SAP Centre of Excellence:– Plan to Make (SAP PP/DS)

To ensure highly reliable, efficient, and optimized production planning and detailed scheduling (PP/DS) as well as MRP processes within SAP S/4HANA. The role stabilizes end‑to‑end manufacturing and material planning, supports business users through L2/L3 sustain operations, supports continuous improvement, and ensures seamless integration across Plan‑to‑Make, Supply Chain Planning, Shop‑Floor Execution, and Quality modules. The position directly contributes to manufacturing service levels, capacity utilization, and operational excellence in the GBS Sustain Operations environment.

Career Path

                                                                                     Please specify from Senior level on:

 No allocation because below Senior level        Expert career   Project Management career     Line Management career

Tasks*

1) Main tasks:

  Provide L2/L3 support for SAP S/4HANA ePP/DS and MRP processes, including production planning, detailed scheduling, heuristics, pegging, material planning and planning run monitoring.

  Monitor and manage PP/DS and MRP planning runs, background jobs, CIF integration queues, and exception messages; troubleshoot and resolve performance bottlenecks.

  Perform configuration and fine‑tuning of key PP/DS objects:

• PDS (Production Data Structure)
• Planning procedures, heuristics, and scheduling strategies
• Resource models, shift sequences, and capacity calendars
• DS planning board, alerts, and pegging settings

  Support master data governance for routing, BOMs, work centres/resources, production versions, planning parameters, classification, relevant PP/DS and MRP attributes.

  Analyse planning mismatches and conflicts; recommend corrective and preventive actions.

  Support integration across PP, MM, , APO/IBP, ensuring consistent end‑to‑end production planning.

  Manage change requests and enhancement deployments in alignment with global process owners and IT governance.

  Support continuous improvement (CI) initiatives to enhance production plan stability, and increase accuracy.

  Support material planner, production planners and schedulers with system expertise and troubleshooting guidance

2) Secondary tasks:

  Develop training materials and conduct sessions for planners, schedulers, and plant users.

  Support SIT/UAT during release cycles, upgrades, and functional enhancements.

  Collaborate with Finance and Costing teams for planning‑related cost impact assessments.

3) Miscellaneous tasks:

  Support new plant onboarding and PP/DS as well as MRP template rollouts.

  Contribute to digital manufacturing initiatives e.g. real‑time scheduling improvements.

  Participate in disaster recovery and business continuity simulations.

Key Performance Indicators

  Planning run performance & stability

  % Increase of PP/DS accuracy

  Schedule adherence & on‑time production order release

  Incident MTTR and SLA compliance

  Successful execution of background jobs & CIF integration health

  Continuous improvement savings (hours, cost avoidance)

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

1) Required training and education:

  Bachelor’s/Master’s in Engineering, Supply Chain, Industrial Management, or related fields.

  APICS/ASCM CPIM preferred; SAP PP/DS certification advantageous.

2) Required professional experience (in years):

  6–9 years in Production Planning and Scheduling.

  4+ years hands‑on SAP PP/DS (S/4HANA preferred; APO‑PP/DS acceptable).

  Experience in manufacturing environments across discrete/process industries.

  GBS/CoE or sustain operations experience preferred.

3) Important personal qualities:

  Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.

  Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

  High level of accuracy and structured working style.

  Capability to adapt in an international and cultural diverse environment

  Ability to work under pressure and manage operational priorities.

4) Other specialized knowledge:

a) Technical knowledge

•   PP/DS heuristics, pegging, DS planning board
•   MRP planning routine
•   Resource scheduling, finite capacity planning
•   Product allocation & planning parameters
•   CIF integration, PDS generation
•   PP–MM–QMIBP/APO integration understanding

b) Languages

c) IT skills

•   SAP S/4HANA PP/DS, PP, MM, QM
•   Understanding of IBP integration
•   Excel, Power BI (optional)
•   ITSM tools (ServiceNow/Remedy)

d) Product knowledge

•   Manufacturing processes (make‑to‑stock, make‑to‑order, batch/serial)
•   Product lifecycle and planning constraints
• Understanding of priorities and challenges within the health care industry

5 ) Special personal requirements:

  Flexibility to support global time zones when needed.

  Occasional travel (up to 10%) for site visits, workshops, and rollouts.

  Availability during critical production cycles or system cutovers.