Lead Consultant - SAP Testing

Role overview:

- An experienced SAP quality engineering lead is required with deep expertise in SAP testing, automation strategy, defect governance, and release-quality management to drive complex test transformation and quality assurance across a multi-tower SAP programme for a global dairy and nutrition enterprise.

- The role extends beyond test execution leadership and requires ownership of enterprise test strategy, quality governance, automation roadmap, test data controls, release assurance, and cross-functional validation across supply chain, manufacturing, finance, HR, analytics, and integration landscapes.

- The consultant is expected to operate as a senior quality lead across business, programme, functional, technical, integration, and vendor teams, combining strong hands-on testing experience with leadership in test operating-model design, quality metrics, environment coordination, cutover readiness, hypercare validation, and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities:

- Business-process validation, regression, UAT, release testing, cutover validation, and post-deployment assurance.

- Lead enterprise test planning across multiple workstreams, releases, and programmes, including scope definition, estimation, dependency mapping, entry and exit criteria, resource planning, risk-based prioritization, and quality-gate governance.

- Drive automation strategy and framework adoption using tools such as Tricentis Tosca, Worksoft, UiPath Test Suite, qTest, and ALM-aligned processes, with focus on scalable regression packs and reusable test assets.

- Establish and govern cross-module testing for core SAP processes spanning SD, MM, WM, PP, FI, CO, HR, analytics, interfaces, middleware, and third-party application integrations.

- Own defect-management governance including severity models, triage cadences, defect-aging control, root-cause analysis, leakage tracking, retest discipline, and quality reporting to programme leadership.

- Lead UAT planning and execution with business stakeholders, including scenario design, business-readiness coordination, evidence capture, sign-off governance, and issue escalation management.

- Establish test data management and environment governance practices including synthetic and production-like data strategies, data-refresh controls, masking awareness where relevant, and environment-readiness coordination.

- Support validation of complex change initiatives including ECC-to-S/4HANA transitions, rollout programmes, interface modernization, process harmonization, automation adoption, and high-risk release cycles.

- Act as the primary quality escalation point for production-critical defects, release blockers, integration failures, unstable regression outcomes, and testing bottlenecks, with structured risk management and mitigation tracking.

- Define and monitor quality KPIs such as defect leakage, automation coverage, execution productivity, pass rates, re-open ratios, business-critical defect trends, and release-readiness metrics.

- Prepare test strategies, master test plans, traceability models, status dashboards, governance packs, and closure reports; provide leadership in steering forums, quality reviews, and go or no-go decision meetings.

- Mentor junior testers and automation engineers, establish Test CoE assets, enforce quality standards, and drive continuous improvement in delivery methods and testing maturity.

Mandatory skills:

- SAP testing and quality governance.

- Deep hands-on expertise in SAP functional, integration, regression, and UAT testing across multiple modules and end-to-end business processes.

- Strong capability in risk-based test planning, quality-gate governance, defect lifecycle management, release testing, and business-facing test orchestration.

Automation and tools:

- Strong experience with one or more enterprise test-automation platforms such as Tricentis Tosca, Worksoft, UiPath Test Suite, qTest, and ALM, including automation-framework design and maintenance.

- Ability to define pragmatic automation strategies that improve regression coverage, reduce release risk, and support continuous delivery objectives without sacrificing maintainability.

Test management and enterprise coordination:

- Proven experience managing cross-module, interface-heavy, and multi-vendor testing in large SAP landscapes with complex dependencies and multiple release streams.

- Strong working knowledge of test data management, environment coordination, governance reporting, and quality operating-model design.

Implementation and leadership:

- Proven experience leading testing for multiple full-lifecycle SAP implementations, major rollouts, or transformation programmes, with additional ownership in AMS release assurance and quality stabilization.

- Demonstrated ability to lead quality workshops, challenge weak test scope or poor readiness, define scalable Test CoE practices, and govern execution across onsite, offshore, and third-party teams.

- Strong experience with change governance, release calendars, cutover validation, hypercare quality monitoring, and service transition.

Domain expectations:

- Experience supporting testing across food, dairy, nutrition, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, and HR landscapes in high-volume enterprise environments.

- Practical awareness of audit-sensitive or regulated operating environments, traceability expectations, and the importance of controlled release quality in business-critical operations.

- Ability to design quality practices that support process standardization, resilience, and long-term release stability across global programmes.

Preferred qualifications:

- Tricentis Tosca, Worksoft, or equivalent automation certification is preferred.

- ISTQB Advanced or comparable quality-engineering certification is desirable.

- Experience coordinating performance, non-functional, or data-validation testing in SAP programmes is a plus.

Soft skills:

- Excellent stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, structured communication, and executive-level reporting capability.

- Strong analytical problem solving, ownership mindset, delivery rigor, and ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced global support and transformation environment.

- Ability to balance test thoroughness with programme timelines, release urgency, business readiness, and risk-based decision making.

(ref:hirist.tech)