Brief Overview

5 years SAP FI knowledge. Strong integration point knowledge between SAP FI & MM. Customizing essential (Payment processes). Experience leading teams. 1 x SAP S/4 HANA implementation / rollout Project. €100,000 fixed €20,000 bonus. 2 days a week in Bonn office – 1 after probation. Native / Bilingual English. German not required.

Key / Essential Requirements

• SAP FI knowledge important & preferred over deep P2P (Prioritizing financial processes knowledge over procurement processes).
  • Knowledge of the ‘Invoice-to-pay’ areas.
  • Deep knowledge of payment processes.
  • No requirement to understand the deep intricacies of the P2P set up.
• Knowledge of how bank statements should be handled / what are Electronic Bank Statements (EBS) meant to look like?
  • Candidate could potentially be more Banking focused, with strong EBS knowledge & customizing – opposed to deep P2P.
• Knowledge of integration points between SAP FI & SAP MM.
• Should understand how a ‘three-way match’ works.
  • The process of comparing the purchase order, invoice, and goods receipt to make sure they match, prior to approving the invoice.
• Should know what ‘Invoice Verification’ looks like.
  • This process ensures that vendor invoices are accurate and can be cleared for payment. Part of the Accounts Payable (AP) sub-module of SAP FI and integrates with SAP MM.
• Customizing experience crucial – Either themselves, or leading teams Especially payment areas.
  • Should understand how payment processes work?
  • Should know how payment methods configured?
• Leadership experience – Should be able to lead a team of technical experts / consultants.
  • Including stakeholder management experience.
• Knowledge of new API concepts (Application Programming Interface).
  • APIs are a messenger or connector between different software programs, allowing them to talk to each other and share information.
  • Examples of relevant APIs = S/4 HANA APIs, Banking API, Invoice Management APIs, EBS APIs, Payment Processing APIs.
• SAP S/4 HANA experience – Essential. Minimum 1 x Implementation / rollout project.
  • Important because it provides experience with integration points & new API concepts.

Desired, but not Essential Skills

• COUPA experience (Sourcing & Procurement platform used by DHL).
• Springtime Invoice Track (cloud-based solution designed to help businesses streamline and automate their invoice management process).
• Consulting experience – Primarily to keep up with the fast-paced environment.

How deep should the SAP knowledge be?

• Integration points with SAP FI & MM – Should be able to provide input and feedback on the different integration options available / put forward by a technical expert, understand the pros and cons and decide for the business
• Design & Architecture – Should have good knowledge and be able to contribute to the platform design and architecture. Not required to have deep knowledge, deep enough to provide a breakdown of how to design an interface.
  • Needs to understand what the technical architect has sent and make a decision.
• Not required (will be removed from JD) Basic knowledge in ABAP and preferably in Java or JavaScript as well as integrating web services (REST/SOAP/ODATA).

How will the candidate be judged in 12 months?

80% of the Success: Project Delivery

• Clear Tasks and Goals: The candidate will be given specific projects to manage, with defined deadlines (e.g., “deliver the project by X date”).
• End-to-End Responsibility: The candidate will be accountable for the entire delivery process within the P2P and banking areas. While they may not carry out all the customization work themselves, they will be responsible for ensuring their team delivers according to the set objectives.
• Project Lifecycle: They will be expected to support the project through its full lifecycle, which includes:
  1. Fit-Gap Analysis: Identifying gaps between the current system and desired outcomes.
  2. Implementation: Overseeing the actual setup and configuration.
  3. Testing: Ensuring that the solution works as intended.
  4. Go-Live Support: Helping the system transition into production with minimal disruptions (“as little noise as possible”).

20% of the Success: Continuous Improvement

• Review and Improve Processes: The remaining 20% of their success will come from the candidate’s ability to evaluate and improve their own processes. This includes asking themselves questions like:
  • Is there something I can do better?
  • Can I increase efficiency in this area?
• Propose Efficiency Gains or Improvements: They are also encouraged to look beyond their direct responsibilities and suggest improvements in other areas that could increase overall efficiency, even if these suggestions fall outside their immediate scope.

Questions to Ask Candidates

SAP Knowledge & Experience

• Specific expertise with SAP FI and which financial processes?
• How familiar are you with the SAP Invoice-to-Pay process, and how have you applied it in previous projects?
• How strong is your understanding of payment processes in SAP, and how have you customized these processes in past roles?
• Are you aware how bank statements and Electronic Bank Statements (EBS) should be handled in SAP?
• How strong is your knowledge of the integration points between SAP FI and SAP MM play in the Invoice-to-Pay process?
• Do you understand how a “three-way match” works in SAP, and why is it important in the invoicing process?
• Do you know the steps involved in SAP Invoice Verification?
• How have you customized payment processes in SAP in previous projects?

Leadership & Team Management

• Have you led a team of technical experts or consultants?
• How strong are you stakeholder management skills?

Technical & API Knowledge

• How familiar are you with APIs?
• What type of APIs have you worked with?

SAP S/4 HANA & Implementation

• Can you share your experience with SAP S/4 HANA, particularly in implementing or rolling out a project?
• Number of SAP S/4 HANA projects & role?

Process Improvement, Continuous Learning & Mindset

• Are you someone that is constantly searching for better solutions & processes?
• Are you someone that actively wants to take on responsibility, drive topics and lead?
• Are you looking for a high paced, challenging, but rewarding environment – or more focused on work life balance?

Additional Skills & Experience

• What experience do you have with platforms like COUPA or Springtime Invoice Track, and how do they integrate with SAP?