SAP OTC Technology Manager; FTC

Hachette UK is a creative powerhouse and the UK's second largest book publishing group. Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity.

We're made up of 10 autonomous publishing divisions and over 60 imprints with a rich and diverse history and an incredible range of authors. We're also the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format, the fastest growing part of our business.

Our award-winning adult publishing divisions are Orion, which won Publisher of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards;
Little, Brown;
John Murray Press;
Hodder & Stoughton;
Headline;
Octopus, and Bookouture. They publish fiction and non-fiction in digital, audio and print format, from the world's best and most diverse authors, including Brit Bennett, Candice Carty-Williams, Martina Cole, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, Maggie O'Farrell, Delia Owens, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling, Colson Whitehead, and Malala Yousafzai. Hachette Children's Group publishes a wide and vibrant range of books for children across all age ranges, while Hachette Learning is a market leader in resources for both primary and secondary schools.

Hachette UK is part of Hachette Livre, the world's third largest trade and educational publisher. As well as our headquarters in Carmelite House, London, and our state-of-the-art book distribution centre in Didcot, Oxfordshire, we have recently opened five new offices in Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. The UK region also includes offices in Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, the Caribbean, and Ireland.

It's an exciting time to join our business because the publishing market continues to grow and thrive. The UK remains the largest exporter of physical books in the world and book adaptations for film and TV are the foundation of the UK's creative industries.

• Owns the design, integrity and performance of the OTC technology platform, supporting mission-critical services including sales order processing, inventory management, core finance integrations and customer service capabilities, ensuring BAU services remain stable and resilient throughout the S/4
  
  HANA transformation.
• Supports the S/4
  
  HANA implementation in parallel
  , providing expert guidance on OTC processes, solution alignment, and transition readiness, while keeping day-to-day operations stable and fully accountable.
• Is accountable for the line management, capability and development of up to 12 FTE
  , covering SAP Functional Specialists, ABAP Developers and Basis Engineers, ensuring the team is structured, skilled and resourced to support both BAU operations and transformation activities.
• Ensures effective engagement with the SAP RISE ECS team
  , establishing clear operational interfaces, escalation paths and ways of working, and acting as a key technology point of contact throughout the transition to S/4
  
  HANA.
• Works closely with the Head of Distribution & Finance Applications to define, agree and document clear roles and responsibilities for the OTC technology team in readiness for the S/4
  
  HANA transition, ensuring clarity between internal teams, SAP RISE services and delivery partners.
• Leads understanding and adoption of the SAP S/4
  
  HANA licensing model (FUE), establishing and maintaining a clear, accessible licensing and responsibility matrix, ensuring it is regularly referenced, kept up to date, and understood by relevant stakeholders.
• Is accountable for the identification, planning and delivery of OTC/SAP work packages within the approved IT Portfolio, including ownership of scope, risks, dependencies, timelines and financial management, balancing BAU priorities with programme demands.
• Acts as a member of the IT Management Team
  , contributing to the execution of the Group IT strategy and the ongoing development of the IT function, while fostering a diverse, inclusive, positive and high-performing culture.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with business stakeholders, delivery partners and vendors
  , enabling effective prioritisation, transparent decision-making and the development of a rolling three-year OTC technology roadmap aligned to both operational and transformation needs.

These are the essential requirements of the role, however not an exhaustive list of duties. It is intended to reflect the nature, range, and context of the work, which will change over time.

• Significant experience managing SAP-based OTC technology landscapes in a complex enterprise environment, with responsibility for business-critical BAU services.
• Proven people-management experience, leading multi-disciplinary teams (SAP Functional, ABAP and Basis) with accountability for performance, capability development and operational resilience.
• Hands-on experience supporting or delivering SAP S/4
  
  HANA programmes, including transition readiness, cutover planning,…