ERP Lead

ERP Lead – SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud Transformation (Finance)
Reports to: Transformation Lead Location: US preferred; Germany considered Type: Full-time employee or full-time contractor Travel: US and Germany, as needed — most collaboration is managed remotely The Opportunity
Lapmaster Wolters is a global leader in precision surface finishing and lapping technology, serving the semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and optical industries, with manufacturing operations across the US, Germany, UK, and Asia.
The company is undertaking a multi-year finance and digital transformation program, migrating from disparate legacy ERP systems across its US and European entities to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud , with the US entity as the pilot deployment. This is a greenfield implementation — a clean chart of accounts, redesigned finance processes, and a platform built to scale with the business.
This is a high-visibility, high-authority role with real scope from day one. The ERP Lead joins a small, accountable team with an experienced transformation lead, an actively engaged executive sponsor, and a clear mandate to own the ERP workstream. What You Will Do
S/4 Design and Delivery

• Own S/4 design end to end across Finance (FI), Controlling (CO), and Project Systems (PS) modules, spanning the US pilot and the broader template for international rollout
• Define pilot entity scope, module configuration approach, and deployment sequencing in collaboration with the transformation lead
• Lead ERP implementation partner selection — define evaluation criteria, assess a partner shortlist, and issue the RFP
• Manage the implementation partner day to day, holding them accountable to scope, quality, and timeline
• Drive data migration planning across legacy systems — validation approach and cutover sequencing
• Own the integration design between S/4 and adjacent platforms, including SAP BTP, a consolidation/reporting platform, and CRM/field service systems

Finance Process Translation

• Translate finance leadership's process redesign decisions (close process, chart of accounts, margin reporting) into S/4 configuration terms, ensuring the system is built to deliver them
• Support chart of accounts implementation in S/4, ensuring consistent configuration across all entities
• Drive resolution of known legacy master data quality issues ahead of S/4 configuration
• Partner with the international Project Systems workstream team on profitability tracking and percentage-of-completion (POC) revenue recognition design, ensuring S/4 accommodates their requirements

Change Management and Training

• Work with the implementation partner to design the change management approach — impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, and readiness checkpoints at each phase gate
• Drive development of role-based training materials covering new S/4 workflows and reporting
• Ensure training accounts for both US and international teams, including differing starting points and process context
• Track change readiness across the program, surfacing adoption risks early
• Support hypercare after go-live

Program Leadership

• Report to the transformation lead and participate in the weekly steering committee
• Own the ERP workstream — track milestones, surface risks early, and drive decisions to closure
• Bridge US and international teams to ensure alignment on design decisions
• Contribute to future-state reporting and automation initiatives as the program matures

What You Bring
Must Have

• 8–12 years of SAP experience, including at least one full S/4HANA implementation delivered as program or workstream lead (not as a team member); S/4HANA Public Cloud edition experience strongly preferred
• Deep functional expertise in FI and CO — journal entry automation, close process configuration, reconciliation frameworks, and consolidation feeds to a group reporting platform
• SAP PS experience — project systems, revenue recognition, percentage-of-completion (POC) calculation, and profitability reporting
• Experience managing an external SAP implementation partner, including RFP process, named-resource accountability, and quality management
• Experience working across US and European entities, with an understanding of statutory reporting differences, multi-entity consolidation, and cross-border close dependencies
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering change management and end-user training programs as part of an ERP implementation
• Authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship requirements

Strong Advantage

• Experience migrating from a legacy ERP or SAP ECC environment to S/4HANA — understanding of technical delta, data migration complexity, and change impact
• Experience with SAP BTP integration connecting S/4 to CRM, field service, or supplier-facing platforms
• Familiarity with cloud-based consolidation platforms and direct SAP integration for group reporting
• Manufacturing or industrial company background — understanding of SAP PS, contract manufacturing, and WIP reporting
• Experience with RPA tools for close automation and reconciliation
• German language skills

