Cutover Lead

Cutover Lead - SAP S/4

HANA Manchester (3 Days Onsite) 6-Month Initial Contract Outside IR35 We are seeking an experienced Test Execution & Cutover Lead to join a major SAP S/4

HANA transformation programme. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in ensuring successful testing, business readiness, cutover execution, and go-live support within a complex enterprise environment. Working closely with programme stakeholders, business users, and technical teams, you will lead all testing and cutover activities to deliver a smooth and controlled SAP S/4

HANA deployment.

Key Responsibilities:

Cutover Planning & Readiness Lead business-side cutover planning and execution activities. Coordinate cutover tasks, dependencies, data readiness, and resource requirements. Validate cutover plans including:
Data loads, Stock runs, Freeze periods and Downtime windows Support mock cutovers and dress rehearsals, capturing lessons learned and driving continuous improvement. Manage business readiness assessments and secure sign-off against go-live criteria. Coordinate communications, operational impacts, staffing requirements, and site readiness activities. Test Execution Leadership Lead the planning and execution of all testing phases, including:
System Integration Testing (SIT) User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Regression Testing Performance Testing Dress Rehearsals Review and validate test plans, scripts, and quality gates to ensure alignment with business requirements. Coordinate SMEs and end users across multiple business functions to ensure comprehensive test coverage. Manage defect triage activities and track issue resolution through to closure. Monitor testing progress, risks, escalations, and achievement of exit criteria.

Ensure testing outcomes support business readiness and go-live success. Go-Live & Hypercare Support:
Support go-live execution and command centre operations. Prioritise and coordinate issue resolution during hypercare. Ensure knowledge transfer and support processes are established for post-go-live operations. Oversee remediation of issues relating to data, process execution, and system adoption. Support transition into BAU support with clear ownership of outstanding actions. Essential

Experience:

Proven experience leading test execution and cutover activities on large-scale ERP or SAP programmes. Strong background delivering SIT, UAT, regression testing, performance testing, and mock cutovers. Excellent planning, coordination, risk management, and issue resolution skills. Strong stakeholder management experience across business, programme, and technical teams. Familiarity with testing methodologies, defect management processes, and testing tools.

Desirable Experience SAP S/4

HANA implementation experience.

Experience with SAP testing tools such as:
Solution Manager Tricentis Tosca SAP ALM Jira XRay Knowledge of data migration, environment planning, and system landscapes. Understanding of release management and Dev Ops concepts.