ERP Lead
Reports to: Mariya Tarakanova, Transformation Lead · Location: US preferred, Germany considered · Type: Full-time employee or FT contractor
| Seniority | Senior — 8 to 12 years. Must have led at least one full SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation as program or workstream lead. |
| Start | As soon as possible — this role is on the critical path. Several Phase 1 workstreams are blocked until the ERP Lead is in post. |
| Duration | Employee or full-time contractor. Duration aligned to the program — estimated 24 to 36 months through S/4 go-live and hypercare. |
| Travel | US and Germany. Travel to Rendsburg as needed — most collaboration can be managed remotely. |
| Language | English required. German is an advantage but not required. |
| Why this role is critical now: The ERP Lead is the most time-sensitive hire in the program. Pilot scope definition, ERP partner selection, RFP issuance, and S/4 design are all blocked until this person is in post. AYNA has a recommendation. The goal is to hire and onboard before end of Q2 2026. |
Lapmaster Wolters is a precision manufacturing company with operations in the US, Germany, UK, and Asia. The company is embarking on a 24 to 36 month finance and digital transformation — migrating from Elliott ERP (US) and SAP ECC (Germany) to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, with the US entity as the pilot deployment.
This is a greenfield S/4 implementation, not a lift-and-shift. The business has committed to starting fresh — clean chart of accounts, redesigned finance processes, and a platform built to scale. The ERP Lead will own the technical and functional delivery of that vision from day one.
The program is well-structured. Governance is in place, the transformation lead is experienced, the CFO is an active sponsor, and the business owner is engaged. The ERP Lead joins a small, accountable team with real decision-making authority and a clear mandate.What you will do
S/4 design and delivery
- Own S/4 design end to end — FI, CO, and PS module scope across US pilot and Germany template
- Define pilot entity scope, module configuration, and deployment sequencing in collaboration with the transformation lead
- Lead ERP partner selection — define evaluation criteria, assess partner shortlist, and issue the RFP
- Manage the implementation partner day to day — hold them accountable to scope, quality, and timeline
- Drive data migration planning — legacy data from Elliott and SAP ECC, validation approach, and cutover sequencing
- Own the integration design between S/4, SAP BTP, Tagetik, CRM (C4C), and field service (FSM)
Finance process translation
The transformation lead owns finance process redesign — close process, COA structure, and margin reporting. The ERP Lead's role is to translate those process decisions into S/4 configuration terms and ensure the system is built to deliver them.
- Collaborate with the transformation lead on month-end close redesign — translate agreed process changes into S/4 workflow, journal entry automation, and Financial Closing Cockpit configuration
- Support COA implementation in S/4 — the unified account structure is designed by the transformation lead; the ERP Lead ensures it is configured correctly and consistently across all entities
- Drive resolution of SAP ECC master data gaps — approximately 20 to 25 percent of material costs in Germany are currently flagged due to booking errors; these must be resolved before S/4 configuration begins
- Coordinate with Jan-Niklas and Werner on the SAP PS profitability tracking POC in Rendsburg — they own this work; the ERP Lead ensures S/4 design accommodates their approach and the POC findings feed into the deployment template
Change management and training
S/4 will change how finance and operations staff work day to day across US and Germany. The ERP Lead is responsible for ensuring the business is ready — not just technically, but practically.
- Work closely with the implementation partner to design the change management approach — impact assessment, stakeholder engagement plan, and readiness checkpoints at each phase gate
- Drive development of training materials with the implementation partner — role-based training covering new workflows in S/4, Financial Closing Cockpit, and reporting
- Ensure training covers both US and Germany teams — account for language, process differences, and the different ERP starting points (Elliott vs SAP ECC)
- Track change readiness across the program — surface adoption risks early and escalate to the transformation lead and steering committee
- Support hypercare after go-live — ensure staff have the support they need to operate confidently in the new system
Program leadership
- Report to the transformation lead and participate in weekly steering committee
- Own the ERP workstream — track milestones, surface risks early, and drive decisions to closure
- Bridge the US and Germany teams — both entities are in scope and must be aligned on design decisions
- Contribute to the RPA reconciliation bridge and KPI layer design in Phase 2
Must have
- 8 to 12 years of SAP experience with at least one full S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation delivered as program or workstream lead — not as a team member
- Deep functional expertise in FI and CO — journal entry automation, close process configuration, reconciliation frameworks, consolidation feeds to Tagetik or equivalent
- SAP PS experience — project systems, revenue recognition, POC calculation, profitability reporting
- Experience managing an external SAP implementation partner — RFP process, named resource accountability, and quality management
- Experience working across US and European entities — understanding of statutory reporting differences, multi-entity consolidation, and cross-border close dependencies
- Demonstrated experience designing and delivering change management and end-user training programs as part of an ERP implementation
Strong advantage
- SAP ECC to S/4 migration experience — understanding of the technical delta, data migration complexity, and change impact
- Experience with SAP BTP integration — connecting S/4 to CRM, FSM, and supplier portal
- Familiarity with Tagetik or similar consolidation platforms — direct SAP integration, group account mapping
- Manufacturing or industrial company background — understanding of SAP PS, contract manufacturing, and WIP reporting
- Experience with RPA tools for close automation and reconciliation bridging
- German language skills
Who you are
- You have led programs, not just participated in them — you know the difference between owning a workstream and contributing to one
- You are comfortable holding a partner accountable by name — scope creep, missed milestones, and named resource gaps do not get past you
- You translate between finance and IT without losing either audience — you can review a BTP integration spec in the morning and discuss close process redesign in the afternoon
- You understand that change management is not a workstream you hand off — you stay close to adoption risk throughout the program
- You surface problems early rather than managing them quietly — the steering committee hears about risks from you before they become issues
- You are organized enough to run a complex program and direct enough to keep a small team moving without bureaucracy
This is not a configuration role. The ERP Lead owns design and delivery — hands-on configuration is the implementation partner's responsibility.
