SAP CO Sr. Consultant Controlling (Hyderabad - India)

Position Title:                           SAP CO Sr. Consultant (Controlling)
Employment Type:                  Full-Time
Reports To:                              CoE FICO Lead 

Location:                                  India (Hyderabad)

Travel:                                      15 – 20%

Job Summary:

 An experienced and dedicated SAP CO Senior Consultant to join Dangote SAP Delivery Center in India. In this critical role, you'll be responsible for the full lifecycle management of our SAP Controlling (CO) solutions, from detailed design and configuration to implementation, testing, and ongoing support. You will serve as a key subject matter expert, working closely with finance and business stakeholders to translate complex management accounting and controlling requirements into robust SAP functionalities, optimize cost flows, enhance profitability analysis, and drive business value through insightful financial data.

The ideal candidate will possess deep functional expertise across a broad range of SAP CO sub-modules, a proven track record of successful project participation (including S/4HANA transitions), and strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Business Requirements Analysis & Solution Design:
  • Collaborate extensively with finance business users (e.g., Cost Accountants, Controllers, Production Managers, Sales Analysts) to understand, analyze, and document complex management accounting and controlling requirements.
  • Translate detailed business needs into comprehensive functional specifications and design robust, scalable SAP CO solutions that align with industry best practices and internal controlling policies.
  • Lead or facilitate workshops and design sessions with stakeholders to validate requirements, propose solutions, and gain consensus.
• SAP CO Configuration & Customization:
  • Perform hands-on configuration and customization across a wide range of SAP CO sub-modules, including:
    • Cost Element Accounting (CO-CEL): Define primary and secondary cost elements, master data.
    • Cost Center Accounting (CO-CCA): Configure cost centers, activity types, statistical key figures, planning, budgeting, allocations (distribution, assessment, activity-based costing).
    • Internal Orders (CO-OPA): Configure order types, master data, planning, budgeting, actual postings, and complex settlement rules.
    • Profit Center Accounting (EC-PCA): Define profit centers, master data,  allocations (assessment, distribution).
    • Product Costing (CO-PC): Configure cost component structures, costing sheets, overhead keys, material ledger (actual costing and parallel valuation/currencies if applicable), standard cost calculation, and variance analysis.
    • Profitability Analysis (CO-PA)/Margin Analysis: Design operating concerns, define characteristics and value fields, configure derivation rules, PA planning, and settlement from other CO objects, Simulation Costing .
  • Ensure all configurations meet functional specifications, adhere to management accounting principles, and integrate seamlessly with other SAP modules.
• Project Implementation & Delivery:
  • Actively lead or participate in all phases of the SAP project lifecycle (e.g., Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy, Run), taking ownership of assigned deliverables related to Controlling.
  • Prepare detailed functional specifications for custom developments (RICEF objects: Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms) and collaborate closely with ABAP developers, ensuring adherence to design and quality standards.
  • Oversee and support data migration activities for CO master data (e.g., cost centers, profit centers, internal orders, material costs).
• Testing & Quality Assurance:
  • Develop comprehensive test cases and scripts for SAP CO functionalities.
  • Lead and execute unit testing, support system integration testing (SIT), and facilitate user acceptance testing (UAT) to validate the functionality, accuracy, and integrity of controlling solutions.
  • Identify, analyze, and resolve complex issues, defects, and discrepancies encountered during testing phases and post-go-live, particularly those affecting financial reporting and management insights.
• Training & Documentation:
  • Develop high-quality training materials and conduct expert-level training sessions for finance, production, and sales teams on SAP CO functionalities and reporting.
  • Create and maintain detailed documentation, including process flows, functional specifications, configuration guides, and user manuals.
• Integration & Cross-Module Collaboration:
  • Possess a strong and in-depth understanding of integration points between SAP CO and other core SAP modules (e.g., SAP FI - Financial Accounting, MM - Materials Management, SD - Sales & Distribution, PP - Production Planning, PS - Project Systems, HR - Human Resources, QM - Quality Management).
  • Collaborate effectively with other SAP functional and technical consultants to ensure end-to-end business process integration and accurate cost flow.
• Ongoing Support & Optimization:
  • Provide expert Level 2/3 support for SAP CO modules, troubleshooting complex controlling and system issues, and implementing timely corrective actions.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives by analyzing existing processes and system usage, identifying opportunities for optimization, automation, and enhanced reporting within SAP CO (e.g., refined CO-PA reporting, improved allocation cycles).
  • Manage and prioritize complex change requests and incidents within your area of expertise, driving them to resolution.
• Mentorship & Thought Leadership:
  • Provide mentorship, guidance, and knowledge transfer to junior CO consultants and internal support teams, fostering their professional growth.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field. A Master's degree or professional accounting qualification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA) is highly preferred.
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 8-10 years of dedicated, hands-on experience as an SAP CO Consultant.
  • Proven experience participating in at least 2-3 full lifecycle SAP implementation projects or significant enhancement/rollout projects, specifically involving complex CO functionalities.
  • Deep expertise across all SAP CO sub-modules (CO-CEL, CO-CCA, CO-OPA, EC-PCA, CO-PC, CO-PA).
  • Extensive hands-on experience with SAP S/4HANA Management Accounting (Controlling) is a strong advantage, including Margin Analysis. Experience with S4 HANA is essential.
• Technical Proficiency:
  • Expert-level knowledge of SAP CO module configurations, master data, and best practices.
  • Strong understanding of management accounting principles, costing methods, and profitability analysis concepts.
  • Ability to write clear, detailed, and comprehensive functional specifications for complex custom developments (RICEF objects).
  • Proficiency in ABAP debugging is highly desirable.
  • Experience with reporting tools within SAP (e.g., Fiori embedded analytics, SAP BW, SAC) for controlling data.
• Core Competencies:
  • Exceptional analytical and complex problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and propose effective, integrated SAP solutions.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical and financial/management accounting concepts to diverse audiences, including senior management.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, capable of building rapport, influencing stakeholders, and driving consensus.
  • Proactive, self-motivated, results-oriented, and highly organized with meticulous attention to detail.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and thrive under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong understanding of project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid).

Preferred Qualifications

• SAP CO Certification (e.g., SAP Certified Application Associate - Management Accounting with SAP S/4HANA).
• Familiarity with financial consolidation processes and tools.
• Experience with cost allocation methodologies and profit center/segment reporting.