SAP Finance Systems Manager

Role: SAP Finance Systems Manager
Location: Milton Keynes (Hybrid 1 Days A Week In-Office)
Salary: £70,000 - £80,000
Network IT are working with a highly respected organisation to recruit a SAP Finance Systems Manager. This is a key leadership role within a growing Finance Systems & Data function, offering the opportunity to shape the future of enterprise finance technology within a large, complex environment.
This role sits at the heart of a significant investment in finance systems, with a focus on delivering scalable, standardised, and high-performing SAP Finance solutions.
Role Overview
As a SAP Finance Systems Manager, you will take ownership of the end-to-end SAP Finance product lifecycle, driving system evolution, optimisation, and innovation.
Operating in a player-coach leadership role, you will lead a team responsible for finance systems while working closely with Digital Services and business stakeholders to ensure solutions are aligned, robust, and future-ready.
You will play a central role in enabling modern, standardised financial processes, reducing reliance on bespoke solutions and promoting data-driven decision-making across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities

• Own the full product lifecycle for SAP Finance systems, ensuring solutions are scalable, controlled, and aligned to business priorities
• Lead and develop a team responsible for finance systems stability, optimisation, and continuous improvement
• Drive prioritisation and delivery of system enhancements, upgrades, and transformation initiatives
• Manage and refine the product backlog, developing user stories and acceptance criteria using Agile methodologies
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to translate business needs into structured system solutions
• Lead UAT, release management, and training, ensuring successful adoption and ongoing support
• Act as a change agent, promoting a test-and-learn approach and supporting business transformation
• Collaborate with Digital Services on architecture, SAP S/4HANA, and cloud strategy decisions
• Drive process standardisation, reducing manual workarounds and improving efficiency
• Act as an escalation point for system priorities, integration challenges, and conflicting requirements

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Product Owner within SAP environments
• Strong technical and functional expertise in:
  • SAP S/4HANA
  • SAP BW
  • SAP BPC (and/or SAC planning models)
• Experience working across finance processes and SAP integration points
• Strong track record delivering SAP system enhancements, upgrades, and transformation programmes
• Experience supporting or contributing to BPC → SAC transitions
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across complex organisational structures
• Experience working in Agile / Scrum environments, managing backlogs and delivering iteratively
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, evolving environments
• Strong leadership capability, with experience coaching and developing teams

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience within Higher Education or Public Sector environments
• Awareness of SAP cloud strategy (Public vs Private Cloud)
• Understanding of finance process standardisation and system-driven controls