Cutover Lead - SAP Implementations

Company Description

Swiss Delivery Excellence: Transforming Life Science Consulting Worldwide.

Fusion Consulting is a globally leading Business and IT boutique consultancy specialized in the Life Sciences industry, partnering with leading companies in pharma, healthcare, and animal health.

With over 450 employees and 25 offices worldwide, our mission is to revolutionize our clients' business transformation challenges and set new industry standards through innovative solutions.

Focused on S4HANA, Data & Cloud, and innovative technologies, Fusion Consulting brings unparalleled expertise and commitment to excellence to every project we undertake.

Grounded in our commitment to fast and intelligent decision-making, our client-first and open-hearted approach defines our ethos. With unwavering support and an entrepreneurial spirit, our global teamwork transcends boundaries and turns shared visions into reality.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Cutover Lead to join our team at a leading pharmaceutical company in Tokyo, Japan. The Cutover Lead will be responsible for planning, managing, and executing the cutover phase of system implementations, ensuring a seamless transition from legacy systems to the new solution. This role will work closely with project managers, business stakeholders, IT teams, and other key departments to ensure all cutover activities are completed on time, within scope, and with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the cutover planning and execution for major SAP and IT system implementations, ensuring a smooth transition from old to new systems with minimal disruption.
• Collaborate with project teams, business stakeholders, and technical teams to define cutover tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive cutover plan, detailing all activities, milestones, and dependencies required for a successful cutover.
• Coordinate and manage cutover rehearsals, ensuring that all stakeholders are familiar with the process and that potential issues are identified and addressed before the actual cutover.
• Oversee data migration activities during the cutover phase, ensuring data integrity, completeness, and accuracy.
• Ensure that all necessary system configurations, testing, and validation activities are completed before the cutover.
• Manage and mitigate risks associated with the cutover process, ensuring issues are proactively addressed and resolved.
• Coordinate with the business to ensure user readiness and that all end-user training is completed prior to the go-live.
• Facilitate communication between project teams, IT teams, and business stakeholders to ensure timely updates on cutover progress.
• Provide support during the go-live and post-go-live phases, addressing any issues that arise and ensuring that the system stabilizes after the transition.
• Develop and maintain cutover documentation, including detailed checklists, timelines, and status reports for stakeholders.
• Ensure that the cutover process aligns with regulatory requirements and industry best practices, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector.
• Lead a team of cutover specialists, providing guidance and support as necessary to ensure smooth cutover execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Pharmacy, or a related field.
• Proven experience as a Cutover Lead or in a senior project management role with 5+ years of experience managing cutover and transition activities, particularly in SAP or other enterprise systems.
• Strong knowledge of cutover processes, data migration, and go-live activities in the context of large-scale IT implementations.
• Experience with SAP implementations (e.g., S/4HANA, ECC, SAP FICO, MM, SD) or similar enterprise solutions is highly desirable.
• Expertise in risk management and the ability to mitigate potential issues during the cutover process.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth project execution.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills to address issues that may arise during the cutover phase.
• Excellent communication, coordination, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage with stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple cutover projects simultaneously while adhering to deadlines.
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical industry regulations and compliance standards is a plus.
• PMP, PRINCE2, or similar project management certification is preferred.
• Fluent in English and Japanese (spoken and written).