Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for ERP Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The ERP Manager is a senior business-systems leader responsible for the lifecycle of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems — from requirements definition, configuration and integrations to go-live, continuous improvement and governance. This role partners with finance, supply chain, manufacturing, HR and IT to align ERP capabilities with business objectives, ensure data integrity, drive automation, and deliver measurable business outcomes. The ERP Manager combines technical depth (system configuration, integrations, data migration, reporting) with strategic program delivery (roadmap, vendor management, process redesign, change management).

This role is optimized for ERP implementations and ongoing application management across platforms such as SAP, Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, S/4HANA and other SaaS ERP solutions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

ERP Analyst or Business Systems Analyst (Finance / Supply Chain)
Functional Consultant (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics)
IT Project Manager or Applications Manager

Advancement To:

Director of ERP / Director of Applications
Head of IT Applications or VP of IT
Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Head of Digital Transformation

Lateral Moves:

Solution Architect (ERP / Integration)
Business Process Lead or Continuous Improvement Manager
ERP Functional Consultant / Product Owner

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end ERP implementation projects, including scoping, requirements gathering, solution design, configuration, testing, cutover planning and go-live support to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery and successful adoption.
Manage the ERP product roadmap and backlog: prioritize enhancements, rationalize modules, evaluate third-party add-ons, and align releases with business cycles and strategic objectives.
Serve as the primary stakeholder liaison between business process owners (finance, procurement, inventory, manufacturing, HR) and technical teams to translate business requirements into scalable ERP solutions.
Design and document functional requirements, business process maps, and system configuration standards to ensure consistent implementation and governance across modules and locations.
Lead and coordinate complex data migration programs: define extraction, transformation, cleansing and reconciliation rules; validate data quality; and oversee ETL processes to ensure accurate master and transactional data conversion.
Drive integration strategy and execution: design API-based integrations, middleware mappings, EDI flows, real-time and batch interfaces between ERP, CRM, WMS, PLM, payroll and other enterprise systems.
Configure core ERP modules (GL, AP, AR, Fixed Assets, Purchasing, Inventory, MRP/Planning, BOM, Production) and maintain system parametrization aligned to accounting and operational policies.
Lead UAT (User Acceptance Testing) and system testing cycles: create test plans, scenarios and scripts; coordinate cross-functional testers; track defects and ensure remediation prior to deployment.
Implement security, role-based access controls and segregation of duties (SoD) policies in the ERP system to mitigate risk and support internal and external audits.
Establish KPI-driven monitoring and continuous improvement processes for ERP performance, data integrity, fulfillment accuracy and financial close cycle times.
Manage change control and release management: enforce version control, document changes, schedule production deployments and maintain rollback plans.
Oversee vendor selection, contract negotiation and management for ERP vendors, implementers, and integration partners; monitor SLAs and deliverable quality.
Develop and execute end-user training programs, documentation, job aids and knowledge transfer to drive adoption and reduce dependency on external consultants.
Lead cross-functional workshops and process re-engineering initiatives to simplify, standardize and automate business processes leveraging ERP capabilities.
Maintain configuration management and system documentation, including interface diagrams, master data models, configuration guides and runbooks.
Work closely with Finance and Audit teams to ensure ERP supports statutory reporting, internal controls, revenue recognition, tax compliance and SOX requirements.
Provide 2nd/3rd-line application support, incident management and problem resolution for ERP outages and critical issues; prioritize and coordinate fixes with technical teams.
Monitor cloud and on-premise ERP environment health and work with infrastructure teams to optimize performance, backups, disaster recovery and capacity planning.
Lead cross-functional post-implementation reviews and benefits realization tracking: measure ROI, adoption metrics, process cycle time improvements and cost savings.
Drive vendor and internal resource performance reviews; maintain resource plans and bench strategies to ensure sustained support and capability development.
Establish and maintain governance forums (steering committee, change control board, process owners council) to prioritize ERP initiatives and enforce standards.
Champion security, compliance and data privacy best practices within ERP implementations, including PII handling, encryption, role audits and vendor risk assessments.
Manage project financials: develop business cases, track budgets, forecast spend, and report realized vs. planned benefits.
Stay current with ERP industry trends (SaaS ERP, cloud migrations, S/4HANA, CPQ, RPA, AI-driven automation) and recommend innovative solutions to improve efficiency and resiliency.

