ERP Lead

Finance & Digital Transformation Program Reports to: Mariya Tarakanova, Transformation Lead. Location: US preferred, Germany considered. Type: Full-time employee or FT contractor. Key Details Seniority: Senior — 8 to 12 years. Must have led at least one full SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation as program or workstream lead. Start: As soon as possible — this role is on the critical path. Duration: Employee or full-time contractor. Estimated 24 to 36 months through S/4 go‑live and hypercare. Travel: US and Germany, occasional travel to Rendsburg. Language: English required. German is an advantage but not required. Why this role is critical now The ERP Lead is the most time‑sensitive hire in the program. Pilot scope definition, ERP partner selection, RFP issuance, and S/4 design are all blocked until this person is in post. The goal is to hire and onboard before end of Q2 2026. Opportunity Lapmaster Wolters is a precision manufacturing company with operations in the US, Germany, UK, and Asia. The company is embarking on a 24 to 36‑month finance and digital transformation — migrating from Elliott ERP (US) and SAP ECC (Germany) to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, with the US entity as the pilot deployment. This is a greenfield S/4 implementation, not a lift‑and‑shift. The business has committed to starting fresh — clean chart of accounts, redesigned finance processes, and a platform built to scale. The ERP Lead will own the technical and functional delivery of that vision from day one. The program is well‑structured. Governance is in place, the transformation lead is experienced, the CFO is an active sponsor, and the business owner is engaged. The ERP Lead joins a small, accountable team with real decision‑making authority and a clear mandate. What you will do S/4 design and delivery Own S/4 design end to end — FI, CO, and PS module scope across US pilot and Germany template. Define pilot entity scope, module configuration, and deployment sequencing in collaboration with the transformation lead. Lead ERP partner selection — define evaluation criteria, assess partner shortlist, and issue the RFP. Manage the implementation partner day to day — hold them accountable to scope, quality, and timeline. Drive data migration planning — legacy data from Elliott and SAP ECC, validation approach, and cutover sequencing. Own the integration design between S/4, SAP BTP, Tagetik, CRM (C4C), and field service (FSM). Finance process translation Collaborate with the transformation lead on month‑end close redesign — translate agreed process changes into S/4 workflow, journal entry automation, and Financial Closing Cockpit configuration. Support COA implementation in S/4 — the unified account structure is designed by the transformation lead; the ERP Lead ensures it is configured correctly and consistently across all entities. Drive resolution of SAP ECC master data gaps — approximately 20 to 25 percent of material costs in Germany are currently flagged due to booking errors; these must be resolved before S/4 configuration begins. Coordinate with Jan‑Niklas and Werner on the SAP PS profitability tracking POC in Rendsburg — they own this work; the ERP Lead ensures S/4 design accommodates their approach and the POC findings feed into the deployment template. Change management and training Work closely with the implementation partner to design the change management approach — impact assessment, stakeholder engagement plan, and readiness checkpoints at each phase gate. Drive development of training materials with the implementation partner — role‑based training covering new workflows in S/4, Financial Closing Cockpit, and reporting. Ensure training covers both US and Germany teams — account for language, process differences, and the different ERP starting points (Elliott vs SAP ECC). Track change readiness across the program — surface adoption risks early and elevate to the transformation lead and steering committee. Support hyper‑care after go‑live — ensure staff have the support they need to operate confidently in the new system. Program leadership Report to the transformation lead and participate in weekly steering committee. Own the ERP workstream — track milestones, surface risks early, and drive decisions to closure. Bridge the US and Germany teams — both entities are in scope and must be aligned on design decisions. Contribute to the RPA reconciliation bridge and KPI layer design in Phase 2. What you bring Must have 8 to 12 years of SAP experience with at least one full S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation delivered as program or workstream lead — not as a team member. Deep functional expertise in FI and CO — journal entry automation, close process configuration, reconciliation frameworks, consolidation feeds to Tagetik or equivalent. SAP PS experience — project systems, revenue recognition, POC calculation, profitability reporting. Experience managing an external SAP implementation partner — RFP process, named resource accountability, and quality management. Experience working across US and European entities — 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. Strong advantage SAP ECC to S/4 migration experience — understanding of the technical delta, data migration complexity, and change impact. Experience with SAP BTP integration — connecting S/4 to CRM, FSM, and supplier portal. Familiarity with Tagetik or similar consolidation platforms — direct SAP integration, group account mapping. Manufacturing or industrial company background — understanding of SAP PS, contract manufacturing, and WIP reporting. Experience with RPA tools for close automation and reconciliation bridging. German language skills. Who you are You have led programs, not just participated in them — you know the difference between owning a workstream and contributing to one. You are comfortable holding a partner accountable by name — scope creep, missed milestones, and named resource gaps do not get past you. You translate between finance and IT without losing either audience — you can review a BTP integration spec in the morning and discuss close process redesign in the afternoon. You understand that change management is not a workstream you hand off — you stay close to adoption risk throughout the program. You surface problems early rather than managing them quietly — the steering committee hears about risks from you before they become issues. You are organized enough to run a complex program and direct enough to keep a small team moving without bureaucracy. What this role is not This is not a configuration role. The ERP Lead owns design and delivery — hands‑on configuration is the implementation partner's responsibility. This is not a support role. The ERP Lead has decision‑making authority on the ERP workstream and is expected to exercise it. This is not a process design role. Finance process ownership — close redesign, COA structure, margin model — sits with the transformation lead and the finance leads. The ERP Lead translates those decisions into S/4 and ensures they are delivered. This is not a steady‑state role. The program has a defined end state — S/4 go‑live, operating model in place, team handed off. The ERP Lead is here to build something and leave it running. About Lapmaster Wolters Lapmaster Wolters is a global leader in precision surface finishing and lapping technology, serving semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and optical industries. With manufacturing operations in the US, Germany, UK, Singapore, and Asia, the company produces precision machines and consumables used in the most demanding surface finishing applications in the world. Benefits 401(k) with matching. Medical, dental, and vision insurance (company contribution for dependents). Company‑paid short‑term and long‑term disability and life/AD&D. Vacation, sick leave, and holidays. EAP. Equal Employment Opportunity Employer Lapmaster Wolters is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, or disability status. #J-18808-Ljbffr Lapmaster Wolters International LLC