Principal Project Manager

We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed. 

PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES

The primary purpose of this role is to manage large scale projects throughout their lifecycle. The Project Manager is responsible for defining, planning, tracking and managing the project, for identifying key resources and providing the direction they require in order meeting project objectives. The Project Manager provides leadership to cross-functional teams responsible for delivering defined project outputs to time, budget and project quality criteria. They also ensure adherence to project management methodology practices, provide team coaching, evaluate the performance of team members and reinforce the enterprise knowledge management through the collection and communication of lessons learned.

The Project Manager has ability to manage projects that require coordination of work between various parties, internal to SAP and sub-contractors.

EXPECTATIONS & TASKS

• Perform Onsite/remote projects;
• Conduct project planning activities and manage the execution of projects according to plan;
• Manage relationship with project stakeholders, including internal and external clients, keeping stakeholders informed of progress and issues to manage expectations on all project requirements and deliverables;
• Manage and communicate a clear vision of the project’s objectives, and motivate the project team to achieve them; create a project environment that enables peak performance by team members;
• Ensure proper use of SAP's Activate methodology, tools and procedures;
• Ensure proper governance is in place to best meet project objectives;
• Balance the trade-off of the triple- constraint (time, cost and scope) to realize the expected business value
• Ability to connect business value to SAP’s solution proposition
• Capable of discussing strategic topics beyond the contract limitations of the given egangement;
• Proactively identify changes in work scope and ensure appropriate planning measures are taken with internal and external stakeholders to reassess and amend the scope of work requirements, budget and timeline;
• Manage the financial aspects of the project: budgeting and estimate to actual variance;
• Analyze risk, establish contingency plans and identify trigger events and responsibilities for initiating mitigating action;
• Escalate issues early about the project to account management or delivery management;
• Determine what constitutes successful closure for all parties. Gain acceptance and sign-off by all parties when closure is attained;
• Proactively manage project stakeholder satisfaction to position and secure customer reference and success story;
• Maintain project documentation and updates to relevant knowledge management bases; analyze lessons learned and share with the organization’s project management community;
• Participate in the development of project management best practices.

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• University degree, preferably in Management, Information Technologies or Engineering (MBA is an asset);
• PMP certification and /or other industry and project management certifications is preferred;
• Understanding of SAP Cloud solutions and of the consulting business processes & functions;
• Highly developed business acumen;
• Liaison and consultative skills: negotiating skills within a context of high political sensitivity and conflicting interests;
• Strong writing, mentoring, decision making, communication, and meeting facilitation skills; ability to utilize a combination of formal authority and persuasion skill sets;
• Innovative thinking;
• Results-Driven;
• Team player;
• Experience in working with nearshore/offshore project teams.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of project management experience in medium up to large scale projects;
• Experience in delivering SAP projects is a must;
• Demonstrated experience leading cross functional teams within a formalized methodology;
• Demonstrated experience in managing issues, scope and quality while bring projects to successful completion within the cost and time requirements
• Senior-level experience proactively managing client expectations across complex, cross-functional engagements — able to set and negotiate realistic timelines and scope, clearly communicate trade-offs and risks, de‑escalate conflicts, and demonstrate impact through outcomes (e.g., reduced escalations, improved CSAT or client retention);
• Must be experienced with creating project plan using different project management tools - for e.g. MS Project;
• High level of both English and Dutch (written and oral).

** This role is based in the Netherlands due to customer promiximity and we are not able to consider candidates who require a relocation **

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.  

We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity,  gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 438752  | Work Area: Consulting and Professional Services  | Expected Travel: 0 - 10%  | Career Status: Professional  | Employment Type: Regular Full Time   | Additional Locations:  #LI-Hybrid