The posting
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time
Description
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
The Director II, ERP Platforms is a strategic technology and business leader responsible for defining, owning, and evolving the company’s global ERP and manufacturing systems landscape, with SAP at the core. This role maximizes our value chain through end‑to‑end transformation of core business processes; ensuring our ERP, MES, and PLM‑integrated ecosystem is positioned for growth and remains secure, compliant, resilient, and high‑performing against SLAs.
The ideal candidate combines deep experience with large‑scale SAP implementations in regulated Aerospace & Defense environments, strong platform‑ownership discipline, and a proven track record delivering complex SAP S/4HANA transformation programs. They bring strong business acumen, data and AI awareness, and the ability to manage strategic supplier and executive relationships while leading a large, global organization (approximately 300 internal staff, 120 partner resources) and a substantial annual ERP/MES investment portfolio (around $130M annually).
Key Responsibilities:
ERP Platform Strategy & Ownership
- Define and own the SAP‑centric ERP platform vision, strategy, and multi‑year roadmap aligned to corporate, sector, and functional strategies.
- Ensure the ERP/MES/PLM ecosystem optimizes end‑to‑end business processes (Order to Cash, Procure to Pay, Plan to Produce, Record to Report, Project/Program Management, and related analytics).
- Stay current on SAP’s roadmap (including S/4HANA, cloud offerings, embedded analytics, AI/ML) and broader technology trends in data and AI; translate these trends into a forward‑looking roadmap that delivers measurable business outcomes.
- Establish standards and reference architectures for SAP and adjacent platforms (e.g., PLM, MES, CRM, data and analytics), including clear patterns for integrations.
- Manage the SAP application lifecycle, including release strategy, upgrades, cloud/on‑prem/hybrid hosting, and platform rationalization.
- Own overall platform health: availability, performance, capacity, scalability, and cost optimization across ERP, MES, and critical integrations.
- Govern solution design, emphasizing standard capabilities and minimizing custom code and technical debt while maintaining required differentiation for Aerospace & Defense.
- Ensure SAP and related solutions support Aerospace & Defense–specific requirements, including ITAR, EAR, DFARS, CMMC, government cost accounting standards, and other security/compliance obligations.
- Build, lead, and mentor a high‑performing, global team of SAP product owners, solution architects, functional leads (FI/CO, MM, SD, PP, PS, etc.), technical leads (ABAP/BTP/Basis), and support analysts; foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
Transformation Leadership
- Lead large, multi‑year SAP transformation initiatives (e.g., S/4HANA migrations, new implementations, instance consolidation, operating‑model changes).
- Drive harmonization of core processes (Order to Cash, Procure to Pay, Plan to Produce, Record to Report, Project/Program Management) using SAP best practices and model company content.
- Partner with business process owners and product line leaders (Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing) to define requirements, prioritize backlogs, and sequence SAP releases in line with business priorities.
- Chair or participate in SAP design authorities, change control boards, and solution review forums.
- Define and track SAP transformation KPIs (cycle time, quality, compliance, cost, user adoption, technical debt, and value realization).
- Identify and drive innovation opportunities that leverage ERP/MES/PLM data and AI (e.g., predictive supply chain, intelligent planning, advanced analytics, automation, AI‑assisted user experiences).
Operational Excellence & Run Management
- Oversee day‑to‑day operations for SAP, MES, and integrations, including incident/problem management, change/release management, and environment strategy.
- Define and monitor SLAs/OLAs, platform‑health metrics, and continuous‑improvement plans to ensure stability, performance, and user satisfaction.
- Ensure robust backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans; maintain a strong cybersecurity posture for applications, interfaces, and infrastructure.
- Promote automation and DevSecOps‑aligned practices (e.g., transport automation, test automation, regression testing, monitoring) consistent with compliance requirements.
- Use operational data and analytics to proactively identify issues, trends, and opportunities for improvement across RUN, BUILD, and INNOVATION.
Stakeholder & Financial Management
- Serve as the primary liaison between IT and executive business stakeholders for ERP strategy, prioritization, and delivery; build strong, trusted relationships with senior leaders in Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Engineering, and Manufacturing.
- Manage strategic relationships with SAP, system integrators, and other key partners, including the SAP Strategic Customer Program; ensure the company’s priorities are understood and acted upon.
- Facilitate decision‑making across sectors and functions, balancing global standards with specific program or regional requirements.
- Develop and manage multi‑year SAP/ERP platform and transformation budgets (capital and operating) of approximately $130M annually, covering RUN and BUILD.
- Build robust business cases and ROI analyses for S/4HANA programs, major SAP enhancements, and related digital and AI‑enabled initiatives.
- Optimize total cost of ownership through platform rationalization, vendor optimization, and disciplined demand and portfolio management.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or related field; advanced degree (MBA, MS) preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in SAP ERP and enterprise applications, including at least 5+ years in leadership roles overseeing large, complex SAP environments.
- Demonstrated experience leading major SAP S/4HANA programs in Aerospace & Defense or similarly regulated industries.
- Deep hands‑on leadership in at least one core SAP domain (e.g., FI/CO, MM, SD, PP, PS, QM, WM/EWM) and strong understanding of integration points and cross‑module process flows.
- Proven track record delivering large‑scale SAP or digital transformation programs across multiple functions and/or business units.
- Strong understanding of key end‑to‑end process domains (Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Projects, and related reporting/analytics) and how SAP, MES, and PLM enable them.
- Experience with structured program and change management approaches (e.g., PMI/Agile/SAFe, PROSCI/ADKAR).
- Familiarity with A&D regulatory and security frameworks (ITAR/EAR, FAR/DFARS, CAS, DCAA, CMMC/DoD cybersecurity).
- Demonstrated ability to influence and engage C‑suite and VP‑level stakeholders and manage complex stakeholder landscapes.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct leadership of S/4HANA transformation (greenfield, brownfield, or selective data transition).
- Experience with SAP cloud/hybrid deployments, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Fiori, and modern integration platforms.
- Experience integrating SAP with PLM, MES, and engineering/manufacturing systems in an A&D environment.
- Strong financial acumen and experience managing large SAP/ERP run and change portfolios (including budgets on the order of $100M+).
- Background leading global or geographically distributed SAP teams and support models (CoE, shared services).
- Experience applying data, analytics, and AI in ERP or manufacturing contexts to improve business outcomes.
Primary Level Salary Range: $242,100.00 - $363,100.00
The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.
Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.
Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
