Career Opportunity
Procure to Pay Global Lead, Next Generation Transformation
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Company Description
At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
Position Overview
As a part of Ralph Lauren’s Next Generation Transformation (NGT), the core operating systems of the company (SAP, Island Pacific and Microsoft D365) will be replaced with a common Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution enabling the Ralph Lauren team to continue delivering competitive advantages in our next great chapter and beyond. Today, Ralph Lauren is forming the Program Initiation Team to begin creating the transformation plan, defining how the company will operate going forward and how the implementation of the new systems will lead to a common way of working globally across the company. This new way of working impacts almost all of the business including Planning, Sourcing and Buying, Retail and Wholesale, Logistics and Distribution and Finance. Therefore, we are looking for the initial team to start to create the future way of working and help shape the next 20 years.
Position Overview:
The Procure to Pay Global Lead will join a small team of business function process leads, IT domain leaders and the ERP vendor representatives known as the Program Initiation Team who will work together to take the first steps in this journey. The team will work closely together to achieve a set of the common objectives below ultimately leading to the initiation of the global program and the creation of all the articles needed to launch the project in 2025. This first, necessary step will ensure Ralph Lauren understands the key phases, impact, business resources and timeline required to begin the program. This is an opportunity to join one of the largest investments that the company will be making over the next decade, and we seek talent that is excited to help shape the future, being part of the journey and eventually taking this knowledge back into the business.
The Procure to Pay Global Lead will bring specific business process / solutions competence and experience within RL of the Procure to Pay functions including the following processes: demand forecast / planning, and commitment split by supplier / region. The Procure to Pay Global Lead will ensure the ERP program’s requirements related to these processes respect the recently activated, current state DVC operating model principles through related procure to pay solutions. When taking the responsibilities below, the Procure to Pay Global Lead will leverage existing documentation when the existing documentation achieves the objectives of the tasks outlined below. At a minimum, the Procure to Pay Global Lead will create / update documentation of processes / solutions where the new ERP architecture / solutions may influence existing DVC applications / solutions, like o9.
The role will focus on creating a detailed understanding of the current AS-IS business processes / solutions before working closely with the Program Initiation Team and the ERP application vendor to help map out the future high level TO-BE processes. This is ahead of the detailed design phase that will be initiated in 2025.
After mapping the AS-IS and TO-BE processes / solutions, the role will make contributions to the plan for the design, build, testing and deployment phases of the project ensuring all functional and reporting activities are identified and accurately represented in the TO-BE state.
The NGT ERP program will implement the transformation across RL by region. In a key activity, this role will identify the impact on the respective business function and associated process areas to define specific interim operations requirements including reporting, special processing or other requirements to support multiple cut overs while the ERP is implemented into RL.
The role may involve some travel and will require working with colleagues of the same function in other regions. This is a truly global program, so collaborating in the Ralph Lauren way is required.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Program Initiation Team objectives:
- Creation/share of a detailed and documented understanding of the current RL AS-IS business processes across all 3 regions
- Creation/share of a detailed and documented understanding of the TO-BE business processes together with the ERP /Edge vendors’ experts identifying any gaps, compared to the AS-IS business process, for resolution during the design phase
- Identification of any specific interim operations requirements considering the implementation plan will require multiple transition steps over regions and time before the new ERP is fully deployed
- Creation of a detailed RL Project team structure ensuring the headcount and budget requirements required to support the project are included in the project budget. This includes a plan to on-board / off-board RL Project Team members at the right moments during the project’s lifecycle.
- Creation of a skills inventory and training pathways for upskilling soft and hard skills required for RL Project Team members and RL business users. This includes a plan for training and budgetary requirements and a plan for on-going training to support the RL business after the project
The role will work very closely with the application teams and the business leads to ensure that they are prepared for the collection of the information required. This specific role will be responsible for leading the collection of the required information from the Procure to Pay business process function, working closely with business and IT counterparts.
Initially, the role will focus on defining the framework to collect the information and then rolling this out to the business process functions. Support will be provided to plan and collect the information, managing the information collected and enabling the Business Process Lead to focus on the activities, rather than the repository of information and the details to create the plan.
The role will also ensure that there are formal processes in place to sign off the information collected, with various gates being defined through the process to ensure that teams are bought into the approach. The lead will also be seen as an evangelist for the program, helping to educate, raise awareness and grow confidence in those around them. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your skills, expand your knowledge of the business and be part of a team that is helping to shape and then deliver the future.
Post the verification phase, this person will move into a role leading the Procure to Pay business process during the design, build and deploy phase. Once the system moves to implementation phase, this role will roll off the project based on a specifically identified development plan enabled by the RL business executive responsible.
Responsibilities include:
- Work with all the IT, business, vendor teams to ensure the scope is in alignment with expectations and the budget
- Creation of a clear picture of the current AS-IS, documenting the data flows and dependencies and integration points for the current ERP and Edge systems by region
- Ensure that the ownership (business and IT) is clear across the edge systems and that their responsibility as part of the cutover is clear. This includes identifying the need for any interim or migration activity, which will be quantified and factored into the project plan
- Identification of gaps in any of the respective process or technical areas in the TO-BE solution so that mitigation can be created (possibly at a later stage) to remedy
- Preparation of the various teams as much as possible for the upcoming mobilization. Use of engagement to educate, but also to listen and absorb and represent back the findings of the teams
- Creation of an approach to testing that will enable an agile approach to developing and releasing new capabilities that encompasses the edge systems to create a common method across the RL systems in scope
- Work with the various teams develop the high level cut over approach by system by object by phase to include but not limited to: PO, SO, inventory, financial reporting, product migration, retail locations, master data, internal controls and management standards
- Assistance in identifying training needs to facilitate knowledge required by the teams
- Development and maintenance of individual and integrated project plans, including scope, objectives and milestones, deliverables, risks and issues
Experience, Skills, and Knowledge
- Minimum 8+ years of experience with a proven track record in related role
- Strong understanding of procure to pay processes for merchandise within a multi branded global fashion apparel business
- Experience within a vertically integrated retail environment; fashion apparel experience is highly desirable
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills. Must be adept at translating complex concepts into actionable plans
- Ability to confidently engage with and influence senior executives
- Strong analytical skills: Leverage data to make strategic decisions
- The ideal candidate is pragmatic, a problem solver, thrives under pressure, and excels at multitasking. Has the ability to make decisive and timely decisions while acting with authority
- Possesses a strong strategic vision but is also comfortable taking a hands-on approach to achieve results
- Can be based in UK/CH/NY/NJ
