Senior Manager - MDM Technology & Governance (m/f/d)

• Drive Executive Alignment: Chair and drive alignment within the Data Governance Council, actively steering cross-functional business leaders toward decisive actions regarding data ownership, standards, and conflict resolution.

• Strategic Prioritization: Establish clear frameworks to prioritize competing data demands across IT, Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Operations based on business impact, risk, and resource constraints.

• High-Stakes Problem Solving: Act as the ultimate escalation point for MDM project risks, ownership disputes, and roadblocks, making swift, data-driven decisions to keep initiatives moving forward.

• Accountability & Execution: Lead end-to-end MDM projects (e.g., SAP MDM implementation, data cleansing, migration, governance rollout, MDG setup) with strict accountability for timelines, budgets, and resource optimization.

SAP MDM & Enterprise Strategy

• Architect Solutions: Define comprehensive project requirements for SAP master data (material, customer, vendor, finance) and challenge technical teams to ensure solutions map perfectly to strategic business needs.

• Enforce Governance: Oversee data quality, migration, and governance deliverables in SAP environments (ECC, S/4HANA), ensuring strict compliance with global data standards and regulatory frameworks.

• Business Transformation: Actively translate complex technical data structures into strategic business outcomes, establishing strong buy-in and organizational rapport.

Team Mobilization & Velocity

• Inspire & Mobilize: Lead, mentor, and inspire a matrixed team of business analysts, data stewards, SAP functional leads, and external vendors to deliver high-quality outcomes under tight deadlines.

• Drive Velocity: Foster a culture of urgency, pushing for fast but deliberate execution during high-impact phases like UAT, cutover planning, and hypercare.

• Vendor Accountability: Aggressively manage external consultants and vendor deliverables, ensuring full alignment with internal timelines and scope boundaries.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive IT project and program management experience, with at least 5 years explicitly leading complex MDM initiatives in SAP environments (ECC 6.0 or S/4HANA).

• Proven Leadership: Demonstrated track record of leading large-scale, cross-functional teams and successfully navigating complex organizational politics to achieve project goals.

• Deep Domain Expertise: Robust understanding of SAP master data objects (material, vendor, customer, finance)—possessing the credibility and technical depth to challenge technical teams and decisively guide business users.

• Governance Mastery: Expert-level command of project governance, prioritization matrices, and Agile/Waterfall methodologies using tools like Jira, MS Project, or Smartsheet.

Personal Attributes

• Bias for Action: Operates with a natural sense of urgency and speed; thrives in fast-paced environments requiring rapid decision-making.

• Strong Cross-Functional Influencer: Exceptional stak