Principal SAP Security Specialist

Principal SAP Security Specialist
Circa £85,000 - £95,000 plus private healthcare, company car or £6,000 car allowance and more great benefits (Work Level 4) 
Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office two days per week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at  

We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Principal SAP Security Specialist to join our Technology team and lead the strategy, governance and continuous improvement of SAP security, GRC and IT controls across Co-op. SAP is at the heart of many of our business-critical processes, and you'll be responsible for ensuring our controls, access and compliance framework remains secure, scalable and effective, while leading a team of specialists and influencing stakeholders across the organisation.

Why this role matters

As our SAP landscape continues to evolve, strong security, governance and controls have never been more important. This is an opportunity to shape the future of SAP security and GRC at enterprise scale, leading a specialist team while influencing how we manage risk, compliance and access across Co-op. You'll play a key role in enabling business change while maintaining a secure and well-governed SAP environment.

What you’ll do

•    Define and lead the strategy and roadmap for SAP security, authorisations, controls and GRC across ECC and S/4HANA
•    Lead, coach and develop a team of SAP security, GRC and controls specialists, setting direction and driving high performance
•    Own the governance of SAP role design and access management, ensuring a scalable and compliant role-based access model
•    Provide senior oversight of SAP GRC processes, including Access Risk Analysis (ARA), Access Request Management (ARM) and segregation of duties controls
•    Lead the continuous improvement of SAP IT general controls and automated controls, ensuring they remain effective and aligned to business needs
•    Act as the senior point of accountability for SAP security, controls and compliance across Technology, Finance, Risk and Audit
•    Oversee the security and controls impact of SAP and wider business change initiatives, ensuring risks are appropriately assessed and managed
•    Drive simplification, standardisation and automation across SAP security, governance and controls processes

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

•    Significant experience leading SAP security, GRC and controls functions within large, complex organisations
•    Deep expertise in SAP authorisations, role design and role-based access control (RBAC)
•    Strong knowledge of SAP GRC Access Control, including ARA, ARM and segregation of duties management
•    Experience supporting and governing SAP ECC, S/4HANA and Fiori security environments
•    A strong track record of defining and operating SAP controls, governance and compliance frameworks
•    Experience managing SAP IT general controls and supporting internal and external audit activity
•    Proven people leadership skills, with experience developing and leading specialist teams
•    The ability to influence and build credibility with senior stakeholders, balancing business enablement with effective risk management

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
•    28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays 
•    A pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
•    Private healthcare
•    Company car or £6,000 car allowance
•    Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion