Head - SAP Services

Head – SAP Services will lead the SAP ecosystem across GMR and its entities. The role covers strategy, architecture, delivery, operations and compliance. It ensures robust ERP performance, a clean-core and scalable S/4HANA landscape, audit readiness, and tight integration with airport operations, commercial and corporate functions. As strategic owner of SAP application services, the role is accountable for governance, innovation (including SAP BTP, analytics and AI), vendor and licence management, and business value from SAP investments. 

Responsibilities

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

SAP Strategy, Architecture & Governance

• Define and own the multi-year SAP roadmap aligned with GAL's digital transformation goals, including the S/4HANA path (version upgrades or RISE with SAP decisions) and a clean-core approach.


• Lead planning and business cases for large SAP transformation programmes.


• Govern SAP architecture, data models, custom code, and dependencies across modules (FI-CO, MM, SD, HCM, PS, PM, RE-FX as applicable) and across airport entities.


• Standardise master data, taxonomy and reporting hierarchies across business units and joint ventures, so regulator (AERA) and concession reporting works across entities.


• Drive adoption of SAP BTP, process automation, workflow digitisation, embedded analytics (SAC/Datasphere) and AI use cases with the Data & AI CoE.


• Run an SAP Architecture/Design Authority and a governance forum with business process owners.

• Adherence to roadmap milestones (on time and on budget)


• Realised ROI and benefits on SAP investments, against the business case


• % reduction in custom code, or clean-core compliance score


• Master data quality 


• ROI on SAP investments

Program & Operations Management

• Oversee day-to-day operations across SAP modules for uptime, SLA compliance and fast incident resolution.


• Stabilise new SAP projects after go-live (new modules, rollouts to new etntities, integrations).


• Govern the full ticket lifecycle (incidents, service requests, change requests, problems), including root-cause analysis to reduce repeat issues.


• Lead integration across S/4HANA, SuccessFactors and Ariba, and with third-party and systems (billing, e-invoicing/IRP, GST, banking host-to-host, and other systems)


• Coordinate month-end, quarter-end and year-end closing with Finance.


• Make statutory configuration changes on time (GST, TDS, labour codes, Ind AS updates).


• Own SAP disaster recovery, backup and business continuity, including periodic DR drills.

•  % SAP availability/uptime

• % tickets resolved within SLA, split by incident, service request and change


• % reduction in repeat P1/P2 incidents


• Number of successful system integrations


• Closing calendar adherence (financial close days)


• DR drill success and RPO/RTO compliance (recovery point and time objectives)

Enhancements & Change Management

• Lead identification, prioritization, and execution of system enhancement initiatives across modules.


• Validate business cases for enhancements and ensure ROI justification, budgeting, and vendor coordination.


• Govern the customization lifecycle: review functional specs, interface designs, development timelines, test plans, and UAT outcomes.


• Approve release schedules for new functionalities, patches, upgrades, and version migrations.


• Institutionalize structured change management and communication plans for major releases and system rollouts.

• Number of process enhancements completed annually


• Business satisfaction scores

Responsibilities

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Vendor, Licence & Contract Management

• Drive partner selection, scope, SLAs, commercial negotiations and renewals with Procurement and Legal.


• Manage SAP, AMS and implementation partners on roadmap alignment and delivery milestones (configuration, enhancements, upgrades, patches).


• Track vendor performance against contract KPIs (resolution SLAs, deployment success rate, defect leakage, audit support) and hold quarterly business reviews.


• Run escalation mechanisms for cross-vendor dependencies and delivery risks in multi-partner setups.


• Own SAP licence management: user licence optimisation, annual licence audit (LAW), indirect/digital access compliance, and SAP support contract value (Enterprise Support or RISE).


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• % vendor adherence to SLA


• Turnaround time for service requests


• SAP licence cost optimisation (% savings or avoided cost)


• licence audit 

Compliance, Audit & Risk Management

• Own audit readiness of SAP landscape – ensure compliance with internal controls, access governance, segregation of duties, and audit trails.


• Coordinate with internal and statutory auditors to provide data extracts, system walkthroughs, and evidential logs.


• Collaborate with IT security team for secure integrations, data access protocols, and 3rd party approvals.


• Ensure compliance with the DPDP Act 2023 for personal data in SAP, especially HR and SuccessFactors.


• Run periodic user access reviews and remediate SoD conflicts.

• % critical audit issues closed on time


• Number of repeat audit observations (target: zero)


• % SoD conflicts remediated or mitigated


• % critical SAP security notes applied within SLA


• % of critical audit issues resolved within defined timelines

Team Development and Management

• Identify training needs, facilitate skill development programs, and enhance team competencies.


• Implement structured mentorship and leadership development initiatives.


• Address team concerns, provide guidance, and create opportunities for professional growth.


• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.


• Encourage participation in team-building activities and employee engagement initiatives.

• Attrition rates


• Employee Engagement scores


• % Participation in training and upskilling programs

•  SAP SE (account team, Enterprise Support/MaxAttention, RISE)


• SAP implementation and AMS partners


• Third-party software and integration vendors


• Hyperscaler or hosting partner


• Statutory auditors


• Banks and payment partners (host-to-host integration)


• Government portals: GSTN, IRP/e-invoicing, TRACES

• Group CIO / Head IT


• Group CFO and Business Finance Heads


• Group CHRO and Business HR Heads


• Head Procurement / Commercial


• Internal Audit and IT Security Team

• B.E./B.Tech/MCA or equivalent in Computer Science, IT, or related field
• MBA in relevant field preferred
• SAP Certifications across relevant modules (Finance, MM, HR, SD, ABAP) preferred
• ITIL, PMP, or Agile certifications desirable

• 15-20 years of overall IT experience with at least 10+ years in SAP leadership roles


• Exposure to large-scale shared services or multi-business-unit environments preferred