Blue Skies Consulting

Lead and coordinate all SAP ERP cutover activities including planning, rehearsals, execution, and reporting to ensure smooth transition from legacy systems to new technology. | Senior-level experience with SAP ERP implementations, supply chain knowledge, leadership in complex global projects, expertise in cutover and go-live readiness, and strong communication skills. | ABOUT BLUE SKIES CONSULTING (BSC) Our firm specializes in enabling strategic business transformation programs. We integrate technology, data, process, and people dimensions to design and deliver comprehensive solutions for digital and enterprise transformation initiatives. We are a specialty boutique founded by industry veterans with the mission of creating a community of professionals who are driven by relentless pursuit of excellence and who also value professional and personal quality of life. Our clients are our partners, and our relationships are the foundation of our firm. We support large scale global organizations in projects involving new technology implementations, corporate re-organization, and growth initiatives. We enable our partners’ success by connecting the dots across process, technology, data, and people dimensions. Our consultants drive program leadership and technology strategy, manage end-to-end enterprise data activities, and simplify organizational change. SAP/S4 HANA Cutover Lead The Cutover Lead will be responsible for planning and managing the execution of all SAP ERP project activities concerning transitioning the business from legacy systems and processes to new technology solutions following a new common process across all impacted sites and business functions. This position requires strong analytical and organizational skills, with professional communication using a variety of mediums and methods to assure user comprehension. It will entail coordinating the activities of multiple departments, work threads, and/or physical sites around each go-live preparation, ramp down, cutover, and ramp up activities in a methodical and consistent model. It will include integrating all IT, data, and business activities across all impacted work threads and end users to prepare the organization for final go-live, hypercare and business transition to steady state. The Cutover Lead will oversee the creation and ongoing execution of the Cutover Preparation/Readiness Plan, Business Ramp-Down, System and Physical Blackout and Cutover, and Controlled Business Start Up and System Stabilization plans. The scope of this work includes gathering all requirements for end-to-end cutover activities, integration and creation of a consolidated and coordinated master plan, coordinating the execution of rehearsals and all preparation activities, and management of the cutover execution, reporting to project leadership and business sponsors. A key responsibility will be the analysis of the cutover activities, risk management, failure modes analysis, and contingency planning. Required Experience: • Understanding of end-to-end ERP functionality Plan/Source/Make/Quality/Sales Order (Management/Inventory and Warehouse Management/Distribution/Finance - SAP preferred) • Understanding of supply chain operations and relevant supply chain KPIs • Experience in leadership roles as part of global complex enterprise software implementations operating in highly matrixed shared service environments • Expertise in managing workshops, facilitating groups, and leading stakeholders through planning exercises • Expertise in communicating technical subject matter in a variety of modes and formats with skill at creating visualizations and other methods of translating complex information into easily digestible chunks in order to align various stakeholders from the shop floor to the C-Suite • Experience in developing and managing go-live readiness assessments, stage-gate reviews, and go/no-go decision processes preferred • Executive polish and ability to report out to senior executives • Minimum of five years demonstrating successful project and systems implementation experience in leadership positions applying project management body of knowledge principles (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, finalizing) • At least one, but ideally two of the following three: • Experience managing data conversions • Experience managing IT cutover, code promotion, or software release • Experience managing physical site, equipment, and/or product transition from legacy to new process Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: • Ensure that data migration, IT release, and business cutover activities are identified, sequenced, and integrated • Ensure that business ramp down and ramp up plans are created and aligned • Develop cutover governance framework • Develop solution stabilization, support, and business ramp up framework • Develop a detailed Integrated Cutover Plan, manage rehearsals, and execution • Coordinate and manage go-live readiness work by all impacted work threads, reporting to project leadership • Develop benchmarks, metrics and measures for go-live readiness • Coordinate the milestones, priorities, and risks concerning Cutover within all phases of the program lifecycle • Manage and report on the project schedule, including updating of the project plans Blue Skies Consulting provides competitive compensation tailored to qualifications and experience of each applicant. The annual compensation for this role varies, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, depending on expertise and years of experience.

