SAP Finance and Control Lead

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About the Role:

Wiley is seeking an experienced SAP FI Functional Lead to drive the Finance workstream across our ECC Consolidation and S/4HANA Migration programs. This is a high-visibility leadership position at the intersection of Finance, Technology, and Innovation — requiring deep SAP Finance expertise, a strong track record of large-scale SAP implementations, and the ability to translate complex business requirements into scalable, future-ready solutions. 

The successful candidate will serve as the primary functional authority for SAP Finance, working directly with Wiley Executive and Business Leadership as well as external System Integrator and Vendor Technology partners. Critically, they will also lead the evaluation and integration of emerging SAP AI capabilities — including SAP Business AI, Joule, and embedded intelligent features in S/4HANA — to modernize financial processes and unlock business value. 

Key Responsibilities 

1. ECC Consolidation & S/4HANA Migration Delivery 

• Lead end-to-end delivery of SAP FI workstreams within the ECC Consolidation and S/4HANA Migration programs, covering scope definition, blueprint, realization, testing, cutover, and hyper care. 

• Own the Finance functional design across core modules: General Ledger (New GL / Universal Journal), Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, Bank Accounting, Cost Centre Accounting, Taxes, and Profit Centre Accounting. 

• Drive the transition from ECC to S/4HANA, leveraging the Universal Journal architecture, simplified data model, and Fiori, AI, and Joule-based user experience. 

• Lead fit-to-standard and fit-gap workshops, document solution decisions, and drive issue resolution within agreed timelines. 

• Manage scope change rigorously, evaluating impacts on timeline, cost, and architecture before escalating for approval. 

• Oversee data migration strategy, cleansing, and reconciliation for Finance master data and open items. 

• Define and validate integration designs between SAP FI and adjacent workstreams (SD, MM, PS, HR/Payroll, Treasury) and non-SAP systems. 

2. Stakeholder & Leadership Engagement 

• Act as the primary Finance technology authority engaging Wiley C-Suite, Finance Leadership, and Business Process Owners to align on solution direction, program milestones, and change impacts. 

• Prepare and present executive-level program status updates, key risks, decisions required, and escalations with clarity and confidence. 

• Build trusted relationships with Finance Leadership to ensure business readiness, user adoption, and sustained value realization post go live. 

• Represent the Finance technology program in Steering Committee, Architecture Review Board, and Governance forums. 

3. Vendor & Cross-functional Collaboration 

• Collaborate closely with System Integrator (SI) and Vendor Technology leads — providing clear requirements, reviewing delivered solutions, and holding vendors accountable to quality and timeline commitments. 

• Partner with SAP as the technology partner on product roadmap alignment, SAP Business AI strategy, and escalation management. 

• Coordinate across platform workstreams (Infrastructure, Integration, Data, Security, Change Management) to ensure cohesive program delivery. 

• Champion a collaborative, solution-oriented working culture across internal and external teams. 

4. SAP AI & Innovation Leadership 

• Lead the evaluation, solutioning, and phased delivery of SAP Business AI and Joule capabilities within the Finance domain, including intelligent automation of period-end close, AP/AR matching, cash flow forecasting, and financial anomaly detection. 

• Assess and implement embedded AI features in S/4HANA Finance (predictive accounting, automated payment proposals, intelligent dunning, real-time financial insights). 

• Define a Finance AI roadmap aligned to Wiley's strategic objectives, working with Technology Leadership to prioritize use cases by business value and delivery feasibility. 

• Stay current with the SAP AI services landscape and identify opportunities to apply generative AI, machine learning, and automation within Finance workflows. 

• Champion responsible AI adoption — ensuring governance, auditability, and compliance considerations are embedded in every AI initiative. 

5. Solution Architecture & Quality 

• Ensure SAP FI solution design adheres to SAP Best Practices, architectural standards, and Wiley's enterprise design principles. 

• Review and approve functional specifications, configuration workbooks, test scripts, and technical design documents. 

• Define and oversee the Finance Testing Strategy — unit, integration, regression, UAT, and performance — ensuring high-quality outcomes. 

• Drive continuous improvement in delivery methodology, tooling, and documentation standards. 

6. Team Leadership & Capability Development 

• Provide functional leadership, mentoring, and direction to SAP FI consultants and Business Analysts across the programs. 

• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and delivery expectations across the Finance team. 

• Identify skill gaps and support capability development planning with the Technology and HR leadership teams. 

Required Qualifications & Experience 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field. Master's degree preferred. 

Experience 

• 10+ years of hands-on SAP FI functional experience across multiple full-lifecycle implementations. 

• Minimum 3 full ECC or S/4HANA implementations (Greenfield, Brownfield, or Selective Data Transition), with at least one as a Finance Functional Lead. 

• Proven experience on large-scale ECC consolidation or systems rationalization programs — ideally in global, multi-entity environments. 

• Prior experience working in a global organization with complex Finance operating models (multi-currency, multi-GAAP, intercompany). 

• Demonstrable experience collaborating with C-level executives, Finance Controllers, and Shared Services leadership to drive technology-enabled Finance transformation. 

• Experience managing and holding accountable System Integrator and Vendor partners in a program governance context. 

• Prior experience in the Media, Publishing, or Information Services industry with a solid understanding of media-specific business models, including subscription revenue, rights management, royalty accounting, digital content monetization, and multi-channel distribution operations would be preferred. 

Technical Skills — SAP Finance 

• Deep expertise in S/4HANA Finance: Universal Journal, New Asset Accounting, Central Finance, Group Reporting, Multi-Ledger, Advanced Payment Management. 

• Strong configuration proficiency across: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Asset Accounting, Bank Communication Management, and Electronic Bank Statement. 

• Experience with SAP Fiori Finance applications and Fiori-based process redesign. 

• Solid understanding of SAP integration patterns — IDocs, BAPIs, ALE, SAP Integration Suite (formerly CPI). 

• Familiarity with SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) — particularly BTP Integration Suite, BTP Analytics, and AI/ML services. 

• Proficiency with SAP migration tooling: SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit, Readiness Check, and third-party ETL tooling. 

• Working knowledge of SAP GRC, SOD management, and audit trail requirements in S/4HANA Finance. 

• Experience with SAP IS Media (Industry Solution for Media & Publishing), including Subscription Order Management, Rights & Royalties, Revenue Management, and Content Management integration points; understanding of how IS Media components interact with FI modules in an ECC-to-S/4HANA migration context is a strong advantage. 

AI & Emerging Technology 

• Practical experience implementing SAP Business AI or Joule use cases in Finance. 

• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts as applied to financial processes: anomaly detection, predictive close, intelligent document processing, cash application automation. 

• Experience with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) — SAP Build Process Automation, UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or equivalent — for Finance process automation. 

• Understanding of Generative AI application patterns and the ability to translate them into Finance-relevant business use cases. 

Preferred Certifications 

The following certifications are strongly preferred. Candidates with equivalent demonstrated expertise will also be considered. 

SAP Certifications 

• SAP Certified Application Associate — SAP S/4HANA Finance (any current release) 

• SAP Certified Application Professional — Financials in SAP S/4HANA 

Finance & Accounting Certifications 

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) 

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) 

• Chartered Accountant (CA — ACA / ACCA / ICAI / equivalent) 

• Certified Management Accountant (CMA) 

Leadership & Core Competencies 

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the big picture while managing detail; translates Finance strategy into actionable SAP solutions. 

• Executive Communication: Comfortable presenting to C-Suite and Board-level stakeholders; able to articulate complex technical topics in clear business language. 

• Influencing Without Authority: Builds alignment and drives decisions across matrix organizations, vendor teams, and business functions. 

• Delivery Excellence: Results-oriented with a strong track record of on-time, on-budget program delivery; comfortable managing competing priorities and ambiguity. 

• Stakeholder Management: Proactively manages expectations, communicates risks early, and maintains trusted relationships at all levels of the organization. 

• Innovation Mindset: Proactively identifies opportunities to leverage emerging SAP and AI capabilities to drive Finance transformation. 

• Collaboration: Fosters a high-trust, inclusive, and solution-oriented team culture across internal and external stakeholders. 

• Problem Solving: Structured analytical thinker; breaks down ambiguous problems and drives pragmatic, scalable solutions. 

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We're not just observers of progress. We're the ones accelerating scientific breakthroughs, advancing learning, and sparking innovation that redefines entire fields and improves lives. 

Here, your talent matters. Your ideas have room to grow. And your work creates breakthroughs that can change everything. 

Wiley is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We evaluate all qualified applicants and treat all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or based on any individual's status in any group or class protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Wiley is also committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants who require accommodation to participate in the job application process may contact tasupport@wiley.com for assistance.

We are proud that our workplace promotes continual learning and internal mobility. We offer meeting-free Friday afternoons allowing more time for heads down work and professional development, and through a robust body of employee programing we facilitate a wide range of opportunities to foster community, learn, and grow.

We are committed to fair, transparent pay, and we strive to provide competitive compensation in addition to a comprehensive benefits package. The range below represents Wiley's good faith and reasonable estimate of the base pay for this role at the time of posting roles in the United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, or Spain. It is anticipated that most qualified candidates will fall within the range, however the ultimate salary offered for this role may be higher or lower and will be set based on a variety of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to, geographic location, skills, and competencies.

When applying, please attach your resume/CV to be considered.

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