Job Title: Project Manager SAP Ariba
Location: London, UK
Job Type: FTE
Is it Onsite/Remote/Hybrid: Hybrid; 4 days in-office.
Program Context: S/4HANA Implementation Finance, Procurement (Ariba), HCM (SuccessFactors), Concur
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Role Overview
We are seeking a delivery focused Project Manager to lead the end to end planning and execution of the SAP Ariba workstream within a fast paced, time and budget constrained transformation program. This role orchestrates multi disciplinary teams to implement and roll out Ariba (Buying & Invoicing, Guided Buying, Sourcing, Contracts, Supplier Lifecycle & Performance) integrated with S/4HANA, enabling best practice Source to Pay, supplier enablement, and compliance across the enterprise.
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Key Responsibilities
Delivery Ownership & Planning
Own the Ariba workstream scope, roadmap, and delivery plan aligned to program milestones and business objectives.
Build and maintain integrated schedules and resource plans; manage critical path and stage gates for design, build, test, cutover, and hypercare.
Define clear deliverables (templates, configurations, integrations, onboarding plans) and acceptance criteria.
Scope, Change & Governance
Establish scope baseline for Ariba modules and integrations; control change via structured impact assessments and PMO/CAB governance.
Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, procurement policies, data governance, and security/compliance standards.
RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies)
Proactively manage RAID with timely mitigation and escalation; maintain transparent logs and dashboards.
Coordinate dependencies with S/4HANA (MM, AP, Business Partner/Vendor master), Finance, HR (for approvals/roles), and Concur where relevant.
Stakeholder Management & Communication
Engage Procurement, AP, Finance, Legal, IT Security, and business stakeholders to confirm priorities, benefits, and release sequencing.
Run steering committees, working groups, and sprint ceremonies; deliver concise status reporting on scope, schedule, budget, and risks.
Team Leadership & Vendor/Partner Management
Coordinate internal functional/process teams, integration/data teams, and external SI/SAP resources (near/offshore).
Govern vendor deliverables and SLAs; resolve resourcing gaps and optimize throughput across parallel workstreams.
Technical Oversight (Non Hands On)
Partner with Solution Architects and Functional Leads to assure fit for purpose designs for Ariba Buying & Invoicing, Guided Buying, Sourcing, Contracts, and SLP.
Oversee integration approach (e.g., SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway, SAP Integration Suite) to S/4HANA and non SAP systems; track readiness for master data, catalogs, approvals, and invoicing.
Ensure supplier enablement plans, catalog strategy, approval matrices, and control frameworks meet business and compliance needs.
Supplier Enablement & Change Management
Lead supplier onboarding to Ariba Network, communication plans, and training; monitor enablement KPIs (e.g., PO compliance, e invoicing adoption).
Drive organizational change and end user training for buyers, requesters, approvers, and AP teams; manage cutover communications.
Quality, Testing & Release Management
Define and execute test strategy (SIT, UAT, integration, performance, security) for end to end Source to Pay processes.
Plan releases and cutovers; coordinate data migration (vendors/business partners, contracts, catalogs), hypercare, and handover to BAU.
Financial Management & Benefits Tracking
Manage workstream budget, forecasts, and variances; ensure cost controls and accurate vendor invoicing.
Track delivery outcomes against KPIs (e.g., cycle time, maverick spend reduction, PO/invoice first time right) and report benefits realization.
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Required Skills & Experience
Proven experience delivering SAP Ariba programs in enterprise environments, covering at least two of: Buying & Invoicing, Guided Buying, Sourcing, Contracts, Supplier Lifecycle & Performance.
Strong understanding of S/4HANA procurement and finance processes (MM, AP, Business Partner/Vendor master) and AribaS/4 integration patterns.
Demonstrated success managing complex multi vendor projects under tight timelines and budgets.
Mastery of RAID management, scope/change control, and PMO governance in hybrid Agile/Waterfall settings.
Practical knowledge of integration technologies (Ariba CIG, SAP Integration Suite) and data migration for vendors, contracts, and catalogs.
Experience leading supplier enablement programs and driving adoption of Ariba Network and e invoicing.
Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and vendor management skills; able to translate procurement priorities into executable delivery plans.
Proficiency with delivery tooling (e.g., Azure DevOps/Jira, MS Project/Smartsheet) and executive reporting.