Secondary Functions

Provide periodic executive-level reporting and dashboards on ERP health, project status, key risks and recommended mitigations.
Serve as an escalation point for critical business process exceptions and coordinate rapid-response teams to restore operations.
Facilitate cross-functional trainings and lunch-and-learn sessions to broaden ERP knowledge across the organization.
Identify opportunities for process automation, RPA and low-code/no-code enhancements that reduce manual work and error rates.
Maintain a repository of configuration templates, testing artifacts, and lessons learned to accelerate future implementations and standardization.
Support internal and external audit requests with system extracts, access logs, configuration evidence and remediation plans.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

ERP implementation and lifecycle management (SAP ECC / S/4HANA, Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365).
Strong functional expertise in finance and accounting modules (GL, AP, AR, Fixed Assets, Revenue Recognition).
Experience with supply chain, inventory management, manufacturing (MRP, BOMs, production planning) and procurement modules.
Data migration and ETL experience — SQL, data mapping, cleansing, reconciliation and tools like Informatica, Talend or custom scripts.
Integration design and middleware experience (API strategy, REST/SOAP, MuleSoft, Dell Boomi, Tibco, EDI).
Reporting and analytics skills — experience with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Crystal Reports) and ERP reporting engines.
Configuration and customization experience (SAP ABAP familiarity preferred, Oracle PL/SQL, SuiteScript for NetSuite or X++ for Dynamics where applicable).
Release, change and configuration management expertise, including version control and deployment automation.
Strong understanding of security, segregation of duties (SoD) and role-based access management within ERP systems.
Project management skills — PMP/Prince2 or equivalent experience in Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
Hands-on experience with cloud ERP migrations, SaaS deployments and hybrid environments.
Familiarity with tax, regulatory and compliance requirements relevant to ERP (SOX controls, VAT/GST).
Knowledge of master data management (MDM) best practices, governance and stewardship models.
Vendor management and third-party evaluation skills, including RFP management and SLA development.

Soft Skills

Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication — able to translate technical detail into business impact.
Strong leadership and team management — coach, mentor and develop internal ERP capabilities.
Analytical problem-solving and systems thinking — diagnose root causes and propose pragmatic solutions.
Change management and training facilitation — drive adoption and reduce resistance to new systems.
Prioritization and decision-making under ambiguity with a focus on business value.
Cross-functional collaboration and diplomacy across Finance, Supply Chain, IT and Operations.
Customer-centric mindset with a focus on user experience and operational usability.
Resilience and adaptability — comfortable in fast-paced transformation programs.
Attention to detail with high standards for quality and documentation.
Negotiation and vendor relationship skills to secure favorable terms and drive partner accountability.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Supply Chain Management or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Information Systems, or related technical/business discipline.
Professional certifications such as PMP, ITIL, SAP Certified Application Associate, Oracle Certifications, NetSuite Administrator or Microsoft Dynamics certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Information Systems / Computer Science
Accounting / Finance
Supply Chain / Operations Management
Business Administration / Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5–10+ years in ERP functional/technical roles with at least 3 years leading ERP implementations or as an ERP Manager.

Preferred:

Proven track record delivering at least one full-cycle ERP implementation across multiple modules and integrations.
Experience with both on-premise and cloud ERP platforms, multi-site rollouts, and global/regulatory deployments.
Background in managing cross-functional teams, third-party vendors and high-visibility executive stakeholder engagements.
Experience driving process standardization, cost optimization, and post-implementation benefits realization.