Corporate Director SAP

IHCL and its subsidiaries bring together a group of brands and businesses that offer a fusion of warm hospitality and world-class service. These include Taj – the iconic brand for the most discerning travellers, and ranked as Worlds Strongest Hotel Brand and Indias Strongest Brand across sectors as per Brand Finance Hotels 50 and India 100 reports 2024 respectively; SeleQtions, a named collection of handpicked, storied hotels; Vivanta, a chain of contemporary upscale hotels that celebrate joie de vivre; Ginger, a brand that is revolutionizing the lean-luxe segment, and amã Stays & Trails, a charming portfolio of private bungalows and villas set in picturesque locales. Along with our varied and latest offerings like Gateway, The Claridges Collection, Tree of Life,The Clarks Hotels and Resorts and TajSATs, IHCL has evolved from a Branded House to a House of Brands, offering a diverse portfolio across luxury, upscale, lean luxe, and homestay segments.

Job Objective

This position is responsible for the overall leadership and management of IHCLs SAP S/4 HANA systems, with a primary focus on FICO along with Sales & Distribution (SD) modules, while overseeing integration with other SAP modules and related applications. Other SAP modules implemented in IHCL are MM, Ariba, Prod. Planning, Plant Maintenance, Group Reporting, FSCM, Fund Management, Treasury, Project Systems, SAP Analytics Cloud & BTP. At IHCL relevant SAP modules are tightly integrated with Success Factors. This position will serve as the SAP functional expert, aligning business needs with SAP capabilities across SD, Finance, and other modules. He/She will lead the deployment of new SAP solutions or upgrades and ensure robust post go-live support (Business-as-Usual). The role involves front-ending with business users to gather requirements and provide solutions, and managing outsourced SAP consultants and vendor partners to deliver high-quality SAP projects and support services, ensuring that all SAP initiatives and ongoing operations are delivered to the highest standards.

Areas of Responsibility

Business Analysis & Requirements Definition

Engage with business stakeholders (e.g., Finance, Sales, Operations) to investigate and analyze business processes and requirements. Facilitate agreement on solution designs and specifications for SAP S/4 HANA enhancements or new implementations that meet organizational objectives.

SAP Implementation & Integration

Manage all stages of SAP S/4HANA project initiatives (especially in SD and FI) and integration with other systems. This includes project planning, design, configuration, and working with technical teams to ensure seamless integration of SAP modules with each other and with external applications.

Testing & Quality Assurance

Coordinate and oversee testing activities (unit testing, integration testing, user acceptance testing) during SAP implementations, rollouts, and upgrades. Ensure that all issues are resolved and that the SAP solutions work end-to-end across modules without errors before go-live.

Operations & Support

Take ownership of SAP S/4 HANA systems day-to-day operations. Monitor system performance and stability; ensure that support SLAs (for incident resolution, service requests, and change requests) are met or exceeded. Provide guidance for timely resolution of SAP issues and minimize downtime to business operations.

Financial Management

Oversee budgeting and costs related to SAP systems. Administer the SAP-related IT expense budget (licenses, support contracts, project expenditures) within budgetary guidelines to ensure cost-effective operations. Review and approve spending on SAP services and manage license utilization efficiently.

Vendor Management

Manage relationships with external SAP vendors and consulting partners. This includes selecting and overseeing outsourced SAP functional consultants, defining scopes of work, monitoring vendor performance against agreed SLAs, and ensuring deliverables from partners meet IHCLs quality standards. Negotiate and coordinate with SAP and third-party service providers for implementations, rollouts, and support, acting as the primary point of contact.

Key Interfaces

Internal

Collaborate closely with functional departments and user groups that rely on SAP, especially the Finance & Accounts team (for financial modules and reporting) and Sales/Revenue Management or relevant commercial teams (for SD module processes). Work with other departments like Procurement, Inventory/Materials, and Operations for cross-functional SAP processes. Engage with the IT Infrastructure/Basis and Security teams to ensure underlying SAP technical environment (servers, databases, authorizations) supports the functional needs. Additionally, coordinate with other IT application teams (e.g., CRM, PMS or other hotel systems) to integrate SAP with other enterprise systems as needed.

External

Liaise with SAP (e.g., SAP India or SAP support) for product support, licensing, and staying updated on SAPs product roadmap. Manage external SAP implementation partners and consulting firms who provide functional and development support – including companies handling SAP S/4 HANA module implementations, support ticket handling, or specialized SAP service providers. This involves regular coordination with project managers and senior consultants from vendor teams to ensure deliverables and support outcomes are achieved as per contract.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Education

Graduate or Postgraduate degree in Information Technology, CA, CS, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field from a reputed institute. (An MBA or advanced degree in Finance is a plus but not mandatory.)

Work Experience

Minimum 12 years of relevant experience in IT/SAP, including significant hands-on experience as an SAP functional consultant. Experience must include strong expertise in SAP S/4 HANA – Finance (FI/CO) modules. The ideal candidate will have led or been a key consultant in at least 2 to 3 full lifecycle SAP implementations or rollouts in FI domains. Experience in providing post-implementation support and managing SAP operations is required. Prior exposure to managing outsourced SAP support teams or external consultants is essential, as is experience in interfacing directly with business users in a support or requirements-gathering capacity.

Industry Exposure

Experience in the hospitality industry or related domains such as Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), or retail is highly desirable, as it provides valuable context for the business processes that SAP will support. Candidates with experience in large multi-unit businesses or consulting for such industries will have an advantage in understanding IHCLs operational needs.

Certifications

Professional certifications in SAP are preferred. This includes SAP S/4 HANA certification or module-specific certifications in FI. Such certifications attest to the candidates up-to-date knowledge of SAP best practices and new features.

Language

Excellent communication skills in English (written and verbal) are required, as the role involves extensive interaction with business users, global vendors, and documentation/reporting in English.

Additional Information

This role is a full-time position based in Mumbai with a work-from-office requirement. The position may be required to travel approximately 3–4 times a year to IHCL hotels or offices (for project deployments, training, or vendor coordination meetings). The candidate should be prepared to occasionally work outside regular hours during critical project go-lives or major issue resolutions, given the hospitality industrys 24/7 operational nature. The position offers an opportunity to lead IHCLs SAP Center of Excellence, driving digital transformation in a dynamic hospitality environment while working with cross-functional teams and cutting-edge SAP technologies.