SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) Consultant/Architect

SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) Consultant/Architect Remote (50% Travel)

We are seeking an experienced SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) Consultant/Architect with strong expertise across Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Order-Based Planning (OBP), and Network Optimization.

The role requires approximately 50% travel, and all approved travel expenses will be covered. The locations are Minneapolis and Los Angeles.

Travel will depend on the project phase. Sometimes the resource may need to travel once a month; sometimes there may be no travel in a particular month, and at other times they may need to travel twice in a month. Overall, the resource should be open and flexible to travel as needed.

Responsibilities
Lead the design, configuration, implementation, and support of SAP IBP solutions.
Work with business stakeholders to understand current planning processes, identify gaps, and design scalable IBP solutions.
Configure and support SAP IBP for Demand, including:
Statistical forecasting
Demand sensing
Consensus demand planning
Forecast models
Forecast accuracy and bias analysis
Product and customer segmentation
Demand review processes
Configure and support SAP IBP for Supply, including:
Supply planning
Capacity planning
Constraint-based planning
Production and distribution planning
Supply allocation
Deployment
Supply balancing
Design and support Order-Based Planning (OBP) processes, including:
Response and supply planning
Order-level pegging
Prioritization
Confirmation strategies
Allocation
Supply protection
Deployment and replenishment
Design and implement Network Optimization solutions across plants, warehouses, distribution centers, and customer locations.
Model sourcing, production, transportation, capacity, and inventory constraints across the supply network.
Optimize product flow across manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and customer locations.
Support scenario planning and what-if analysis to evaluate supply, demand, capacity, and network alternatives.
Work with business teams to define planning horizons, time profiles, planning levels, key figures, attributes, and planning operators.
Configure and maintain:
Planning areas
Master data types
Key figures
Planning levels
Time profiles
Copy operators
Forecasting algorithms
Supply planning operators
Alerts and exception management

Support integration between SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA, including master and transactional data.
Work with SAP Cloud Integration for Data Services (CI-DS) and other integration technologies.
Collaborate with teams supporting SAP PP, MM, SD, APO, EWM, TM, and S/4HANA.
Lead workshops, solution design sessions, fit-gap analysis, and process harmonization activities.
Support data migration, testing, cutover, go-live, hypercare, and post-production support.
Prepare functional specifications, solution design documents, configuration documents, test scripts, and training materials.
Troubleshoot complex planning, integration, master data, and performance-related issues.
Mentor junior team members and provide functional leadership across IBP workstreams.

Required Qualifications

8+ years of SAP Supply Chain Planning experience.
5+ years of hands-on SAP IBP experience.
Strong implementation experience with:
SAP IBP for Demand
SAP IBP for Supply
Order-Based Planning (OBP)
Network Optimization
Strong understanding of end-to-end supply chain planning processes.
Experience with statistical forecasting and demand planning.
Strong knowledge of constrained and unconstrained supply planning.
Experience with supply network modeling and optimization.
Strong knowledge of production, capacity, sourcing, distribution, and inventory planning.
Experience configuring SAP IBP planning areas, key figures, master data, planning levels, and operators.
Strong experience integrating SAP IBP with SAP S/4HANA.
Experience with CI-DS or other SAP integration technologies.
At least one full lifecycle SAP IBP implementation.
Strong analytical, communication, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
Demand Planning Experience

The candidate should have strong experience in:

Statistical forecasting
Demand sensing
Consensus forecasting
Forecast model selection
Forecast accuracy
Forecast bias
New product introduction
Product segmentation
Customer demand planning
Demand review cycles
Sales and Operations Planning / Integrated Business Planning processes
Supply Planning Experience

Strong expertise should include:

Unconstrained and constrained supply planning
Production planning
Capacity planning
Supply allocation
Deployment
Distribution requirements planning
Inventory balancing
Supply-demand matching
Bottleneck analysis
What-if scenario planning
Production and transportation constraints
Order-Based Planning Experience

Hands-on experience with SAP IBP OBP should include:

Response and Supply
Order-level planning
Supply confirmation
Pegging
Prioritization
Allocations
Supply protection
Deployment
Stock transfer planning
Real-time or near-real-time order visibility
Integration with S/4HANA transactional data
Network Optimization Experience

The candidate should have experience designing and optimizing multi-level supply networks involving:

Manufacturing plants
Contract manufacturers
Distribution centers
Warehouses
Suppliers
Customers
Transportation lanes
Production capacities
Sourcing alternatives
Inventory positioning
Experience with cost-based optimization, sourcing optimization, capacity optimization, and network scenario modeling is highly desirable.