S/4 Data Design Expert – Procurement and Material management

AstraZeneca is in a period of strong growth, united by a shared purpose to make a difference for patients around the world. As part of this journey, the Axial enterprise transformation programme will simplify our system landscape and processes through the replacement of current ERP systems with one global S/4HANA solution.

The S/4 Data Design Expert – Procurement & Material Management plays a critical role in shaping business data requirements within the S/4HANA design process. Aligned to the Enterprise Process Owner (EPO) organization, this role is responsible for coordinating data requirements across the relevant process area, proposing best-practice data concepts, defining and documenting S/4 Enterprise Data Standards, and ensuring that existing SAP ECC data is fit for purpose at the point of migration to S/4HANA.

This is a role for a mature, self-sufficient professional who can operate with confidence in a complex global environment, build trusted relationships across business and data communities, and lead through deep subject matter expertise. The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently with minimal supervision, while influencing stakeholders across interlinked process areas, governance forums, local sites, and central teams to ensure that S/4 data design meets business requirements, aligns to SAP standard where possible, and delivers a quality core at go-live.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will provide data leadership, stewardship, and subject matter expertise across the S/4 design and deployment journey for the Procurement & Material Management domain. Responsibilities include:

• Lead target-state data standards by providing data leadership into process and data design cycles, ensuring process designs align with S/4HANA data best-practice concepts and that process data requirements are captured, consolidated, and robustly documented.

• Define, document, and implement enterprise data standards for the assigned domain, including master data, reference data, and metadata, while confirming business context and ensuring approval through defined data governance. This includes development of conceptual models, business glossary, and ontologies.

• Apply data, process, and object expertise to support S/4 process and technical design, acting as an integral part of the EPO process team and substituting for the P&MM Data Lead where needed.

• Collect and share current-state data structures and harmonisation assessments, alongside best-practice future-state data design proposals, contributing valuable input into the global design process.

• Support the transition from current to future-state data design, including change impact assessments and critical use case examples.

• Ensure compliance of data within the P&MM domain with the S/4HANA Data Governance Framework and AZ Global Data Standards.

• Contribute to data readiness for Axial go-live by enabling data localisation within the assigned domain, steering the data quality approach, shaping interim-state data designs, and supporting the implementation of sustainable post-deployment data management.

• Lead domain-related data localisation and transformation activities in close partnership with local sites and relevant central procurement teams, educating stakeholders on new Axial data standards and supporting required data collection and transformation activity.

• Co-drive localisation workshops and working sessions to secure relevant data inputs in line with programme plans and accelerate related business process design discussions where needed.

• Act as a gatekeeper for domain-related data policies during Axial deployments, ensuring alignment with the Axial Data Governance Framework, AZ Global Data Standards, and overarching EPO process standards.

• Proactively drive the data agenda within integrated work packages during detailed design and build cycles, ensuring dependencies are prioritised and requirements are closed in line with programme delivery needs.

• Support broader data education and change initiatives, helping the organisation adopt new ways of working and future-state data design principles.

• Maintain alignment between S/4 design and wider enterprise data design, including support for interim-state requirements.

• Own and execute data management-related testing activities and support broader data defect resolution during deployment and go-live phases.

• Support data cleansing and migration activities by providing key business inputs, including designs, relevancy rules, and harmonization rules, while helping steer cleansing scope and priority to enable technical migration activity.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should bring strong expertise in Procurement & Material Management data, process, and SAP environments, together with the credibility and judgement to work effectively across a large, global organization.

Essential

• Significant subject matter experience and demonstrated business process execution knowledge in:

  • Procurement
  • Material Management

• Experience designing and implementing Data Standards for a global enterprise with significant geographical and functional footprint.

• Familiarity with data workflows and data management through Fiori Apps, ServiceNow, or equivalent tools.

• Experience designing and implementing data standards in the relevant P&MM space for a global enterprise.

• Demonstrable SAP working knowledge in a SAP environment, including understanding of how data integrates within a SAP architecture; S/4 and downstream solutions such as SAC are desired within the document context.

• Demonstrable SAP working knowledge across transactions and reporting, including understanding of how data integrates within a SAP architecture.

• Experience of Business/IT partnering for the implementation of Data Governance-related solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to lead in a diverse, global team, within and across functions, with experience working across cultures.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence others to achieve objectives.

• Ability to lead and manage negotiations across a complex stakeholder group to achieve target outcomes.

Desired Skills and Attributes

The ideal candidate will be recognised as a credible subject matter expert who can build confidence quickly and work effectively through expertise, judgement, and collaboration. In line with the role described, we are looking for someone who offers:

• A mature, self-sufficient approach, with the confidence to work independently and progress priorities with minimal supervision.

• The ability to build credibility across senior and cross-functional stakeholders, including business leaders, data owners, stewards, local site SMEs, and programme teams.

• A collaborative style combined with the confidence to challenge constructively, guide decision-making, and represent P&MM data needs across interlinked EPO areas.

• Strength in navigating a complex global environment, balancing business requirements, governance expectations, SAP standards, and programme delivery needs.

Desirable

• S/4HANA implementation programme experience

• Experience in designing and implementing P&MM-related data management processes

• Experience in life sciences and healthcare

• Experience in Data Governance

• Experience in measuring, managing, and improving Data Quality

• In-depth knowledge of relevant key business processes

Why Join Us / Opportunity Overview

This is an opportunity to contribute to one of AstraZeneca’s most important enterprise transformation programmes at a pivotal time for the business. The role offers the chance to shape the future-state data design for a global S/4HANA environment that will support how AstraZeneca operates across countries, functions, and sites.

You will work at the centre of a high-profile transformation, partnering with Axial EPOs, Global Business Leaders, Data and Analytics teams, local site SMEs, Data Governance forums, and wider S/4 programme teams. With a remit that covers all AstraZeneca countries, this role offers significant scope to influence enterprise standards, strengthen data quality and governance, and help ensure a successful go-live built on trusted, fit-for-purpose data.

For candidates who combine deep Procurement & Material Management expertise with strong influencing capability, sound judgement, and the ability to operate independently in a complex global setting, this role provides a compelling opportunity to make a meaningful impact.