Sr. Manager, SAP Application Support

Grocery Outlet Career•Emeryville, CA

21h

About The Position

The Sr. Manager, Application Support is responsible for leading the end-to-end application support function (Run) across SAP and non-SAP systems supporting Merchandising, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Store systems. This role ensures system stability, incident management, root cause resolution, and continuous improvement across enterprise applications. The position will lead a team responsible for managing production support, vendor coordination, and operational excellence, while partnering closely with Product, Engineering, and Enterprise Architecture teams. A key focus is driving the shift from reactive issue resolution → proactive problem management and system reliability, ensuring that recurring issues are identified, analyzed, and permanently resolved. This position reports to the VP, Business Solutions.

Requirements

8–12+ years of experience in application support, production support, or IT operations, with leadership experience
Strong experience supporting SAP ERP (S/4 or ECC), particularly MM, SD, and/or FICO modules (required)
Proven experience in incident management, problem management, and root cause analysis
Deep understanding of enterprise systems across: Merchandising and Purchasing, Supply Chain and Logistics, Finance systems, Store systems
Experience managing integrated SAP and non-SAP environments
Strong experience working with AMS vendors and offshore teams
Demonstrated ability to drive issues to permanent resolution (not just quick fixes)
Demonstrated ability to establish support processes, SLAs, and governance models
Demonstrated ability to improve system reliability and reduce incident volume
Familiarity with ITIL frameworks and best practices
Strong collaboration skills across Product, Engineering, and Business teams
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end application support across SAP and non-SAP systems
Establish clear ownership of incident management, problem management, and service delivery
Ensure high system availability, performance, and reliability across business-critical platforms
Lead incident management processes, including triage, prioritization, and resolution
Drive root cause analysis (RCA) and ensure issues are tracked to permanent resolution
Reduce recurring incidents through structured problem management practices
Establish SLAs, monitor performance, and ensure adherence
Oversee support for SAP ERP (S/4 or ECC) and related modules (MM, SD, FICO)
Manage support across integrated systems including WMS, TMS, store systems, and financial applications
Ensure seamless data flow and system integration stability across platforms
Implement processes to move from reactive support → proactive improvement
Identify opportunities for automation, monitoring, and operational efficiency
Establish a Run insights loop, feeding recurring issues into product and engineering backlogs
Partner with Product teams to align on prioritization of enhancements and fixes
Work closely with Engineering and Architecture to address systemic issues
Collaborate with PMO on governance, reporting, and prioritization
Manage external vendors and AMS partners supporting SAP and non-SAP systems
Ensure vendor accountability for SLA adherence, quality, and delivery
Drive reduction in vendor dependency by strengthening internal capabilities
Provide regular reporting on incidents, trends, root causes, and system health
Track KPIs such as incident volume, resolution time, and repeat issues
Build and lead a high-performing application support team
Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement