SAP Principal Enterprise Architect, S/4HANA & Digital Platforms

Position Summary

The SAP S/4HANA & Digital Platforms Enterprise Architect provides strategic and hands-on architectural leadership for enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives, with SAP S/4HANA as the digital core, integrated with best-of-breed platforms such as Salesforce (SFDC), MES, LIMS, Vertex, SAP VIM, and other ERP and non-ERP systems. This role is responsible for defining the future-state enterprise architecture, governing solution design, and ensuring alignment between business strategy, process design, data, integration, security, and technology platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise Architecture & Strategy Leadership

• Own and evolve enterprise architecture vision, principles, standards, and roadmaps across business, application, data, and technology domains
• Develop future-state architecture and associated transition roadmaps aligned with business growth objectives
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business and IT leadership on architectural trade-offs, sequencing, and investment decisions
• Lead and participate in architecture governance forums (Design Authority, Architecture Review Boards)

• SAP S/4HANA as the Digital Core

• Define and govern SAP S/4HANA target-state architecture as the enterprise ERP backbone
• Enforce clean-core principles, extensibility strategies (in-app vs side-by-side), and SAP best practices
• Provide architectural guidance across SAP domains including Finance, Sales, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, EAM, and EHS
• Build and maintain the ERP strategy and roadmap, including ECC-to-S/4 or multi-ERP coexistence scenarios

• Boundary Systems & Ecosystem Architecture

• Provide architectural oversight and integration strategy for enterprise platforms, including but not limited to:
• Salesforce (SFDC) – CRM, Service, CPQ, Order-to-Cash integrations
• MES – shop-floor execution, material consumption, genealogy
• Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) – quality, compliance, lab workflows
• Vertex – tax calculation and compliance
• SAP VIM – invoice automation and document management
• Legacy, regional, or niche ERPs during coexistence or transition
• Ensure clear system-of-record ownership
• Scalable and resilient integration patterns
• Data consistency, reconciliation, and error-handling strategies

• Integration, Data & Reporting Architecture

• Define enterprise integration strategy (API-led, event-driven, middleware-based)
• Govern integration platforms such as SAP BTP, CPI, MuleSoft, or equivalent
• Lead ERP-related integration rationalization and optimization
• Define master data ownership, governance models, and reporting strategies (real-time vs operational)
• Ensure alignment with analytics, AI/ML, and data platform needs (e.g., data lakes)

• Solution Delivery & Transformation

• Enablement
• Partner with PMO, delivery leads, and system integrators across Design, Build, Test, and Deploy
• Review and approve solution artifacts (HLDs, FSDs, TSDs, integration and security designs)
• Establish and promote business capability models linking strategy, processes, systems, and data
• Identify architectural risks early and recommend mitigation strategies
• Ensure adherence to quality standards across solution design and delivery

• Security, Compliance & Non-Functional Architecture

• Ensure solutions meet security, SOX, GxP, data privacy, and regulatory requirements
• Define and govern non-functional requirements: performance, scalability, availability, and disaster recovery
• Guide system retirement, data retention, and audit readiness strategies

• Stakeholder, Vendor & Partner Leadership

• Build strong, trust-based relationships with business, functional, infrastructure, procurement, and IT teams
• Provide architectural direction to system integrators and SaaS vendors
• Evaluate and challenge vendor proposals and RFP responses to ensure alignment with enterprise standards
• Research and assess emerging technologies for fit within the enterprise application portfolio

Education & Experience

• Typically requires 18+ years of experience in enterprise IT architecture and solution delivery with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Proven experience leading large-scale digital and ERP transformation programs
• Deep hands-on and architectural experience with SAP S/4HANA in enterprise environments
• Core Technical & Architecture Expertise
• SAP S/4HANA architecture, extensibility, and integration
• Enterprise integration patterns (API, middleware, event-driven)
• Experience with:
• Salesforce (SFDC)
• MES and LIMS platforms
• Finance solutions (Vertex, SAP VIM)
• Master data management and reporting systems
• Legacy and co-existing ERP environments
• Cloud platforms (SAP BTP, Azure, AWS, or GCP)
• Leadership & Business Architecture Skills
• Strong expertise in TOGAF, Zachman, or equivalent EA frameworks
• Hands-on experience with business capability modeling
• Ability to translate business strategy into executable architecture
• Excellent communication, influence, and consensus-building skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Life Sciences, Manufacturing, or regulated industries
• SAP certifications (S/4HANA, Architecture, BTP)
• Experience with digital manufacturing, advanced analytics, or AI-enabled platforms
• Prior experience with ERP modernization or multi-year transformation programs
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field