Regional Delivery Executive, Regional Customer Engagement & Services, APJ (Japan)

Regional Delivery Executive, Regional Customer Engagement & Services, APJ (Base: Tokyo)

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CS&D is a newly created board area focused on establishing greater connectivity and intimacy in SAP customer interaction through a range of distinctive and innovative services addressing specific customer needs. The CS&D Global Customer Engagement & Services team drives successful delivery and implementation in support of Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), elevating Adopt and Consume to its full potential within all regions and fostering a successful customer engagement and experience for all relevant customer scenarios.

As Global Customer Engagement & Services (GCE&S) organization under the Customer Services & Delivery (CS&D) Board Area, we help customers to innovate fast and realize the business benefits from their SAP investments.

Job Description:

The Regional Delivery Executive (RDE) is a senior professional with deep (15+ years) program delivery experience. They need to have  advanced, proven skills in  executive communications, stakeholder management and a solid understanding of the legal and commercial aspects of working with customers, particularly in distressed engagements. The overall objective for the role is to lead delivery excellence by consistently meeting our customer commitments by understanding their needs, packaging our solutions that drive measurable business value within agreed-timelines and budgets.

The Regional Delivery Executive has the qualification, experience and business acumen to manage multiple large scale, high risk, projects, programs and engagements that span organizational and national boundaries including multiple business units and multiple service partners/vendors.   This position has a high level of responsibility and exposure within SAP, the industry, and our market leading customers. They are a senior professional with an entrepreneurial mindset and business acumen as needed for this challenging role.

They reinforce enterprise knowledge management through the communication of engagement, portfolio and program lessons learned and delivery excellence practices development. There are 3 focus areas of the Regional Delivery Executive:

1. Prevention: A champion for Delivery Excellence and Adoption through Continuous Improvement programs:

• Actively contributes as an expert in the Communities
• Drives knowledge sharing across our delivery organisation with a focus on Lessons Learned
• Actively supports knowledge management activities
• Actively supports customers in achieving value of SAP solutions and enables rapid innovation adoption, in partnership with our Enterprise Architects
• Coach, mentor and develop CS&D delivery teams across APJ

2. Correction:

• Develop corrective plans on engagements identified as Early Warning
• Provide Governance and Thought Leadership to turn around a delivery engagement at risk of progression to escalation

3. De-Escalation: Project / Engagement Escalations and Recovery

• Intervein, support and guide running de-escalations as needed across the region
• Manage senior stakeholders through the full escalation lifecycle
• Limit litigation and commercial liability through recovery activities

The Regional Delivery Executive is a key resource that is deployed to drive program success, in particular within programs experiencing escalations, de-escalations and recovery activity. Typically, they are engaged in a number of client programs/ projects at any one time across a number of clients.  Given the nature of the role, it is anticipated that the individual will need to travel extensively, up to 50%, and will likely be travelling across Asia Pacific Region.  Given their focus working on complex projects within diverse customer environments, they will be skilled communicators with highly developed stakeholder management and influencing skills.  They will have the gravitas and experience to work in partnership with clients to drive project outcomes successfully, with the ability to advise and push back when required.

Key Areas of Responsibility and Tasks

Opportunity Management

• Define appropriate delivery model for customer project/program/portfolio as a composition of pre-defined services, on-site and/or remote delivery – including Max Attention
• Work with Solution Centre and Bid Management teams to scope and estimate the engagement and its component projects/programs, with an objective to ensure maximum customer business value
• Drive and  supports the adoption of Clean Core and SAP AI
• Determine required resources for the engagement
• Assess, document and communicate risk for the engagement
• Position SAP Activate as delivery methodology for the projects/programs or portfolio of projects

