{"id":3079028,"url":"https://alion.io/job/caterpillar-sap-variant-configuration-lead","title":"SAP Variant Configuration Lead","company":{"id":176554,"name":"Caterpillar","domain":"caterpillar.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/caterpillar","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":88,"open_postings":37,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.486,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":35,"computed_at":"2026-10-25T05:49:26Z"}},"role":"Enterprise Apps","role_family":"Enterprise Apps","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Bengaluru, India"],"countries":["IN"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":24000,"max_usd":49000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":21},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-22T11:34:22Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-22","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T15:35:07Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"Career Area:\nTechnology, Digital and DataJob Description:\nYour Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.\nWhen you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do - but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here - we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.\nJOB RESPONSIBILITIES\nVariant Configuration\nPrimary responsibility in the SAP Variant Configuration functional area.\nSupport configuration solutions used by Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing Operations.\nWork with business partners to understand requirements and translate them into sustainable SAP VC solutions.\nSupport deployment activities and system readiness for new implementations and enhancements.\nSolution Design & Delivery\nGather and analyze business requirements.\nDevelop functional specifications for solution development.\nDefine and maintain master-data requirements supporting Variant Configuration.\nSupport configuration of materials, routings, change masters and related manufacturing master data.\nParticipate in integrated design reviews and cross-functional solution discussions.\nSupport delivery partners during solution development and clarify functional requirements.\nValidate delivered solutions against approved requirements.\nTesting & Deployment\nDevelop test scenarios covering unit, string, integration and user acceptance testing.\nExecute functional testing and support defect resolution.\nSupport business users during user acceptance testing.\nAssist with deployment preparation, cutover activities and post-production stabilization.\nProduction Support\nProvide functional and technical support for production incidents related to Variant Configuration.\nPerform issue analysis and support root-cause identification.\nWork with appropriate technical and business teams to resolve complex issues.\nEvaluate change requests against existing template solutions and application direction.\nDocument solutions and reusable knowledge for recurring issues.\nTemplate & Process Optimization\nPromote reuse of standard VC template solutions.\nIdentify opportunities to simplify and standardize Variant Configuration processes.\nSupport facilities in adopting existing template capabilities.\nDevelop functional documentation and knowledge-transfer materials.\nSupport training for users and other IT team members.\nIdentify opportunities where automation, analytics or AI-assisted tools can improve documentation, testing and issue analysis.\nCollaboration & Communication\nWork closely with Caterpillar business partners, Caterpillar IT teams and third-party providers.\nCollaborate across Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Operations and other integrated functional areas.\nCommunicate delivery progress, risks, issues and dependencies to the VC Lead and relevant stakeholders.\nParticipate in design reviews, deployment discussions and issue-resolution activities.\nBACKGROUND / EXPERIENCE\nRelevant degree, technical certification or equivalent experience.\nKnowledge of SAP architecture and SAP technology direction.\nExperience working with ERP solutions in a manufacturing environment.\nPractical experience in SAP functional solution design, deployment and/or production support.\nStrong understanding of how ERP solutions support manufacturing business processes.\nREQUIRED SKILLS\nBachelor's degree in IT or another technology-related field, or equivalent experience.\n5-7 years of IT experience with 5-7 years of ERP-related experience; experience may be concurrent.\nSAP Variant Configuration functional knowledge.\nExperience gathering requirements and preparing functional specifications.\nExperience with SAP master data supporting manufacturing processes.\n1-2 years of experience with material masters, routings and change masters.\nFunctional testing and defect-resolution experience.\nBasic awareness of AI capabilities and their potential application to SAP Variant Configuration or related ERP processes.\nDESIRED SKILLS\nStrong SAP Variant Configuration background.\nStrong analytical and problem-solving skills.\nCustomer-focused mindset and ability to influence.\nAbility to understand both technology and business processes.\nAbility to quickly learn technology changes and apply them appropriately.\nUnderstanding of business operations, supporting technology infrastructure and general business processes.\nExposure to AI-assisted tools or analytics supporting process improvement, documentation, testing or issue analysis.\nSkill Descriptors\nCore Application Systems: Knowledge of major production application systems used for delivery of services to internal and external clients; ability to leverage major production application systems in diverse situations.\nLevel Extensive Experience:\nManages application-related issues, implications, and approaches with clients.