Job Description: ISU Transition Lead | S4U Workstream
Alliander context
The Netherlands runs on energy. And by 2050, it will run entirely on renewable energy. It is up to the network companies and all our partners to help make this energy transition possible.
Alliander committed to digitalization early on to facilitate the energy transition, with teams that develop, implement, and manage digitalization products. These include apps for field technicians and municipalities, as well as advanced algorithms for investment optimization and to prevent bottlenecks in the energy grid. However, for part of our information provision, we are still dependent on outdated systems with complex interfaces and data that is difficult to access. That is why we will be replacing and upgrading core IT systems over the next five years.

Fit4Future:
Alliander has launched an initiative called Fit4Future to prepare the IT foundation for the future. Fit4Future consists of several separate, complementary programs and projects.
One of these projects is Project ISU, which includes both the phasing out of SAP ECC IS-U (ISU) and the implementation of SAP S/4 Utilities (S4U)

Project ISU – S4U component
Alliander currently uses SAP ISU to support business processes such as customer management, connection management, consumption management, billing, and market and service processes. Because these systems will reach end-of-life by 2027, it is necessary to redesign the current processes based on new target architectures such as S/4 and other target systems.
This has led, among other things, to the selection of a replacement solution for the functionalities of ISU. From an architectural perspective, it was decided to separate Small-scale Consumption (KV) and Large-scale Consumption (GV) into different solutions. S/4 Utilities was chosen as the solution for GV.
This assignment involves a role within the S4U workflow. The goal of S4U is to enable contract registration and periodic billing for GV customers, in accordance with Alliander’s requirements. The project follows the “Fit-to-Standard” principle, which means working in accordance with standard SAP solutions as much as possible.

Transition Lead
The Transition Lead is responsible for a controlled, predictable, and managed transition to the S4U production environment. The role ensures that all technical, functional, operational, and organizational transition activities are comprehensively prepared, coordinated, and managed, so that the organization can go live with S4U in a stable and responsible manner.
The Transition Lead oversees the end-to-end transition from the old to the new SAP environment and is responsible for both the implementation of S4U and the careful decommissioning and phasing out of the existing landscape where necessary. Central to this is operational continuity, as well as risk management and ensuring that all necessary transition activities are identified and executed in a timely manner.
With extensive knowledge of S/4HANA, Clean Core principles, and the broader SAP ecosystem—including the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP)—the Transition Lead assesses the impact of design and architecture choices on the transition and the business. Drawing on this knowledge, the Transition Lead not only contributes substantively to transition-related topics but also leverages their expertise and experience to add value to ongoing initiatives that could impact the timely go-live of S4U; this may involve a substantive role as well as a coordinating role with collaborating teams. The role translates technical and organizational complexity into clear transition scenarios, makes precise decisions regarding scope and phasing, and steers the project toward a realistic and manageable implementation for production.

End-to-end process insight
The Transition Lead understands end-to-end business processes and clearly articulates the impact of the transition on day-to-day operations. Drawing on experience with large-scale business and IT transformations, this role focuses on aligning technology, processes, and adoption, ensuring that the new system can be effectively implemented and that the business is well-prepared for both the first day after go-live and the period that follows.

Data migration, compliance, and reporting
A key responsibility lies in data migration. The Transition Lead, in collaboration with migration consultants, oversees activities such as data cleansing, preparation, implementation, and any archiving. In doing so, the role ensures that these activities comply with laws, regulations, and internal compliance requirements. Progress, quality, and risks are made transparent through clear reports, so that decision-making is based on up-to-date and reliable information.

Transition, testing, and validation activities The Transition Lead oversees transition and validation activities such as migration tests, end-to-end tests, dry runs, and go-live preparations. The role (together with the relevant teams) draws up the dry run and go-live roadmap, monitors its integrity and progress, and coordinates its execution, including dependencies, resources, communication, and decision points.

Chain Coordination and Ensuring a Stable Go-Live
Due to his or her experience with S/4HANA, Clean Core principles, and the broader SAP ecosystem, the Transition Lead is involved, as an implementer or coordinator, in ongoing projects that are important for the realization of S4U. This involves explicit coordination with teams responsible for systems with which interfaces exist, ensuring that supply chain impact, timing, monitoring, and fallback arrangements are guaranteed end-to-end. The role establishes clear go/no-go criteria and ensures that the stability and completeness of the solution are demonstrably verified prior to going live.

Preparation for S4U Operations
The Transition Lead is also responsible for preparing for the handover of S4U operations. This includes overseeing batch processing, business process dependencies, operational prerequisites, authorization setup, and coordination with and handover to operations organizations. Dependencies are clearly identified, coordinated in a timely manner, and actively mitigated.

Finally, the Transition Lead develops, coordinates, and implements migration, go-live, fallback, and recovery plans. These plans are not only drafted but also demonstrably tested and rehearsed.

The rest of the information regarding the profile and the required knowledge/experience is included in the appendix.