Who You Are

• You've led programs, not just participated in them — you know the difference between owning a workstream and contributing to one
• You're comfortable holding an implementation partner accountable by name — scope creep, missed milestones, and resource gaps don't get past you
• You translate between finance and IT without losing either audience
• You understand that change management isn't a workstream you hand off — you stay close to adoption risk throughout
• You surface problems early rather than managing them quietly
• You're organized enough to run a complex program and direct enough to keep a small team moving without unnecessary process

What This Role Is Not

• Not a configuration role. The ERP Lead owns design and delivery; hands-on configuration is the implementation partner's responsibility.
• Not a support role. The ERP Lead has real decision-making authority on the ERP workstream.
• Not a process design role. Finance process ownership (close redesign, chart of accounts structure, margin model) sits with the transformation lead and finance leadership. The ERP Lead translates those decisions into S/4 and ensures delivery.
• Not a steady-state role. The program has a defined end state — go-live, operating model in place, team handed off.

About Lapmaster Wolters
Lapmaster Wolters is a global leader in precision surface finishing and lapping technology, serving the semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and optical industries. With manufacturing operations across the US, Germany, UK, and Asia, the company produces precision machines and consumables used in the most demanding surface finishing applications in the world.
The company is privately held and in a period of strategic investment, with this transformation program a direct commitment from ownership to build the systems and processes that support the next phase of growth.

 

Company Description:

Lapmaster International, LLC is a leading international precision machine tool builder headquartered in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs near O’Hare Airport. Our diverse team works with a broad variety of industries and technologies. Our technical expertise includes Motion Control, Robotics, Automation, Machine Design, and Application Engineering. Our customers include small, mid-sized and Fortune 100 companies in a variety of industries including Automotive, Aerospace, Semiconductor, Electronics, Bearings, Optics/Electro-optics, Pumps, Valves, Compressors, and Medical Devices. Our business model is to utilize leading technologies and exceptional engineering talent coupled with outstanding customer service to solve manufacturing and precision machining problems.

Since 1948, industry has relied on Lapmaster to solve the most challenging precision surfacing problems. With over 60 years of experience, Lapmaster has a proven history of successfully developing cost effective processing solutions for virtually any application requiring precision sizing, flatness, parallelism, roundness, straightness, or surface finish. Lapmaster serves the Fine Grinding, Advanced Materials, Precision Optics, Bore Honing and Finishing, Lapping/Polishing and Metallographic markets through an expanding network of sales and services offices located throughout the world. Sales and technical service is available either through local Lapmaster Sales Representative or through our main Sales and Technical Services Centers located in Mount Prospect, IL, Plymouth, UK, Chennai, India, Tokyo, Japan and Shenyang, China.

Competitive Benefits Package for Full Time employees:

• 401(k) with Matching
• Medical Insurance (Company contribution for Dependents)
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Company Paid Life & AD&D
• Vacation, Sick, Holidays
• EAP

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO)

It is the policy at Lapmaster International to provide equal employment opportunities and affirmative action to all qualified individuals. All personnel actions, including, but not limited to, compensation, benefits, recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of persons in all job titles, are administered without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, protected veteran or disability status, and all employment decisions are based solely on valid job requirements. In addition, employees and applicants are protected from harassment, threats, coercion, intimidation, or discrimination

Recruiter Policy:

Lapmaster International, LLC (aka Precision Surfacing Solutions) “the Company” has an internal recruiting function. The Company may supplement that internal capability from time to time with assistance from temporary staffing agencies, placement services, and professional recruiters (Agency).  Agencies are hereby specifically directed NOT to contact employees of the Company directly in an attempt to present candidates. The Company’s policy is for the internal recruiting team or other authorized personnel to present ALL candidates to hiring managers. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Lapmaster International, LLC from a third party, such as an Agency, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Company mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Company employees, or to the resume database will be considered Company property. Lapmaster International LLC, will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.  Lapmaster International LLC, will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees.