SAP S/4HANA Solution Architect - P2P (Accounts Payable)

Established in 2011 and headquartered in Pune, METRO Global Solution Center (GSC) India is a strategic hub driving METRO’s global transformation. With 1,200+ professionals, we deliver specialized integrated expertise across Master Data Management, Information Technology, Cyber Security, Marketing & Design, Strategy, Finance & Accounting, controlling (FP&A), and People & Culture (HR) solutions that drive operational excellence and digital innovation.

By supporting METRO’s sCore strategy, we enable sustainable growth and strengthen business processes. With a solutions-first mindset, we reduce complexity, accelerate transformation, and create measurable value for METRO businesses scaling up globally. METRO is a leading international food wholesaler operating in over 30 countries with a strong network of wholesale stores, digital marketplaces, and food service distribution. It supports businesses that keep the world running, from hotels, restaurants, and cafés to local retailers - offering quality, reliability, and smart solutions that help small and medium-sized businesses succeed.

Headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, METRO AG employs over 85,000 people worldwide and acts as the central management holding company of the group, driving strategic direction, and enabling consistent excellence across all markets. Around the world, METRO has approx. 15 million customers who benefit from the wholesale company’s unique multichannel mix: customers can purchase their goods in one of the large stores in their area as well as by delivery (Food Service Distribution, FSD) – all digitally supported and connected. In parallel, METRO MARKETS is being developed as an international online marketplace for professional customers, which has been growing and expanding continuously since 2019.

Acting sustainably is one of the company principles of METRO, which has been listed in various sustainability indices and rankings, including MSCI, Sustainalytics and CDP.

Purpose of the role

Based at METRO Digital India in Pune, the SAP S/4HANA Solution Architect P2P will own the end-to-end solution architecture for Purchase to Pay within LUCA. The role combines deep functional understanding of procurement, accounts payable and invoice-management processes with the technical judgement required to govern integrations, workflows, extensions and implementation decisions. Working with Process Leads, Process Owners, country teams, technology teams and implementation partners, the architect will ensure that SAP AP, SAP MM, SAP Ariba, OpenText Vendor Invoice Management and connected systems operate as one coherent solution.

Your responsibilities

Solution architecture and design

• Own the end-to-end solution architecture for the P2P process stream across SAP S/4HANA Finance, SAP procurement solutions and connected partner systems, ensuring alignment with the LUCA global template and METRO architecture principles.
• Translate business requirements into coherent functional and technical designs covering procurement-to-invoice integration, supplier invoices, accounts payable, payment preparation, purchasing integration, service and maintenance procurement, SAP Ariba and OpenText Vendor Invoice Management.
• Lead and support Fit-to-Standard workshops, identify gaps and determine whether requirements should be addressed through standard functionality, process change, approved extensions, interfaces or workflow design.
• Advise Process Leads and Process Owners on architectural decisions and their implications for business operations, controls, invoice processing, data, integrations and supportability.
• Review and approve end-to-end designs, configuration concepts, functional specifications, workflow designs and integration solutions within the assigned architecture scope.

OpenText VIM and integration governance

• Provide solution-architecture leadership for OpenText Vendor Invoice Management integrated with SAP S/4HANA, including invoice capture and ingestion, validation, business rules, approval workflows, exception handling, posting and status transparency.
• Ensure the VIM solution supports relevant PO-based and non-PO invoice scenarios and is coherently integrated with SAP AP, MM, Ariba and associated document and workflow services.
• Assess VIM enhancements and configuration choices for alignment with business controls, auditability, operational efficiency, clean-core principles and sustainable support.
• Ensure consistent integration across SAP AP, MM, PM, Ariba, OpenText VIM and relevant upstream and downstream partner systems.
• Oversee interfaces, extensions and enhancements, minimising unnecessary deviation from standard solutions and protecting maintainability.
• Identify cross-stream dependencies with Finance, procurement, master data, integration, security, tax, reporting and country rollout teams, and drive them to resolution.

Testing, deployment and stabilisation

• Define architecture-relevant acceptance criteria and support integration, end-to-end, workflow, regression and user-acceptance test preparation for P2P and VIM scenarios.
• Support defect analysis and resolution, including review and approval of solution corrections and required transports within the P2P scope.
• Provide architectural input to supplier and transactional data migration, cutover planning, system-readiness assessment and go-live decisions.
• Support post-go-live stabilisation, analyse invoice-processing bottlenecks and recurring defects, and identify opportunities for process and system optimisation.

Experience and knowledge

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Informatics, Computer Science, Finance, Procurement or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of SAP experience with substantial responsibility for P2P or accounts-payable solution design in complex transformation or implementation programmes.
• Deep functional and solution-architecture expertise in SAP S/4HANA Finance Accounts Payable and its integration with SAP Materials Management.
• Strong practical experience with OpenText Vendor Invoice Management for SAP Solutions, including invoice processing, workflow, exception handling, integration and deployment in an SAP environment.
• Good knowledge of SAP Ariba integration and procurement processes; knowledge of SAP PM-related procurement scenarios is advantageous.
• Understanding of supplier invoices, PO and non-PO processing, account assignment, tax and posting dependencies, approvals, payment preparation and reconciliation.
• Experience designing SAP and non-SAP interfaces and coordinating dependencies across procurement, Finance, data, workflow, document processing and reporting.
• Experience supporting Fit-to-Standard, testing, migration, cutover and post-go-live stabilisation across at least one full implementation lifecycle.
• Knowledge of SAP Fiori and SAP Business Technology Platform is advantageous.
• SAP Finance, procurement or OpenText VIM certification and retail-industry experience are advantageous.

Ways of working

• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate business needs, solution options, risks and architectural trade-offs.
• Clear and articulate communication with business, functional and technical stakeholders at different levels of seniority.
• Ability to facilitate decisions, challenge constructively and build alignment across process teams, technology teams and implementation partners.
• High level of ownership, quality orientation and attention to detail in a complex multinational programme environment.
• Excellent written and spoken English; willingness and ability to travel when required.

Measures of success

• P2P and VIM designs provide an integrated, controlled and supportable solution aligned with the LUCA global template.
• Invoice-processing requirements are translated into clear architecture decisions covering SAP AP, MM, Ariba, VIM, workflows, documents and partner-system dependencies.
• Business controls, approval workflows, exception handling and audit requirements are reflected consistently in the solution design.
• Cross-stream dependencies and design risks are identified early and resolved before they affect testing or rollout milestones.
• Custom developments and interfaces are justified, governed and kept to the minimum necessary.
• The P2P and VIM solution is testable, deployable and stable, with bottlenecks and recurring defects resolved sustainably.