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Principal Chapter Lead SAP Finance, Ariba, Concur, PlatformX - Now Hiring!

Principal Chapter Lead SAP Finance, Ariba, Concur, PlatformX - Now Hiring!

AstellasNorthbrook, IL, United States
1 day ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

Principal Chapter Lead SAP Finance, Ariba, Concur, PlatformX

Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians.  If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com .

This position is based in Northbrook, Illinois. Hybrid work from certain states may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines. Candidates interested in hybrid work are encouraged to apply.

Purpose :

As the Principal Chapter Lead for SAP Finance, Ariba & Concur, you will provide strategic leadership, technical oversight, and talent development across multiple chapters within a specialized area of digital expertise. You will lead multiple Chapter Leads and their teams, ensuring alignment with the organization's enterprise platform strategy while fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and operational excellence. Our agile operating model is structured into two key components :

  • Digital Execution – Aligns multiple missions with business goals, facilitates large-scale collaboration, and ensures seamless product development.
  • Digital Capability – Focuses on the growth and development of individuals within specific technical disciplines, ensuring the continuous enhancement of expertise and leadership.

As the Principal Chapter Lead, you will be responsible for developing enterprise-wide capabilities, standardizing best practices, and mentoring Chapter Leads to drive efficiency, resilience, and agility in our digital platforms.

Your primary focus, as the specialized group lead, will be to enhance our digital capabilities, contributing to strategic goals, and nurturing the team of talented professionals.

Essential Job Responsibilities :

  • Strategic Leadership & Platform Vision
  • Define and evolve technical and process standards for SAP Finance (FI / CO, FSCM), Ariba, Concur, and FP&A solutions (SAP BPC, SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning, Group Reporting), ensuring seamless integration across the enterprise ERP and financial landscape.
  • Provide architecture guidance for designing scalable, secure, and future-ready financial, procurement, travel & expense, and planning solutions.
  • Continuously evaluate new SAP releases, S / 4HANA Finance, SAC Planning innovations, and BPC upgrades, recommending adoption strategies to deliver measurable business value.
  • People Leadership & Capability Development
  • Lead and mentor Chapter Leads and Members specializing in SAP Finance, Ariba, Concur, and FP&A, fostering a culture of deep functional expertise and technical excellence.
  • Establish career pathways, learning journeys, and certification programs in Finance, Procurement, and Planning technologies to strengthen enterprise-wide capability.
  • Build a robust talent pipeline by attracting and retaining top SAP talent and investing in upskilling on S / 4HANA Finance, SAC Planning, AI / ML for FP&A, and intelligent spend management.
  • Collaboration & Cross-functional Influence
  • Act as the connector between execution-focused product teams and capability-focused chapters, ensuring balance between project delivery and capability growth.
  • Partner with Finance, FP&A, Procurement, and Travel stakeholders to co-create digital solutions that simplify processes, ensure compliance, and improve planning accuracy and transparency.
  • Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, and Infrastructure teams to ensure secure, compliant, and integrated SAP Finance and Planning solutions.
  • Drive cross-enterprise initiatives such as global template design for Finance, Source-to-Pay process harmonization, integrated FP&A forecasting, and intelligent expense automation.
  • Operational Excellence & Technical Governance
  • Define and enforce best practices, architectural standards, and governance frameworks for SAP Finance, Ariba, Concur, and FP&A platforms.
  • Ensure platforms are compliant with financial regulations, cost-effective, and aligned with audit and risk management requirements.
  • Lead enterprise-wide initiatives in areas such as SAP S / 4HANA adoption, automation in Procure-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, and Plan-to-Perform processes, and AI-enabled FP&A operations.
  • Drive continuous optimization to support financial transparency, forecasting accuracy, procurement agility, and employee experience in travel and expense management.
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