live readiness and oversee hypercare transition.
• Communicate status and risks to executive leadership and SteerCo with clarity and consequence-based timelines.
• Act as a change agent by identifying passive resistance, influencing without authority, and applying authority when required.Provide executive leadership and governance for a complex SAP S/4HANA transformation program.
• Own program readiness across build, testing, integrations, data migration, environments, and cutover planning.
• Drive architecture and solution decisions while removing roadblocks and escalating critical issues when necessary.
• Establish and enforce technical quality gates, deployment readiness criteria, and milestone accountability.
• Hold internal teams, implementation partners, and stakeholders accountable for commitments and delivery outcomes.
• Challenge assumptions, timelines, estimates, and recommendations to ensure successful execution.
• Identify and mitigate program, technical, and organizational risks before they impact delivery.
• Protect design integrity and manage scope across multiple workstreams.
• Lead cutover planning, go-live execution, and transition into hypercare support.
• Communicate program status, risks, decisions, and dependencies to executive leadership and steering committees.
• Influence stakeholders across all organizational levels and drive transformational change.

Experience Requirements:

• Executive-level leadership presence with credibility among senior executives, steering committees, and board-level stakeholders.
• Proven success leading multiple enterprise SAP S/4HANA transformations through deployment and hypercare.
• Deep understanding of:
• SAP architecture and solution design
• Integration strategy and execution
• Data migration and master data management (MDM)
• Cutover planning and go-live readiness
• Environment and landscape management
• Demonstrated ownership of enterprise-scale delivery and technical risk.
• Strong decision-making and escalation management skills.
• Ability to distinguish genuine technical risks from distractions and maintain focus on business outcomes.
• Experience navigating complex stakeholder environments and organizational dynamics.
• A hands-on transformation leader capable of directing large SAP programs and driving accountability across teams.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• Master's degree (MBA, MIS, Engineering, or related discipline) preferred.
• SAP certifications and/or relevant program management certifications (PMP, PgMP, SAFe, or equivalent) are highly desirable.
• Equivalent combination of education, executive leadership experience, and successful SAP S/4HANA transformation delivery will be considered.