SAP Project Manager

This is a full-time assignment supporting the program across the Explore, Realize, and Deploy phases , including validation workshops, integration testing, cutover, and hypercare. The Project Manager will report to the Program Sponsor and Steering Committee, lead workstream leads, and collaborate with business SMEs, IT teams, and global SAP governance teams. Location: Remote Citizens Only Travel Requirement: Requires 2–3 weeks of onsite travel to Japan per quarter Full-Lifecycle SAP S/4HANA Program Delivery Experience leading multi-workstream, multi-plant manufacturing SAP implementations from Explore through Realize, Deploy, cutover, and hypercare. Experience managing executive and steering committee governance across business stakeholders, IT organizations, global teams, time zones, and cultures. Manufacturing Transformation & Adoption Experience supporting shop-floor transformation, MES integration and cutover, plant-wave rollouts, costing parallel runs, and organizational change initiatives transitioning operations away from paper and spreadsheet-based processes. We are seeking an experienced SAP Project Manager to lead the end-to-end delivery of a large-scale SAP S/4HANA manufacturing transformation across multiple plants and business divisions. Production Planning & Detailed Scheduling Quality Management SAP S/4HANA SAP Digital Manufacturing SAP Business Data Cloud SAP Analytics Cloud SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) The transformation will transition manufacturing operations from paper-based processes, Excel spreadsheets, and legacy tools to standardized, real-time, traceable SAP processes. Own the integrated program plan, budget, resource planning, critical path, and dependencies across multiple workstreams and platforms. Promote standard SAP functionality and clean-core principles. Challenge enhancement requests where standard SAP functionality can meet business requirements. Provide executive-level reporting on program status, risks, issues, dependencies, and benefits realization. Coordinate delivery across business SMEs, IT teams, corporate/global SAP teams, and implementation partners. Manage program risks, issues, assumptions, actions, and dependencies. Govern key risks related to: Equipment and PLC readiness Master data governance Plan and govern finished-goods Actual Costing parallel runs for plant deployment waves. Lead shop-floor cutover, multi-shift hypercare, legacy tool retirement, and transition to operational support. Support training, documentation, knowledge capture, and transition from paper and spreadsheet-based processes. Ensure compliance with applicable financial controls, including SOX and J-SOX documentation requirements. While the Project Manager will not be responsible for configuring SAP functionality, understanding batch, lot, and cavity-level traceability will help effectively govern program scope and risks. Relationships between planning, manufacturing execution, quality, and inventory. Ability to distinguish genuine SAP functionality gaps from requests to replicate legacy processes. Understanding the relationship between shop-floor control numbers and SAP S/4HANA batch management. 12+ years of IT program and project management experience. ~5+ full-lifecycle SAP implementations as a Project Manager or Delivery Lead. ~ At least 2 SAP S/4HANA implementations . ~ Demonstrated experience leading large-scale SAP manufacturing or supply chain transformation programs. ~ Experience managing multiple functional workstreams and multiple plant deployments. ~ Integrated program planning ~ Resource planning ~ Experience coordinating business teams, IT teams, global teams, and system integration partners. Experience leading operational cutovers and multi-shift hypercare. Organizational Change Management experience supporting the transition from paper and spreadsheet-based processes to system-driven operations. Experience supporting training strategy and user adoption measurement. Excellent written and verbal English communication skills. Formal Project Management certification such as PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent . Strong working knowledge of SAP Activate methodology . Business-level proficiency in Japanese and English . Previous experience delivering SAP programs in Japan or with Japanese manufacturing organizations. Familiarity with Japanese business culture and consensus-building practices. Experience deploying global SAP templates into country-specific operations. Experience balancing global standards with legitimate local business requirements. SAP Digital Manufacturing SAP BTP SAP Analytics Cloud Automotive Experience in traceability-driven manufacturing and quality environments. PMI-ACP, SAFe, or SAP Activate certification. Language Requirements Fluent professional English is required. Business-level Japanese is strongly preferred but not mandatory. Japanese language skills are beneficial because many process owners, shop-floor personnel, and legacy-system stakeholders may primarily communicate in Japanese, and some current-state documentation may be maintained in Japanese. Candidates without Japanese language proficiency will still be considered, as interpretation support and bilingual documentation resources may be available. Your application has been successfully submitted!