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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for SAP Basis Administrator

💰 $110,000 - $165,000

Information TechnologySystem AdministrationSAPCloud Engineering

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a master of the SAP ecosystem, passionate about ensuring the stability and performance of business-critical systems? This role requires a dedicated and proactive SAP Basis Administrator to become the technical backbone of our enterprise SAP environment. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of our SAP systems, from installation and configuration to ongoing maintenance, troubleshooting, and strategic upgrades. You will work with a state-of-the-art technology stack, including S/4HANA, HANA databases, and cloud-hosted infrastructure. The ideal candidate is a technical expert with a problem-solving mindset, capable of collaborating effectively with development, functional, and infrastructure teams to drive our business forward. If you thrive on technical challenges and want to make a significant impact in a fast-paced, global organization, we want to hear from you!

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior SAP Basis Administrator
  • System Administrator (Linux/Windows)
  • Database Administrator (Oracle/SQL/HANA)

Advancement To:

  • Lead or Senior SAP Basis Administrator
  • SAP Technical Architect
  • IT Infrastructure Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • SAP Security Consultant
  • Cloud Engineer (with SAP specialization)
  • DevOps Engineer (focus on SAP automation)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Perform the complete lifecycle management of our SAP landscape, including installation, configuration, patching, and upgrades of systems like S/4HANA, ECC, BW/4HANA, PI/PO, and Solution Manager.
  • Conduct daily system health monitoring, proactively analyzing system performance, resource utilization, and system logs to prevent and resolve issues before they impact the business.
  • Manage and maintain the SAP database layer (primarily HANA, but also Oracle/SQL), executing performance tuning, backup scheduling, and recovery procedures to ensure data integrity and availability.
  • Administer the SAP Transport Management System (TMS), ensuring the controlled and audited promotion of configurations and code through the DEV, QAS, and PRD environments.
  • Execute complex client administration tasks, including local and remote client copies, system refreshes, and client exports/imports to support project and testing requirements.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, from system-wide performance degradation and application dumps to intricate connectivity and integration problems.
  • Plan, coordinate, and execute SAP kernel upgrades, support package stack applications (using SPAM/SAINT), and the installation of SAP add-ons.
  • Configure and maintain SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) 7.2 for system monitoring, EarlyWatch Alert (EWA) reporting, Change Request Management (ChaRM), and root cause analysis.
  • Manage user authorizations, roles, and profiles in close collaboration with the SAP Security and GRC teams to ensure a secure and compliant system environment.
  • Develop, maintain, and enforce technical documentation, including system architecture diagrams, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and disaster recovery runbooks.
  • Plan and lead system refresh activities, ensuring non-production environments are kept up-to-date with production data to facilitate accurate testing.
  • Administer and support the SAP Fiori/Gateway landscape, including service activation, theme management, and troubleshooting user access and performance issues.
  • Manage high-availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) solutions for critical SAP systems, including regular testing and validation of failover procedures.
  • Monitor and manage background job scheduling, identifying and optimizing long-running jobs to ensure batch windows are met and system resources are efficiently used.
  • Collaborate closely with functional analysts, ABAP developers, and business stakeholders during project lifecycles, providing technical expertise for implementations, rollouts, and go-lives.
  • Ensure the SAP environment remains compliant with internal security policies and external audit requirements by participating in audits and implementing remediation plans.
  • Provide 24x7 on-call rotational support to address and resolve critical system incidents, ensuring minimal business disruption.
  • Evaluate and recommend new SAP-related technologies and tools, such as automation scripts and advanced monitoring solutions, to drive operational excellence.
  • Manage and configure SAP integration platforms, including Process Orchestration (PI/PO) and SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI), to ensure seamless data flow between systems.
  • Perform ongoing capacity planning and analysis, forecasting future hardware and resource needs to support business growth and system expansion.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior team members and cross-functional colleagues.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of SAP trends, new product releases, and industry best practices by attending webinars, training, and industry events.
  • Collaborate with network, storage, and server teams to optimize the underlying infrastructure supporting the SAP landscape.
  • Participate in proof-of-concept projects to assess the viability and benefit of emerging technologies within the SAP ecosystem.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • SAP System Administration: Deep expertise in administering SAP NetWeaver and S/4HANA environments, including installation, upgrades, and migrations.
  • Database Management: Strong proficiency in SAP HANA database administration, including replication, performance tuning, and backup/recovery. Experience with Oracle and/or MS SQL is a plus.
  • Operating Systems: Solid command of Linux (SLES/RHEL) and Windows Server operating systems in the context of SAP applications.
  • SAP Solution Manager (SolMan): Hands-on experience with SolMan 7.2 for technical monitoring, system administration, and Change Management (ChaRM).
  • Performance Tuning: Proven ability to analyze and tune SAP systems for optimal performance, including workload analysis, buffer tuning, and SQL optimization.
  • Cloud Infrastructure: Practical experience with SAP landscapes on at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including knowledge of cloud-native architecture and cost management.
  • HA/DR Technologies: In-depth knowledge of high availability and disaster recovery concepts and tools, such as clustering, log shipping, and system replication.
  • Scripting & Automation: Proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Shell, Python, PowerShell) to automate routine administrative tasks and system checks.
  • SAP Security Principles: A strong understanding of SAP user and role administration, authorization concepts, and security best practices.
  • Transport & Client Strategy: Expertise in managing the SAP Transport Management System (TMS) and executing system/client copy strategies.
  • Integration Technologies: Familiarity with SAP integration tools like Process Integration/Process Orchestration (PI/PO) or Cloud Platform Integration (CPI).

Soft Skills

  • Analytical Problem-Solving: Ability to systematically diagnose complex technical issues and implement effective, lasting solutions.
  • Excellent Communication: Capable of clearly articulating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Team Collaboration: A strong team player who can work effectively with diverse teams across different functions and geographies.
  • Proactive & Self-Motivated: A drive to take initiative, anticipate system needs, and continuously improve processes and system stability.
  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous in carrying out administrative tasks, documentation, and change management procedures to ensure accuracy and quality.
  • Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively under pressure.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree or relevant SAP certifications (e.g., SAP Certified Technology Associate - System Administration, SAP HANA certification).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology
  • Management Information Systems (MIS)
  • Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5-8 years of dedicated, hands-on experience in a professional SAP Basis administration role.

Preferred:

  • 8+ years of experience in a large-scale, global enterprise environment.
  • Demonstrable project experience in leading or playing a key role in an S/4HANA migration or greenfield implementation.
  • Proven experience managing SAP systems in a public cloud (AWS, Azure) environment.
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