Lead and manage all aspects of program delivery including governance, risk mitigation, stakeholder management, and project execution for business transformation initiatives. | 5-10 years consulting experience with expertise in program leadership, business transformation, project governance, SAP implementation, and strong communication skills. | Please only apply if you have Management Consulting and SAP implementation experience. This role is remote based and requires 20-25% travel. Applicants must reside in the Eastern or Central time zones. ABOUT BLUE SKIES CONSULTING (BSC) Our firm specializes in enabling strategic business transformation programs. We integrate technology, data, process, and people dimensions to design and deliver comprehensive solutions for digital and enterprise transformation initiatives. We are a specialty boutique founded by industry veterans with the mission of creating a community of professionals who are driven by relentless pursuit of excellence and who also value professional and personal quality of life. Our clients are our partners, and our relationships are the foundation of our firm. We support large scale global organizations in projects involving new technology implementations, corporate re-organization, and growth initiatives. We enable our partners’ success by connecting the dots across process, technology, data, and people dimensions. Our consultants drive program leadership and technology strategy, manage end-to-end enterprise data activities, and simplify organizational change. ABOUT THE ROLE The Program Lead is the directly responsible individual for planning and ensuring the delivery of all project objectives in a business transformation initiative. The role manages leadership reporting, oversees project governance and drives execution across all project workstreams. CLIENT DELIVERY RESPONSIBILITIES The Program Lead would have the following consulting responsibilities at BSC clients: • Accountable for planning and managing the overall PMO framework, meeting and reporting cadence, risk and issue management, administration of project controls, and maintaining velocity of all project team activities. • Manage all project escalations, devise mitigations, and drive mitigation attainment • Structure and lead all relevant team meetings • Manage the master integrated project plan and associated artifacts • Manage leadership stakeholders and maintain positive relationships across the client organization • Provide governance, oversight, and adherence to the agreed upon strategy or playbook • Provide timely and accurate reports to leadership • Proactively identify risks and mitigations BSC RESPONSIBILITIES The Program Lead would have the following expectations as a BSC employee: • Meet or exceed billable utilization targets • Function as an internal Engagement Manager to drive delivery success and build client relationships • Volunteer and drive internal initiatives within the Journey to Excellence continuous improvement program • Proactively participate in recruiting activities • Meet expectations within the Relationship Sales Program and Targeted Account Selling business development activities CAPABILITIES At a minimum, the Program Lead should have the following key skills, competency levels, and personality traits: • Minimum 5-10 years of consulting experience (big 4 or equivalent preferred) • Expertise in the following Program Leadership areas: • Business Transformation Design • Program or Project Governance Definition • End-to-End Project Management (full lifecycle, with budget control responsibility) • Project Mobilization • Cutover Planning and Execution • Mastery of verbal, written, and group communication at all levels across a global enterprise • Interpersonal conflict resolution and mediation • Expertise in bridging and integrating technology and business stakeholder needs • Knowledge of current project management tools and methods, and expertise in rapidly learning new tools, processes, and methods • Knowledge of SDLC and business transformation lifecycle • SAFe, Agile, Waterfall, and other implementation methodologies • Experience in the following business and technology areas: • Knowledge of supply chain operations • Understanding of organization change management principles and concepts • Understanding of enterprise data management • Experience creating and managing the following artifacts: • Integrated project plans and sub-plans across a variety of tools • Resource models across a variety of tools • Life Sciences’ industry business operations and regulations highly preferred • Management and operational KPIs • Accomplished in clearly communicating complex ideas in written and verbal form coupled with keen emotional intelligence and polished etiquette to deliver insights, manage conflicts with diplomacy, and influence outcomes. • Possesses mastery of group dynamics, with demonstrated aptitude for promoting collaboration, engagement from team members, and driving team productivity • Poised and mission focused leader who can initiate and drive action in ambiguous circumstances • Embraces the role of the servant leader who is passionate about team success, and first to get in the trenches to do the heavy lifting to drive outcomes • Disciplined tactician with proficiency in resolving dynamic problems through agility and flexibility • Personally invested in continuous improvement and innovation • Broadly knowledgeable about enterprise operations management and business transformation project implementation, with subject matter expertise in specific domains Blue Skies Consulting provides competitive compensation tailored to qualifications and experience of each applicant. The annual compensation for this role varies, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, depending on expertise and years of experience.