Capability & Product Owner – Finance and Controlling

Act as a Finance business partner within the ITS BCS organization, supporting the execution of technology strategies, policies, and solutions across Finance and Controlling functions. Ensure delivery teams clearly understand business requirements and prioritize high-value solutions aligned with the company’s mission and strategic objectives.

Provide functional and technical expertise across SAP Finance and Controlling processes, collaborating closely with Technology teams to deliver scalable, efficient, and compliant solutions that support core financial operations.

Role Summary

The Capability & Product Owner serves as the finance lead for SAP Finance and Controlling and related systems (Blackline, Workiva, Anaplan), responsible for defining the “what” and “why” of financial system capabilities. This role translates accounting and operational needs into clear functional requirements, priorities, and measurable business outcomes.

Working in close partnership with Finance, Accounting, and Technology stakeholders, this role ensures that systems support accurate reporting, strong internal controls, and efficient financial processes. The role collaborates closely with the Technical Product Owner, who is responsible for technical delivery, platform operations, and system administration.

This position reports to the Global Finance Business Partner within ITS BCS.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Finance Product Ownership & Strategy

• Serve as the Product Owner for SAP Finance and Controlling systems, defining functional requirements, priorities, and success criteria in partnership with Finance leadership.
• Develop and drive the long-term financial systems strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals and evolving regulatory and accounting requirements.
• Own the finance functional roadmap, including enhancements, upgrades, and new implementations.

SAP Finance & Controlling Expertise

• Provide expertise across SAP S/4HANA Finance and Controlling, ensuring effective design and configuration aligned with business needs.
• Support key finance processes, including:
  • General Ledger
  • Accounts Payable and Receivable
  • Asset Accounting
  • Cost and Profit Center Accounting
  • Internal Orders and Profitability Analysis
  • Project systems
• Ensure strong integration across SAP modules and with external financial systems (e.g., Blackline, Workiva, Anaplan).

Requirements Translation & Delivery Alignment

• Translate business and accounting requirements into clear functional specifications and solution designs.
• Partner with IT delivery teams to ensure solutions are aligned with product strategy and prioritized effectively.
• Provide guidance to project teams across design, development, testing, and deployment phases without direct system administration responsibilities.

Financial Operations & Controls

• Ensure systems effectively support core finance processes, including:
  • Month-end and year-end close
  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • Financial consolidation and reporting
• Maintain strong internal controls and ensure audit readiness, including compliance with SOX, data privacy, and information security requirements.

Governance & Compliance

• Support enterprise governance processes, including intake, change management, release management, and portfolio prioritization.
• Ensure adherence to Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) standards and internal control frameworks.

Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Drive improvements in data quality, reporting consistency, and system usability from a finance user perspective.
• Support BI, reporting, and analytics initiatives to enable better financial insights and decision-making.
• Identify and promote opportunities to leverage automation and emerging technologies, including AI.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Act as a trusted partner to Finance, Accounting, IT, and business operations.
• Manage vendor and consultant relationships, ensuring alignment with financial objectives, scope, and expected outcomes.
• Stay current on industry trends, SAP innovations, and best practices in financial systems and operations.

Preferred Profile

• Strong experience in SAP S/4HANA Finance and Controlling (FICO)
• Proven ability to translate finance requirements into system solutions
• Experience working across Finance, Accounting, and IT functions
• Strong understanding of financial processes, controls, and reporting requirements
• Experience with system integrations and financial reporting tools (e.g., Blackline, Workiva, SAC, EDW)
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and strategic thinking skills

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This position requires approximately 5% to 10% travel.

EDUCATION AND REQUIRED CREDENTIALS:

• Bachelor’s Degree (Finance/Accounting or equivalent); Advanced Degree desirable or an equivalent combination of education and experience

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• 6-8 years’ related experience with SAP ECC 6.0 & S/4 Hana, focused on deploying Finance and Controlling, with knowledge of integration to external applications including Blackline, SAC, BW.
• Deep knowledge of Financial Accounting, Controlling and reporting functions.
• Hands-on experience in supporting the business with troubleshooting issues; deep knowledge of product configuration
• Extensive experience with technical issues in large environments with complex financial supply chain flows.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with all levels of management through diplomacy and tact
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for interaction with personnel both within and outside the company and at all levels including ability to effectively communicate with sometimes demanding clients
• Proven applications and technical knowledge, including relevant hardware and software systems of large-scale enterprise systems
• Proven leadership, organizational, and planning skills
• Application management and development expertise
• An ability to negotiate vendor product features, functions, and schedules, on behalf of the company
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Approaches all new challenges and requirements from a process and operational efficiency mindset