Job ID: 529979
CRH's Americas Materials business is the leading provider of building materials in North America. The aggregates, asphalt, ready mixed concrete, paving and construction services we deliver are critical to building our world. Our operations span 45 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces with over 30,000 employees across 1,700 operating locations.
Position Overview
We are seeking a Principal Architect to oversee the end-to-end functional architecture for SAP across the enterprise. Reporting to the SVP, Technology Transformation, this person is the senior design authority for how SAP supports the business across Order to Cash (OTC), Procure to Pay (PTP), Record to Report (R2R), Construction Accounting (CA), and Hire to Retire (H2R), and for how these end-to-end processes connect to each other and to the surrounding application landscape. The ideal candidate combines deep functional expertise in at least one core process area (such as OTC or PTP) with broad working knowledge across the others: able to define the target-state architecture, make and defend design decisions, and keep process, data, configuration, and integrations consistent as the landscape evolves. The role is hands-on enough to be credible with configuration, master data, and interface design, and to review custom development for quality and performance, but the emphasis is on functional architecture, governance, and outcomes rather than writing code. The candidate has a proven track record architecting integrations between SAP and surrounding platforms such as Point-of-Sale (POS), Salesforce, eCommerce, and customer payment portals. This is also a highly business-facing role: the successful candidate will work closely with Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Logistics, HR, and technology leaders, translating current- and future-state process requirements into solution architecture, data models, and integration designs. As principal architect, this person will lead architecture and design workshops, produce solution and design documentation, steer partner and vendor delivery, and mentor SAP functional and technical resources.
Key Responsibilities (Essential Duties and Functions)
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Enterprise Solution Architecture & Governance
• Act as the principal functional design authority for SAP, owning the end-to-end target-state architecture, process flows, data model, and integration blueprint across OTC, PTP, R2R, Controlling, and H2R.
• Ensure end-to-end process integrity across module boundaries (e.g., order to billing to receivables to close; requisition to receipt to invoice to payment; payroll to general ledger and cost objects).
• Translate business requirements into functional designs and specifications, including process models, data models, interface specs (IDoc/BAPI/API), and enhancement requirements, and partner with development teams to deliver them.
• Own the architecture decision log: document design alternatives, trade-offs, and rationale for configuration vs. enhancement vs. custom development, and maintain a single source of truth for the solution.
• Define and track architecture and process health metrics jointly with business owners (e.g., order cycle time, DSO, PO cycle time, close duration, billing and tax accuracy, interface error rates) and report progress on a regular cadence.
• Establish and run a standing architecture governance forum (e.g., monthly design review) to review enhancements, change requests, and technical debt, and to keep design decisions transparent and traceable.
Driving Architecture & Design Workshops
• Own end-to-end workshop planning and delivery for design sessions: define objectives, identify the right business and technical stakeholders, build the agenda, and drive to documented, signed-off design decisions.
• Plan and facilitate requirements-gathering, fit-gap, and solution design workshops with cross-functional stakeholders across Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Logistics, HR, and IT.
• Present design options with clear trade-offs (business impact, performance, maintainability, upgrade impact, cost) and drive alignment on configuration and custom development approaches.
• Use visual facilitation techniques (process maps, data flow diagrams, sequence diagrams, whiteboarding) to help both business and technical stakeholders see and agree on the proposed design in real time.
• Manage constructive conflict between functional priorities (e.g., Sales vs. Finance vs. Operations) and technical constraints (performance, security, upgrade compatibility) to reach a workable, endorsed outcome.
Order to Cash (OTC) & Transportation
• Own the architecture of SAP OTC, including sales order management, pricing, tax, credit management (FSCM), billing/invoicing, accounts receivable, and cash application.
• Guide SAP SD design at a functional level: order types, item categories, copy control, delivery processing, output determination, and pricing procedures and condition technique, including tax engine integration (e.g., Vertex).
• Own the architecture of SAP Transportation Management and its integration with OTC, including freight planning, carrier/rate determination, freight settlement, and hauler payment.
• Partner with Finance and Sales Operations to reduce billing errors and improve DSO, including root-cause analysis of recurring order/billing exceptions.
Procure to Pay (PTP) – MM & PP
• Own the architecture of SAP procure-to-pay, including purchasing, purchase orders, goods receipt, inventory management, material valuation, invoice verification, and accounts payable and vendor payment.
• Guide SAP MM design: material and vendor master data, source determination, release strategies, tolerance and three-way match controls, and indirect vs. direct procurement flows.
• Guide SAP PP design: production planning, MRP, BOMs, routings, work centers, production orders, confirmations, and the handoff of production and inventory data to Controlling.
• Partner with Procurement, Operations, and Supply Chain to streamline sourcing-to-payment processes, reduce invoice exceptions, and strengthen spend and inventory controls.
Record to Report (R2R) & Controlling (CA)
• Own the architecture of SAP R2R, including general ledger, accounts payable/receivable integration, asset accounting, intercompany, period-end close, and financial reporting data flows.
• Guide SAP Controlling design: cost centers, internal orders, profit centers, product costing, allocations, and profitability analysis, and ensure operational transactions post accurately to the right cost objects.
• Define chart of accounts, org structure, and posting-logic standards so that sub-ledger activity from OTC, PTP, and H2R reconciles cleanly to the general ledger.
• Partner with Controllership and FP&A to shorten the close, improve reporting accuracy, and support tax and statutory requirements.
