Senior Manager - MDM Technology & Governance (m/f/d)

Evident Scientific is creating a new position within the Enterprise Technology and Innovation Team to architect, accelerate, and enforce enterprise-wide master data management (MDM), including data architecture, data quality management, and seamless cross-system data sharing.

As Evident establishes a new data governance structure, this role requires a high-caliber leader to serve as the core driver and member of Evident’s Data Governance Council. You will partner with business leaders across core functions to ruthlessly prioritize and enforce standards, hierarchies, and quality metrics that align with global business objectives.

We are seeking a decisive, high-energy, and proven IT MDM Leader with extensive cross-system (SAP, SFDC, Snowflake, etc.) knowledge to champion and accelerate master data initiatives from concept to execution. This is not a developer role; it is a high-visibility leadership position.

Operating with a strong sense of urgency, you will owe prioritization, execution, and governance of enterprise MDM initiatives. You must be a strong cross-functional influencer capable of breaking down silos, driving alignment across diverse business units, and ensuring critical master data projects deliver maximum business value on time and on budget.

Tasks

Cross-Functional Leadership & Decision Making

• Drive Executive Alignment: Chair and drive alignment within the Data Governance Council, actively steering cross-functional business leaders toward decisive actions regarding data ownership, standards, and conflict resolution.
• Strategic Prioritization: Establish clear frameworks to prioritize competing data demands across IT, Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Operations based on business impact, risk, and resource constraints.
• High-Stakes Problem Solving: Act as the ultimate escalation point for MDM project risks, ownership disputes, and roadblocks, making swift, data-driven decisions to keep initiatives moving forward.
• Accountability & Execution: Lead end-to-end MDM projects (e.g., SAP MDM implementation, data cleansing, migration, governance rollout, MDG setup) with strict accountability for timelines, budgets, and resource optimization.

SAP MDM & Enterprise Strategy

• Architect Solutions: Define comprehensive project requirements for SAP master data (material, customer, vendor, finance) and challenge technical teams to ensure solutions map perfectly to strategic business needs.
• Enforce Governance: Oversee data quality, migration, and governance deliverables in SAP environments (ECC, S/4HANA), ensuring strict compliance with global data standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Business Transformation: Actively translate complex technical data structures into strategic business outcomes, establishing strong buy-in and organizational rapport.

Team Mobilization & Velocity

• Inspire & Mobilize: Lead, mentor, and inspire a matrixed team of business analysts, data stewards, SAP functional leads, and external vendors to deliver high-quality outcomes under tight deadlines.
• Drive Velocity: Foster a culture of urgency, pushing for fast but deliberate execution during high-impact phases like UAT, cutover planning, and hypercare.
• Vendor Accountability: Aggressively manage external consultants and vendor deliverables, ensuring full alignment with internal timelines and scope boundaries.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive IT project and program management experience, with at least 5 years explicitly leading complex MDM initiatives in SAP environments (ECC 6.0 or S/4HANA).
• Proven Leadership: Demonstrated track record of leading large-scale, cross-functional teams and successfully navigating complex organizational politics to achieve project goals.
• Deep Domain Expertise: Robust understanding of SAP master data objects (material, vendor, customer, finance)—possessing the credibility and technical depth to challenge technical teams and decisively guide business users.
• Governance Mastery: Expert-level command of project governance, prioritization matrices, and Agile/Waterfall methodologies using tools like Jira, MS Project, or Smartsheet.

Personal Attributes

• Bias for Action: Operates with a natural sense of urgency and speed; thrives in fast-paced environments requiring rapid decision-making.
• Strong Cross-Functional Influencer: Exceptional stakeholder management skills with a proven ability to challenge, negotiate, and build consensus at both staff and executive levels.
• Resilient Conflict Manager: A confident, empathetic demeanor equipped with strong conflict-resolution skills to confidently navigate resistance to change.
• Strategic Visionary: Ability to connect micro-level data issues to macro-level business strategies, inspiring others to deliver value in a cost-effective, secure, and highly efficient manner.

Experience / Education

• Bachelor’s degree or above, with a major in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in SAP and enterprise application management.
• Prior leadership experience within a manufacturing or Order-to-Cash environment is highly preferred.

Evident Europe GmbH is an equal opportunities employer and we look forward to receiving your application.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Evident employs around 4,500 people at a total of 57 locations worldwide. Evident Europe, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, employs approximately 770 people in 16 countries. The product portfolio includes a wide range of microscope systems used in clinical diagnostics, medical and basic research, as well as in various industrial areas. In addition, Evident offers videoscopes, products for non-destructive testing techniques and for X-ray fluorescence analysis.