This is not a support role. The ERP Lead has decision-making authority on the ERP workstream and is expected to exercise it.
This is not a process design role. Finance process ownership — close redesign, COA structure, margin model — sits with the transformation lead and the finance leads. The ERP Lead translates those decisions into S/4 and ensures they are delivered.
This is not a steady-state role. The program has a defined end state — S/4 go-live, operating model in place, team handed off. The ERP Lead is here to build something and leave it running.About Lapmaster Wolters
Lapmaster Wolters is a global leader in precision surface finishing and lapping technology, serving semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and optical industries. With manufacturing operations in the US, Germany, UK, Singapore, and Asia, the company produces precision machines and consumables used in the most demanding surface finishing applications in the world.
The company is privately held and in a period of strategic investment — the finance and digital transformation program is a direct commitment from ownership to build the systems and processes that will support the next phase of growth.
Company Description:
Lapmaster International, LLC is a leading international precision machine tool builder headquartered in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs near O’Hare Airport. Our diverse team works with a broad variety of industries and technologies. Our technical expertise includes Motion Control, Robotics, Automation, Machine Design, and Application Engineering. Our customers include small, mid-sized and Fortune 100 companies in a variety of industries including Automotive, Aerospace, Semiconductor, Electronics, Bearings, Optics/Electro-optics, Pumps, Valves, Compressors, and Medical Devices. Our business model is to utilize leading technologies and exceptional engineering talent coupled with outstanding customer service to solve manufacturing and precision machining problems.
Since 1948, industry has relied on Lapmaster to solve the most challenging precision surfacing problems. With over 60 years of experience, Lapmaster has a proven history of successfully developing cost effective processing solutions for virtually any application requiring precision sizing, flatness, parallelism, roundness, straightness, or surface finish. Lapmaster serves the Fine Grinding, Advanced Materials, Precision Optics, Bore Honing and Finishing, Lapping/Polishing and Metallographic markets through an expanding network of sales and services offices located throughout the world. Sales and technical service is available either through local Lapmaster Sales Representative or through our main Sales and Technical Services Centers located in Mount Prospect, IL, Plymouth, UK, Chennai, India, Tokyo, Japan and Shenyang, China.
Competitive Benefits Package for Full Time employees:
- 401(k) with Matching
- Medical Insurance (Company contribution for Dependents)
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
- Company Paid Life & AD&D
- Vacation, Sick, Holidays
- EAP
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO)
It is the policy at Lapmaster International to provide equal employment opportunities and affirmative action to all qualified individuals. All personnel actions, including, but not limited to, compensation, benefits, recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of persons in all job titles, are administered without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, protected veteran or disability status, and all employment decisions are based solely on valid job requirements. In addition, employees and applicants are protected from harassment, threats, coercion, intimidation, or discrimination
Recruiter Policy:
Lapmaster International, LLC (aka Precision Surfacing Solutions) “the Company” has an internal recruiting function. The Company may supplement that internal capability from time to time with assistance from temporary staffing agencies, placement services, and professional recruiters (Agency). Agencies are hereby specifically directed NOT to contact employees of the Company directly in an attempt to present candidates. The Company’s policy is for the internal recruiting team or other authorized personnel to present ALL candidates to hiring managers. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Lapmaster International, LLC from a third party, such as an Agency, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Company mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Company employees, or to the resume database will be considered Company property. Lapmaster International LLC, will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Lapmaster International LLC, will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees.