SAP Project Lead

Role Purpose

The SAP Basis Lead is accountable for the reliability, availability, security, performance and lifecycle management of the enterprise SAP platform, across Business-as-Usual (BAU) operations and SAP transformation initiatives.

The role acts as the technical service owner and primary interface between internal IT, SAP application teams, SAP RISE/ECS, hyperscalers and AMS/service partners, ensuring a secure, resilient and efficiently operated SAP landscape.

Key Responsibilities

1. RISE with SAP & Platform Governance

• Own technical governance of RISE with SAP / S/4HANA Private Cloud and the broader SAP platform landscape.
• Govern the RISE shared-responsibility model across SAP ECS, internal IT, hyperscalers and service partners.
• Manage SAP/ECS service delivery, SLAs, planned maintenance, escalations and continual service improvement.
• Govern system provisioning, refreshes, patching, upgrades, capacity and technical lifecycle activities.
• Define and maintain SAP platform standards, architecture principles and technology roadmap.
• Ensure clear ownership and accountability across SAP, AMS and internal teams.

2. BAU Operations & Service Reliability

• Ensure stable 24x7 operation of business-critical SAP environments.
• Govern incident, problem, change and major-incident management, including root-cause analysis and preventive actions.
• Oversee system availability, performance, interfaces, background jobs, databases, capacity and overall platform health.
• Govern kernel/support package upgrades, patching, system refreshes, client copies, housekeeping and transport management.
• Establish and monitor operational SLAs, KPIs, runbooks and escalation procedures.
• Drive proactive monitoring and observability across SAP systems, integrations, jobs and critical business processes.
• Drive automation and continual improvement to reduce manual effort, recurring incidents and technical debt.
• Leverage SAP Cloud ALM, where applicable, for monitoring, alerting and operational insights.

3. S/4HANA Transformation, Release & Cutover

• Act as BASIS technical lead for S/4HANA implementations, upgrades, migrations and transformation programs.
• Ensure technical environment readiness across DEV, QA, UAT, Pre-Production and Production.
• Lead technical cutovers, transport/release management, production deployment and hypercare.
• Coordinate technical dependencies across Functional, Development, Integration, Security, Data, Testing and Infrastructure teams.
• Ensure transformation activities are delivered without compromising BAU stability.
• Support landscape simplification and transition from legacy SAP platforms.

4. Architecture, Integration & Lifecycle Management

• Provide technical leadership across S/4HANA, HANA, Fiori/Gateway, Cloud Connector and associated SAP platform technologies.
• Govern connectivity across SAP cloud, on-premises and third-party platforms.
• Ensure architecture provides appropriate availability, resilience, performance, scalability and capacity.
• Govern authentication, certificates, SSO, connectivity and network dependencies.
• Evaluate new SAP technologies and platform capabilities in alignment with enterprise architecture and business requirements.
• Maintain lifecycle plans for SAP platforms, databases and related technical components.

5. Security, Risk, Compliance & Resilience

• Ensure SAP platforms comply with enterprise cybersecurity, ITGC and audit requirements.
• Govern vulnerability remediation, secure configurations, certificate management and privileged technical access.
• Maintain SAP platform risks and associated remediation plans.
• Govern backup/recovery, high availability and Disaster Recovery capabilities.
• Coordinate DR readiness and testing aligned with agreed RTO/RPO requirements.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure appropriate controls and evidence are maintained.

6. Partner, Vendor & Team Leadership

• Lead operational governance with SAP/ECS, AMS providers, hyperscalers and other technology partners.
• Monitor service delivery against contractual responsibilities, SLAs and KPIs.
• Act as the technical escalation point for critical SAP platform issues.
• Lead service reviews, corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical direction and mentoring to BASIS/platform specialists.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, SAP Application and business teams.
• Drive automation, simplification, cost optimization and operational excellence across the SAP platform.

Experience & Core Skills

• About 15 years of experience in SAP
• Strong experience leading SAP BASIS/platform operations within a large enterprise environment.
• Deep technical knowledge of SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA.
• Strong experience with RISE with SAP / S/4HANA Private Cloud.
• Experience working with SAP ECS and the RISE shared-responsibility model.
• Strong experience in SAP BAU operations, performance management, upgrades, migrations, technical cutovers, system refreshes and transport management.
• Experience supporting large-scale S/4HANA transformation and upgrade programs.
• Strong understanding of SAP architecture, Fiori/Gateway, Cloud Connector, interfaces and enterprise connectivity.
• Strong understanding of ITSM processes including incident, problem, change and major-incident management.
• Knowledge of security, audit, compliance, HA/DR and business continuity requirements.
• Experience governing SAP, AMS and cloud service providers within an SLA-driven operating model.
• Strong technical leadership, stakeholder management, vendor management and communication skills.

Good to Have

• Working knowledge of SAP BTP and its interaction with the core SAP landscape.
• Experience with SAP Cloud ALM (CALM) for monitoring, alerting and operational insights.
• Experience transitioning monitoring/ALM capabilities from SAP Solution Manager to newer SAP tooling.
• Exposure to automation and observability solutions supporting SAP operations.
• Experience with global, multi-system and business-critical SAP landscapes.

Role Success Profile

The successful candidate combines strong SAP BASIS technical depth with service ownership, governance and transformation leadership.

The role is not intended to be primarily a hands-on BASIS administrator. The SAP BASIS Lead is accountable for ensuring that internal teams, SAP/ECS, AMS and other technology partners collectively deliver a stable, secure and future-ready SAP platform, while enabling S/4HANA transformation and maintaining BAU service continuity.

If you want to go further

This position will be located in Pune/Bangalore/Gurgaon. You will report to SAP Global Lead, who is located in Gurgaon, India. For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Sonam Dalal, Talent Acquisition Specialist, by email sonam.dalal@skfvertevo.com. Please note that we can't accept applications via email.

Apply with your CV in English throughout the system, no later than 11th November 2026. We will screen candidates continuously, so make sure to submit your application as soon as possible.

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Transparency and fairness matter to us

At SKF, we see diversity in our workforce as an asset that supports better business results. We are committed to having a fair and inclusive recruitment process where all hiring decisions are based on objective, job-related criteria, ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates.

To support a fair and transparent recruitment process, the process may include assessments, and before hiring, we may also carry out background checks and verify application information. Any employment offer will be based on the requirements of the role and an overall assessment of the candidate’s qualifications and potential. Our recruitment process may differ from country to country and will always be in line with applicable country-specific laws and regulations.

Come as you are – just be yourself. #weareSKF