Hire to Retire (H2R)
• Own the architecture of the H2R landscape (e.g., SAP HCM or SuccessFactors), including organizational management, employee master data, time management, and payroll.
• Design the integration of H2R with finance (payroll postings to FI/CO, cost center assignment) and with identity, access, and security systems.
• Partner with HR and Payroll to align employee data ownership, process design, and compliance requirements across the employee lifecycle.
Integration & Data Architecture – POS, Salesforce, eCommerce & Payment Portal
• Architect and support integrations between SAP and Point of Sale (POS) systems, Salesforce, and eCommerce platforms, defining message structures, interface frequency, error handling, and reconciliation logic.
• Own the solution design of the customer payment portal integration with SAP, including data mapping, API contracts, and reconciliation of payments, invoices, and disputes to SAP FI/AR, with PCI-DSS considerations.
• Define cross-functional master data architecture (customer, vendor, material, employee, pricing, tax, and organizational data), including ownership, governance, and data quality standards.
• Define and enforce integration standards across all processes: error/exception handling, monitoring and alerting, idempotency, retry/backoff strategy, and data reconciliation.
• Guide deep troubleshooting of integration issues across middleware, APIs, IDocs, and point-to-point interfaces, directing root-cause analysis and coordinating resolution with technical teams and vendors.
Leadership & Stakeholder Management
• Mentor and guide SAP functional analysts, technical consultants, and developers, reviewing designs and code for quality, performance, and standards compliance.
• Serve as the senior architecture liaison between business stakeholders (Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Logistics, HR) and enterprise architecture, infrastructure, and security teams.
• Manage vendor and implementation partner relationships across SAP projects, including review of partner-delivered designs and code.
• Prepare and present architecture roadmaps, design reviews, and risk assessments to the SVP, Technology Transformation, senior leadership, and enterprise architecture governance boards.
Project & Change Management
• Lead solution architecture for SAP enhancement projects, upgrades, and rollouts, including functional and technical design, testing strategy, cutover planning, and deployment readiness.
• Ensure proper documentation of architecture, configuration, custom code, and interface specifications in a maintainable, auditable form.
• Drive adherence to change management, transport/release governance, and quality standards (design and code review, performance testing, regression testing).
• Support audits and ensure SOX/internal controls compliance across all process areas, including segregation of duties in custom developments, interfaces, and security roles.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Finance, Supply Chain, or equivalent experience.
• 15+ years of overall SAP experience, with 5+ years in a principal, lead architect, or senior solution design capacity.
• Deep hands-on expertise in at least one core SAP process area (OTC or PTP preferred) and strong working knowledge of the others: OTC, PTP (MM, PP), R2R, Controlling, and H2R.
• Demonstrated experience designing end-to-end processes that span multiple SAP modules, including the financial integration points between sub-ledgers, Controlling, and the general ledger.
• Working knowledge of ABAP sufficient to read and review custom code (user exits, BAdIs, enhancement points, reports, and interfaces); does not need to be a full-time developer, but must be credible in design and code reviews.
• Strong understanding of SAP integration technologies (IDocs, BAPIs/RFCs, REST/SOAP APIs, middleware such as SAP PI/PO, CPI, or third-party iPaaS tools), including message design, error handling, and monitoring.
• Experience architecting integrations between SAP and surrounding platforms such as POS systems, Command Alkon, Salesforce, eCommerce, and customer payment portals.
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills; able to move between architecture diagrams with technical teams and process narratives with business leaders and senior executives.
• Ability to work on-site in Atlanta, GA 5 days per month, with remote work the remainder of the time.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with SAP S/4HANA, including CDS views, embedded analytics, and Fiori/UI5 extensibility.
• SAP certification(s) in SD, MM, PP, FI/CO, HCM/SuccessFactors, or related modules; ABAP certification a plus.
• Experience with SAP Transportation Management, pricing and tax engines (e.g., Vertex), and payment gateway providers.
• Familiarity with Salesforce configuration/administration and Salesforce-to-SAP data architecture.
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum delivery environment, including backlog grooming and sprint-level design reviews.
• Prior experience in a shared services or global SAP Center of Excellence (COE) model.
• Experience with SAP Cloud Integration (CPI), API Management, or event-driven integration architectures.
Key Competencies
• Strategic and architectural thinking with strong attention to design rigor and business outcomes.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent design streams and priorities across functional areas.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration across IT, Enterprise Architecture, Finance, Procurement, Operations, HR, Sales, and Logistics.
• Vendor and stakeholder management skills, including oversight of partner-delivered work.
• Leadership, mentoring, and design/code review capability.
The statements included in this job description are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements and criteria necessary to successfully perform the job. Other duties may be assigned as required. Requirements for this job are subject to modification by the Company and its designees, and reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
What CRH Offers You
• Highly competitive base pay
• Comprehensive medical, dental and disability benefits programs
• Group retirement savings program
• Health and wellness programs
• An inclusive culture that values opportunity for growth, development, and internal promotion
About CRH
CRH has a long and proud heritage. We are a collection of hundreds of family businesses, regional companies and large enterprises that together form the CRH family. CRH operates in a decentralized, diversified structure that allows you to work in a small company environment while having the career opportunities of a large international organization.
If you’re up for a rewarding challenge, we invite you to take the first step and apply today! Once you click apply now, you will be brought to our official employment application. Please complete your online profile and it will be sent to the hiring manager. Our system allows you to view and track your status 24 hours a day. Thank you for your interest!
CRH Americas Materials Inc. is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.
EOE/Vet/Disability
CRH is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
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