SAP Business Analyst-Manufacturing

POSITION PURPOSE

The SAP Business Analyst – Manufacturing is the functional owner of the SAP Manufacturing solution within the Digital Applications & Product Delivery organization. The role translates validated business requirements into working, supported SAP functionality across the Manufacturing landscape - covering Production Planning (PP), Materials Management (MM), SAP Digital Manufacturing, and is accountable for the quality, consistency, and supportability of that functionality.

The role sits within the Global SAP Business Analysis team and is aligned to the Manufacturing functional domain. It partners with the Manufacturing Global Functional Lead and the Business Enablement & Adoption organization, who own business process design, business requirements definition, and adoption. This role owns everything from functional specification onward: configuration, development coordination, testing, cutover, and ongoing application support. 

The successful candidate combines genuine SAP manufacturing configuration depth with the ability to work directly with plant and operations stakeholders, and applies the change management, documentation, and control standards that govern the application estate. 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

 Functional Design & Specification 

• Translate validated business requirements received from the Manufacturing Global Functional Lead and the Business Enablement & Adoption team into functional specifications, solution designs, and configuration approaches for the SAP Manufacturing landscape. 

• Advise business partners and IT colleagues on standard SAP capability and leading practice for Production Planning (PP), Materials Management (MM), and SAP Digital Manufacturing, actively steering solutions toward fit-to-standard adoption over custom development. 

• Assess the functional and integration impact of proposed changes across adjacent domains, including Purchase-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Plant Maintenance, Manufacturing Execution Systems, and Quality Management. 

• Provide functional input to application rationalization and integration assessments for Manufacturing systems, supporting - but not owning - the architecture decisions held by Integration & Solutions Architecture.

Configuration & Solution Delivery 

• Own SAP configuration for the Manufacturing modules, ensuring changes are designed, documented, and delivered to the standards set by the Digital Applications & Product Delivery organization. 

• Partner with the technical lead and the application development team to define, deliver, and validate custom development where standard functionality cannot meet a validated requirement. 

• Deliver configuration and development activities with attention to quality, consistency, reusability, and scalability across regions and sites. 

• Prepare and maintain configuration documentation, functional design documents, and technical handover material. 

Testing, Cutover & Release 

• Own functional and integration testing for the Manufacturing workstream, including test script preparation, execution, defect logging, and retest. 

• Support business-led user acceptance testing by preparing test environments and data, resolving defects, and providing functional guidance to business testers. 

• Plan and execute cutover activities for Manufacturing scope, including data validation, sequencing, and hyper care. 

• Comply with application change management and transport procedures, ensuring appropriate approval and evidence of control operation for audit purposes. 

 Application Support & Continuous Improvement 

• Act as the functional escalation point for Manufacturing-related incidents and defects, driving timely investigation, root cause analysis, and remediation within agreed service levels. 

• Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities that optimize SAP manufacturing processes, improve system performance, and reduce recurring incident volume. 

• Monitor and report on key performance indicators relating to Manufacturing solution quality, defect trends, and change delivery, using data to inform prioritization. 

• Contribute to the reduction of technical debt and custom-code footprint within the Manufacturing landscape. 

 Collaboration & Knowledge Transfer 

• Collaborate with SAP Functional Consultants in adjacent functional domains to ensure end-to-end process integrity across the SAP landscape. 

• Maintain strong working relationships with plant and operations stakeholders, regional business teams, and external implementation partners. 

• Create and maintain configuration guides and functional documentation and provide functional content and subject-matter input to training materials owned by the Business Enablement & Adoption team. 

• Provide functional guidance and knowledge transfer to application support colleagues, third-party partners, and less experienced analysts. 

NATURE AND SCOPE 

The SAP Business Analyst – Manufacturing reports to the Global Manager, SAP Business Analysis within the Digital Applications & Product Delivery organization. There are no direct reports to this position. The role exercises significant functional influence over the Manufacturing solution and coordinates the work of technical colleagues and external partners on Manufacturing scope. 

The role operates globally across all BAC locations and works within the application architecture, change management, and quality standards owned by the Digital Applications & Product Delivery organization. 

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

 Quality and timeliness of functional specifications and configuration delivery against agreed commitments. 

• Defect escape rate from functional testing into user acceptance testing and production. 

• Incident resolution performance for Manufacturing-related issues against agreed service levels. 

• Proportion of requirements met through standard SAP capability versus custom development. 

• Completeness and currency of configuration and functional documentation. 

• Stakeholder satisfaction from plant and operations and regional business teams. 

No grants of authority have been assigned to the SAP Business Analyst – Manufacturing. 

The SAP Business Analyst – Manufacturing maintains regular contact with the SAP Business Analysis and Application Development teams; Integration & Solutions Architecture; Application support colleagues; the Manufacturing Global Functional Lead and the Business Enablement & Adoption team; Plant and Operations and regional business stakeholders; and third-party SAP consultants and implementation partners. 

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in information technology, computer science, engineering, business, or a related field. 
• Minimum 7 years of experience in SAP configuration, functional analysis, or closely related roles, preferably in a global manufacturing environment. 

• Proven configuration expertise in Production Planning (PP), Materials Management (MM), and SAP Digital Manufacturing. 

• Familiarity with adjacent integration points, particularly Purchase-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Plant Maintenance, and Quality Management, and with manufacturing execution and shop-floor systems. 

• Strong understanding of Manufacturing business processes and how they are enabled by SAP solutions. 

• Working knowledge of application change management and transport procedures, and of the control and audit requirements that apply to system changes. 

• Experience partnering with technical developers to specify, deliver, and validate custom development. 

• Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills and the ability to communicate clearly with both plant and operations personnel and technical colleagues. 

• A pro-active, solution-oriented mindset with a strong sense of urgency and customer focus. 

Preferred 

• SAP certification in one or more manufacturing modules. 

• Experience of an S/4HANA implementation or migration program. 

• Experience in an engineer-to-order or highly configurable product environment. 

• Exposure to manufacturing execution and shop-floor systems. 

WORKING CONDITIONS

 The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and walk up to 50% of the time.  Working conditions include those of a normal construction environment, as well as standard hazards associated with installed HVAC equipment and rotating equipment. This position requires occasional lifting of up to 30 lbs, and travel of 10 - 20% of the time.