SAP Sr. Cutover Manager

Job Summary:

The SAP Sr. Cutover Manager is a critical leadership role responsible for the end-to-end planning, management, and execution of all cutover activities for large-scale SAP implementation or transformation projects. This individual ensures a seamless and successful transition from legacy systems to the new SAP environment, minimizing business disruption and maximizing system readiness for go-live. The Sr. Cutover Manager acts as a central point of coordination, collaborating extensively with cross-functional business and IT teams, external vendors, and project stakeholders to orchestrate a complex series of technical and business tasks.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cutover Strategy & Planning:
• Develop and define the comprehensive cutover strategy, aligning it with overall project objectives, timelines, and business needs.
• Lead the detailed planning of cutover activities, including technical system migrations, data transfers, system configurations, and business process changes.
• Create and maintain a highly detailed, integrated cutover plan/runbook, encompassing all technical, functional, and operational tasks, dependencies, timelines, and responsible parties.
• Define and manage cutover entry and exit criteria and ensure adherence to these criteria.
• Develop robust contingency and back-out plans to address potential issues or failures during the cutover process.
• Execution Management:
• Oversee and actively manage the execution of the cutover plan, ensuring all tasks are carried out as scheduled and according to plan.
• Coordinate and facilitate regular cutover planning sessions, readiness reviews, mock cutover rehearsals (dress rehearsals), and go/no-go meetings with business and IT leadership.
• Monitor real-time progress during the cutover, identifying and addressing any deviations, issues, or risks immediately.
• Ensure all necessary approvals and checkpoints are met before proceeding to subsequent phases of the cutover.
• Manage and coordinate data migration activities, including data extraction, transformation, loading, and validation, ensuring data integrity and accuracy.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication:
• Act as the primary point of contact for all cutover-related activities, ensuring clear, consistent, and timely communication to all stakeholders (project leadership, business users, IT teams, vendors).
• Provide regular status updates and reports to senior management, highlighting progress, risks, issues, and mitigation strategies.
• Facilitate decision-making processes during the cutover, escalating critical issues to program leadership as appropriate.
• Ensure all stakeholders are aware of their roles and responsibilities during the cutover.
• Risk & Issue Management:
• Proactively identify, assess, and manage potential risks and issues related to the cutover process, developing and implementing effective mitigation strategies.
• Lead issue resolution efforts during the cutover, coordinating with relevant teams to resolve them quickly and efficiently.
• Track and manage cutover-related dependencies across various workstreams.
• Post-Cutover Support & Stabilization (Hypercare):
• Oversee the handover to Hypercare, ensuring smooth transition of support responsibilities.
• Coordinate stabilization activities and early life support following go-live.
• Monitor system performance and user feedback during the stabilization period, facilitating the resolution of post-go-live issues.
• Conduct post-cutover reviews to assess the success of the cutover and document lessons learned for future projects.
• Quality Assurance & Compliance:
• Ensure all cutover activities adhere to established quality standards, governance frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with testing teams to ensure comprehensive testing coverage and readiness for cutover.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in SAP project management and/or implementation, with a minimum of 5-7 years dedicated to managing complex SAP cutover activities for large-scale implementations.
• Proven track record of successfully leading end-to-end cutovers for significant SAP transformations (e.g., ECC to S/4HANA, global rollouts).
• Deep understanding of SAP landscapes, integration points, and dependencies across various SAP modules (e.g., FI/CO, SD, MM, PP, HCM, SCM) and technical components (e.g., Basis, Security, Data Migration).
• Expertise in cutover methodologies, best practices, and tools.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage detailed runbooks, critical timelines, and cross-team dependencies.
• Exceptional leadership presence and the ability to influence, coordinate, and motivate diverse business and technical teams.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and concisely to all levels of the organization.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Jira, Azure DevOps) and advanced Excel skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, make critical decisions, and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• SAP certifications related to S/4HANA or project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2).
• Experience with cloud-based SAP implementations (e.g., SAP S/4HANA Public/Private Cloud, RISE with SAP).
• Familiarity with change management principles and their application during cutover.
• Experience in specific industry sectors relevant to the project.

Working Conditions:

• May require extended hours, especially during critical cutover periods.
• May involve travel to client sites or other project locations.
• This role may operate in a hybrid model, combining remote work with on-site presence as required.