SAP Center of Excellence (COE) Lead

SAP Center of Excellence (COE) Lead

SAP COE Lead will be responsible for establishing, leading, and scaling the SAP Center of Excellence within the GBS organization in Bangalore. This role is critical to ensuring a strong post-implementation sustainment model for SAP S/4HANA, while working in close collaboration with the System Integrator (SI), global IT teams, and business operations. 

This role will report to Head of Global Business Services and is located in Bangalore. Our GBS office is operating in hybrid work set up.

Goal of function:

The role will provide strategic, functional, and operational leadership across SAP application support, continuous improvement, release management, and capability building, ensuring SAP becomes a stable, scalable, and value-generating digital backbone for FME.

1) Main tasks:

This is a foundational leadership role that will shape how SAP capabilities are delivered globally at FME. The role will enable business agility, operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and long-term digital transformation through GBS, supporting both MedTech (manufacturing) and Care Delivery (clinical operations) landscapes within FME.

Key Responsibilities

1. SAP COE Strategy & Governance

• Define and execute the SAP COE vision, operating model, and roadmap aligned to FME’s SAP S/4HANA transformation journey.
• Establish clear governance structures, decision forums, escalation models, and performance management for SAP sustain operations.
• Own SAP COE service scope definition covering Run, Change, and Optimize activities.
• Act as the primary SAP thought leader within GBS for enterprise-wide SAP capability maturity.

SAP S/4HANA Sustainment & Transition

• Lead the transition from SI-led implementation to steady-state SAP operations within the GBS SAP COE.
• Partner closely with the System Integrator (SI) to ensure effective knowledge transfer, documentation, and handover of responsibilities.
• Ensure production stability, issue resolution, and performance optimization post go-live.
• Drive readiness for hypercare exit and long-term operational sustainability
• Lead Overall Ticket Management process for SAP COE along with Service Desk Management capabilities and metrics related to stable functioning of Business.

Collaboration with SI, IT, and Business Operations/ 3rd party

• Serve as the single point of accountability for SAP application services within GBS.
• Work in close partnership with:
  • System Integrator (SI) for releases, enhancements, and defect management
  • Global IT teams for architecture, security, integration, and infrastructure
  • Business Operations/3rd party teams for demand management, prioritization, and value realization
• Ensure alignment between SAP roadmap, business priorities, and operational outcomes.

SAP Application Management & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee SAP application support across key modules  of the ESPHORA system(e.g., FI/CO, MM, SD, PP, QM, WM/EWM, TM, HR, BW, etc., as applicable).
• Drive continuous improvement through:
  • Process optimization
  • Automation and intelligent workflows
  • Standardization and best practices
• Ensure robust incident, problem, change, and release management in line with ITIL principles.

Talent, Capability & Organization Build-out

• Build and scale a high-performing SAP COE organization within GBS Bangalore.
• Define role structures, skill requirements, and career paths across SAP functional, technical, and support roles.
• Drive hiring, onboarding, capability development, and retention of SAP talent.
• Establish a strong learning ecosystem including certifications, cross-skilling, and succession planning.

Financial, Vendor & Performance Management

• Own SAP COE budgeting, cost optimization, and financial governance.
• Manage SI and third-party vendor performance against SLAs, KPIs, and commercial agreements.
• Ensure transparency on SAP run costs, value delivered, and efficiency gains.
• Identify opportunities for insourcing, cost leverage, and productivity improvements through GBS.

Risk, Compliance & Quality Assurance

• Ensure SAP operations comply with internal controls, SOX, audit, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Proactively manage operational, delivery, and transformation risks.
• Establish quality standards, documentation discipline, and operational resilience.

2) Stakeholder Engagement

• Global Business Services Leadership
• Global IT & Enterprise Architecture
• SAP System Integrator(s)
• Business Process Owners & Operations Leaders
• Finance, HR, Procurement, Supply Chain Leadership
• External SAP and Technology Partners

3) Miscellaneous tasks:

Tasks not performed regularly which are nevertheless a distinct part of the job, or special tasks / project work.

Qualifications, experience, know-how and skills critical for success

• Bachelor/Master’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, or related field
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred
• SAP S/4HANA functional and operational expertise
• 15+ years of SAP experience with a proven track record in large-scale SAP delivery, team building, and transformation programs.
• Extensive experience managing complex, global SAP support and development engagements, including multi-vendor and multi-region landscapes.
• Proven experience setting up or leading an SAP CoE within a GCC/GBS or large enterprise / services organizations.
• Strong hands-on understanding of SAP S/4HANA, ECC, and SAP ecosystem.
• Proven experience driving solutions across SAP BTP, integrations, data, analytics, and automation.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end business processes across:
  • Manufacturing & supply chain
  • Finance & controlling
  • Commercial & service operations
• Experience building and scaling SAP talent across functional, technical, and integration domains. 
• Define and operationalize skill taxonomy, career paths, and structured learning programs within the SAP CoE.
• Drive collaboration across regions and time zones.
• Preference in LifeSciences space with deep Understanding of Validation Topics
• Understanding of GxP, SOX, data privacy, and audit readiness