\nEvaluates key interfaces and interdependencies among core applications systems.\nExplains features and benefits of core applications for consideration by business units.\nImplements existing and planned application enhancements in major business units.\nTracks data flow between own applications and core applications in other business areas.\nPlans enhancement, conversion, and retirement strategies for core applications.\nProblem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.\nLevel Extensive Experience:\nEnsures capture of lessons to be learned from a problem-solving effort.\nOrganizes potential problem solvers and leads problem resolution efforts.\nUses varying problem-solving approaches and techniques as appropriate.\nContributes to standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes.\nAnalyzes and synthesizes information and devises alternative resolution strategies.\nDevelops successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems.\nApplication Design, Architecture: Knowledge of application design and architecture principles and practices; ability to utilize application design methodologies, tools, and techniques to convert business requirements and logical models into a technical application design.\nLevel Extensive Experience:\nAnalyzes system requirements and translates them into detailed design specifications.\nDesigns complex application architectures that meet performance, scalability, and reliability requirements.\nEvaluates and selects appropriate pattern, components, technologies, and tools for application development; integrates them with technical design.\nLeads application design reviews and walkthroughs to ensure alignment between business requirements and technical solution.\nTroubleshoots complex design issues and provides innovative solutions.\nPrepares technical design documents and blueprints for applications.\nImplementation: Knowledge of how to run applications for organizations; ability to implement application software within an organization and help end-users perform specific tasks (ex: accounting or graphic design).\nLevel Working Knowledge:\nTracks problems associated with the quality and effectiveness of application software.\nResearches the benefits and drawbacks of an organization's application software.\nDrafts application software usage for the department's needs.\nProvides instant support for end users of application software.\nImplements a specific application software under the supervision of management.\nRequirements Analysis: Knowledge of tools, methods, and techniques of requirement analysis; ability to elicit, analyze and record required business functionality and non-functionality requirements to ensure the success of a system or software development project.\nLevel Extensive Experience:\nPlays an active or leading role in recording and storing requirement documents in various forms.\nEnsures the successful completion of all major activities, tasks and deliverables pertaining to the requirement analysis stage.\nSupervises the advanced use of requirements analysis tools and services, including prototyping and use cases.\nProduces detailed functional and information requirements models and documentation.\nTrains others on requirements walkthroughs and quality reviews.\nUtilizes automated diagramming tools to ensure traceability of requirements.\nSystem and Technology Integration: Knowledge of the features and facilities of systems; ability to integrate and communicate among applications, databases and technology platforms.\nLevel Extensive Experience:\nDesigns and develops applications or technology interfaces and bridges.\nDocuments existing best practices for system or technology integration processes.\nIdentifies and quantifies risks of proposed alternatives to a system or technology integration initiative.\nDelivers training on major issues, interfaces, considerations and potential pitfalls and risks.\nDiscusses with line areas on data, technology and application integration issues.\nAdvises others in how to integrate projects across multiple technologies.\nSystem Testing: Knowledge of system and software testing; ability to design, plan and execute system testing strategies and tactics to ensure the quality of software at all stages of the system life cycle.\nLevel Extensive Experience:\nVerifies the proper flow of transactions across all input, output and storage channels or devices.\nEvaluates interoperability of new systems with existing systems during the beta testing phase.\nSupervises the testing of complex, multi-platform and distributed applications.\nDesigns processes to ensure that the system meets and maintains requirements and expectations.\nCoaches end users on the development of test data and test scenarios for system validation.\nManages the execution of test plans, including resources, strategies, schedules, processes and tools.\nTechnical Troubleshooting: Knowledge of technical troubleshooting approaches, tools and techniques; ability to anticipate, recognize, and resolve technical issues on hardware, software, application or operation.\nLevel Working Knowledge:\nDiscovers, analyzes, and resolves hardware, software or application problems.\nWorks with vendor-specific diagnostic guides, tools and utilities.\nHandles calls related to product features, applications, and compatibility standards.\nAnalyzes code, logs, and current systems as part of advanced troubleshooting.\nRecords and reports specific technical problems, solving processes and tools that have been used.\nThis position requires working onsite five days a week.Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.Posting Dates:\nCaterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply\nNot ready to apply? 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