Senior Director of IT, SAP

Fender
Phoenix, AZ

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior-level SAP professionals who are hands-on and experienced in managing complex system migrations and vendor relationships.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 12+ years of SAP technical experience and team leadership skills
    — “12+ years SAP Technical experience. 7+ years of experience managing a team”
  • Individuals who have led SAP upgrades and system integrations
    — “planning for an upgrade to S/4”
  • Professionals who thrive in roles requiring both strategic and hands-on responsibilities
    — “you will lead a team of IT engineers and developers while personally staying engaged in configuration, design, and testing”

Things to consider

  • The position requires familiarity with SAP ECC 6.0 and transition to S/4
    — “We are currently on SAP ECC 6.0, planning for an upgrade to S/4.”

How to stand out

  • Emphasize your hands-on SAP configuration and testing experience in your resume
    — “Stay hands-on. Even at the senior director level, this role configures, writes and reviews technical specs, debugs and tests.”
  • Highlight your track record in managing SAP system migrations and vendor integrations
    — “manage people, projects, system migrations, and 3rd party system integrations”
  • Showcase your ability to mentor and lead IT teams with growth-focused outcomes
    — “Mentor the team. Share your deep SAP expertise to further develop less experienced engineers.”
  • Demonstrate your understanding of SAP module integrations in your interview responses
    — “Know the integrations. Understand and clearly articulate Fender’s key SAP integration points across the SD, PP, MM and FI modules.”
  • Demonstrate your ability to stay current with emerging technologies like AI
    — “Stay current. Continuously evaluate new tools and technologies — including AI — that can add capability, lower cost, simplify operations, improve performance, or accelerate development.”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Company

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • timely and high-quality delivery of SAP projects
  • effective mentoring of team members
  • successful system migrations and integrations
Typical background
12+ years SAP Technical experience7+ years of experience managing a team

Skills & requirements

Required

SAP ECC 6.0SAP S/4SAP ConfigurationSAP DesignSAP TestingSAP IntegrationsSAP MaintenanceSAP Landscape Optimization

Preferred

AI In SAPSAP EWA ReportsSAP SDK UpdatesSAP System RefreshesSAP Data Archiving

Stack & domain

SAP ECC 6.0S/4SAP ConfigurationSAP DesignSAP TestingSAP IntegrationsSAP MaintenanceSAP EWA ReportsSAP SDSAP PPSAP MMSAP FISAP OSSAP Kernel PatchingSAP OSS NotesSAP Support Pack ImplementationSAP System RefreshesSAP Data ArchivingSAP SDK UpdatesSAP Routine Ha/dr TestingCommunicationProblem-solvingTeamworkAttention To DetailOrganizational SkillsInterpersonal CommunicationITSAPTechnology

About the role

Original posting from Fender via Greenhouse

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is a world-famous brand with offices across the globe. Fender was born in Southern California and has built a worldwide influence beyond the studio and the stage. A Fender is more than an instrument; it’s a cultural symbol that resonates globally.

We're looking for a Senior Director of IT, SAP to join our IT team and own the strategic technology roadmap for our SAP landscape. This is a hands-on leadership role:  you will lead a team of IT engineers and developers while personally staying engaged in configuration, design, and testing - not just managing people who do the work.

You'll manage people, projects, system migrations, and 3rd party system integrations.  You will mentor team members on SAP capabilities, write and review design documents and functional specs, and make complex configuration changes.  You will also build relationships with third-party technology partners — including evaluating new partnerships that add value for Fender.

We are currently on SAP ECC 6.0, planning for an upgrade to S/4.

Essential Functions:  

Stay hands-on. Even at the senior director level, this role configures, writes and reviews technical specs, debugs and tests. If your background is purely people-management, this position isn't the right fit for you.

Mentor the team. Share your deep SAP expertise to further develop less experienced engineers.

Document. Keep IT processes and designs current in the IT Wiki.

Manage vendor relationships. Establish and maintain relationships with external technology partners to support IT and business requirements.

Lead the team. Manage IT engineers (analysts/configurators) and developers to ensure timely, high-quality delivery while supporting their growth and engagement.

Prioritize work. Review and prioritize development requests in partnership with the development manager and key business stakeholders.

Engage leadership. Interact regularly with members of Fender's Executive and Leadership Teams.

Run multiple projects concurrently, ensuring the most valuable work is delivered on time and on budget.

Optimize the landscape. Maximize development throughput while minimizing risk of disruption across the SAP environment.

Stay current. Continuously evaluate new tools and technologies — including AI — that can add capability, lower cost, simplify operations, improve performance, or accelerate development.

Know the integrations. Understand and clearly articulate Fender’s key SAP integration points across the SD, PP, MM and FI modules.

Own SAP maintenance, in partnership with the Development Manager: OS and kernel patching, OSS notes and support pack implementation, system refreshes, data archiving, SDK updates, routine HA/DR testing, and evaluation of SAP EWA reports.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or engineering or a related field.

12+ years SAP Technical experience.

7+ years of experience managing a team

Strong organizational skill with the ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.

A collaborative approach — solving problems with fellow IT team members with respect, trust, honesty, and professionalism, and contributing to a positive, engaged workplace

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

About Fender Musical Instruments:

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors, whose portfolio of brands includes Fender®, Squier®, Presonus®, Gretsch®, Jackson®, EVH®, Charvel®, Bigsby®, and Groove Tubes®, among others. For more information, visit www.fender.com. FMIC offers a competitive benefits package which includes medical, dental, 401(k), paid time off, and an equipment purchase program to help you get the band back together. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, disability, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, or any other protected factor.

Fender is required by law in certain jurisdictions to include a pay scale in the job posting for this position.  “Pay scale” means the salary or hourly wage range that Fender reasonably expects to pay for this position; it is neither a promise nor a guarantee of the compensation that the successful candidate will receive.  The pay scale for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that Fender considers in making compensation decisions, including, without limitation: skill set, experience, and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.  If this is a remote position, the pay scale disclosed herein may be adjusted further based upon the applicable geographic differential associated with the location from which the successful candidate will work.  Please note that it is not typical for a Fender employee to be at or near the top of the pay scale for their role – especially as a new hire – and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.  Subject to the foregoing, the current pay scale for this position is $160,000 - $205,000

Source: Fender careers (Greenhouse)

Similar roles

More roles at Fender