Global IT Leader’s S/4HANA Transformation
Empowering Transformation: How Whitehall Delivered High-Calibre SAP Talent for a Global S/4HANA Rollout
Key Achievements
- 17 Key Placements in 6–9 Months: Delivered 7 permanent and 10 contract SAP professionals, including senior leaders and technical specialists, to drive the client’s S/4HANA transformation.
- Significant Cost Savings: Optimised recruitment costs by leveraging Whitehall’s expertise, avoiding reliance on higher-cost consulting firms.
- Trusted Long-Term Partner: Recognised for proactive communication, market insights, and a seamless recruitment process, Whitehall continues to support the client’s SAP and IT recruitment needs.
Overview
A leading global IT and equipment provider embarked on an ambitious greenfield S/4HANA transformation program to modernise its business processes and technology across Europe. To meet the demands of this large-scale initiative, the client required a team of highly skilled SAP professionals, including senior leaders and technical specialists, capable of delivering on their ambitious objectives.
Despite their extensive internal resources, identifying and recruiting niche expertise presented significant challenges, particularly under tight timelines. Partnering with Whitehall enabled the client to:
- Build a team of permanent and contract SAP professionals tailored to their needs.
- Meet critical project milestones while optimising recruitment costs.
- Strengthen their ERP strategy with leadership-level talent.
Project Roadblocks
The client faced several obstacles in assembling their SAP team:
- Specialised Skill Requirements: Key roles included both technical and leadership expertise, such as Head of Global ERP and SAP Architecture Lead.
- Dual Recruitment Needs: Balancing the need for long-term permanent hires with short-term contract professionals for immediate project delivery.
- Tight Timelines: The S/4HANA program required rapid recruitment to avoid delays in key phases of implementation.
Without a recruitment partner, these challenges risked delaying the transformation and increasing costs through reliance on consulting firms.
Our Strategic Approach
To address these challenges, Whitehall deployed a tailored recruitment strategy led by a dedicated Account Manager and a specialised delivery team. Key elements included:
- Dedicated Recruitment Oversight
- Assigned an Account Manager to ensure seamless coordination and clear communication.
- Streamlined processes to address both contract and permanent hiring needs.
- Comprehensive Talent Sourcing
- Leveraged tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, Sourcebreaker, and job boards.
- Utilised internal referrals and recommendations from our extensive SAP network.
- Targeted Candidate Matching
- Focused on identifying candidates with both technical expertise and leadership qualities.
- Tailored each search to align with the client’s cultural, functional, and technical requirements.
- Efficient Delivery
- Built a robust pipeline of candidates to fill roles quickly.
- Delivered contract hires for immediate needs and permanent hires for sustained support.
Delivering Results
Over a 6–9 month period, Whitehall successfully placed 17 professionals in critical roles, including:
- Permanent Hires: Head of Global ERP/SAP, SAP Head of Global Process Optimisation.
- Contract Roles: SAP Project Manager, SAP Architecture Lead.
The professionals placed provided:
- Leadership Expertise: Senior hires ensured strategic oversight and alignment with project goals.
- Technical Specialisation: Subject Matter Experts delivered the technical capabilities required for a greenfield implementation.
The client also achieved significant cost savings by scaling their SAP team through Whitehall instead of relying on consulting firms, ensuring high-quality project delivery while optimising their budget.
Building a Strong Partnership
The collaboration between Whitehall and the client has evolved into a trusted, long-term relationship. The Head of Global IT praised Whitehall’s proactive communication, market insights, and ability to source top-tier talent quickly and efficiently.
“Dan Nugent and the Whitehall team have been an essential force for us as we ramped up our Global ERP Team at quite a high pace. They always stayed close to us to make sure all needs were captured and we were thinking ahead. In addition to individual searches, advice about general market conditions, country-specific conditions, etc. was also very helpful. We look forward to further strengthening the partnership.”
Head of Global IT
Final Thoughts
Whitehall’s expertise and proactive approach enabled the client to successfully navigate a critical phase of their S/4HANA transformation. By delivering high-quality talent quickly and efficiently, we addressed immediate recruitment challenges while establishing a foundation for continued collaboration and success.
If your organisation is embarking on an SAP transformation or facing similar recruitment challenges, we’d welcome the opportunity to help you achieve your goals.
Contact us to learn how Whitehall can deliver tailored SAP recruitment solutions for your business.