Delivery

• Lead and own engagement-planning and program-planning activities
• Oversee the delivery of multiple projects related to successful engagement or program execution.
• Own the engagement and program plan and be responsible for delivery of its major elements including program’s business objectives, scope and solution within quality criteria, on time and budget.
• Translate generalized customer business goals and objectives into concrete strategy and tactical delivery plans for the engagement or program, ensuring focus on customers achieving value of SAP solutions and enables rapid innovation adoption, in partnership with our Enterprise Architects
• Define strategic objectives of large and complex programs, benefits realization plans of large programs including KPIs to be delivers
• Execution of the program plan and ownership of program success in front of SAP leadership team including customer and partner satisfaction, SAPs program finances, resources, SAP’s intellectual capital etc.
• Evaluate complex situations accurately and identify viable solutions that create successful outcome for the customer.
• Experience in delivering SAP primed Fixed Price (FP) and Time and Material (T&M) engagements and understanding the delivery model and effective Governance that needs to be in place to support the delivery model
• Active risk management, implement and maintain an ongoing risk and quality management framework,
• Assurance of active executive sponsorship at client side, engaging proactively to maintain control of the customer dialog
• Build proactive formal and informal communication/relationship with key stakeholders outside of key stakeholders – increase coverage
• Contract management in relation to client, SAP internally, subcontractors and suppliers (including, contracting, work with procurement, internal organizations, contract change management etc.) jointly with SAE, legal, contact and negotiation and sales colleagues,
• Resolve political, resource, budgeting, change and legal issues affecting the program.
• Proactively manage program stakeholder satisfaction to position and secure customer reference and success story.
• Maximize use of near- and offshore delivery by SAP and its partners to achieve cost advantages for the client and SAP.
• Maximize use of multiple SAP LoS such as BTA, ASC, CIS, BTA, PE, Preferred Success and Education to maximize value for the client and cross-sell SAP Services and Products.
• Interface with internal functions (e.g. DMO, Controlling, GRC, MCC) to ensure visibility and transparency of results.
• Engage with CS&D and  Customer Success Team if applicable to ensure P&L targets and KPI's are achieved.
• Drive quality in delivery, including clarity and transparency of the project or engagement health along with clear action plans where additional mitigation or management is needed.

Sales and Business Development

• Close work with EAs,  SAE, SSA, MPs and product sales colleagues on large bids and proposals for new business.
• Oversee and lead the development of proposals, tenders, and or responses to requests for proposals associated with the program in order to win new deals for SAP with minimal risks.
• Establish and maintain credible relationship with senior customer executive and form joint plan of action with sales colleagues.
• Set-up and deliver Premium Engagement services under the MaxAttention.
• Set-up and maintain value partnership (by using BTA/S services) in order to support client’s business case and benefits model.
• Ensure good fit and balanced of the risk portfolio of new opportunities combined with ongoing delivery projects

Coaching & Mentoring

• Through all Delivery Engagements, serve as mentor / advisor / decision-maker to project managers for the program for issues related to corporate politics, external politics, client relations, project quality, and project risk.
• Oversee effective engagement oversight and reviews to influence customer success.
• Takes responsibility from time to time as team lead and supports respective line manager(s) in people development tasks

Knowledge Management

• Maintain program documentation and updates; analyze lessons learned and actively share through the Communities, Solution Centre, and Start Up Service for utilization on future delivery engagements, may at times lead a community
• Organize knowledge capturing activities at programs and ensure retention on high quality intellectual capital for SAP Field Services practices.
• Participate in the development of project / program management best practices, examples, templates and SAP’s Program Management Methodology

Competencies and Skills / SAP Values

• Experience in several industries and the industry the customer belongs to (core processes and trends of the industry) is a plus
• Excellent understanding of SAP solutions and of the consulting business processes and 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.
• Ability to train, mentor and develop program managers and project managers in project management methodologies and their application through use of the Communities.
• Knowledge of the strategic and operational issues of engagement management, program management and project management.
• Demonstrated ability in managing internal and external client expectations on program requirements and deliverables.
• Proficiency in key project management knowledge areas of project integration management, scope management, time management, cost management, quality management, human resource management, communication management, risk management and procurement management.
• Proficiency in key program management knowledge areas of Program Management Lifecycle, Benefits Management (Value Management), Program Governance, Stakeholder Management, and Integration Management
• Knowledge and competency in program management related areas of Knowledge Management, Portfolio Management, Organizational Change Management, and Deployment Management
• Adaptability and flexibility to manage deadline pressure, ambiguity and change.
• Exceptional leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills; the ability to work well with people from different disciplines with varying degrees of technical experience; competence in clear concise and tactful communication with senior executive management, clients, peers and team members.
• Ability to manage in a matrix environment.