IBP-IT Applications Lead

Position Overview

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. Along with ERP solution, as part of NGT, Ralph Lauren is also embarking on a transformational journey to standardize the process and implement a solution in the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) landscape.

Ralph Lauren is forming the Program 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.

The IBP Application Lead will join the team of business function process leads, IT domain leaders and the ERP vendor representatives who will work together. The team will work closely together to achieve a set of common objectives 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.

Position Overview

The purpose of this role is to be the representative of the IBP IT team in the ERP implementation project. The role will involve working with the ERP team closely to ensure that the two programs are tightly connected.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Coordination

• Act as the primary liaison between ERP+ and IBP project teams
• Partner with the IBP workstream leads and ensure deliverables align with ERP program milestones (Design, Build, Test, Cutover, Go-live).
• Manage dependencies between IBP systems (o9 and IA) and ERP+ especially around master data, product hierarchy, and PO creation.
• Drive regular status updates, issue/risk management, and stakeholder communications to ensure transparency and alignment.

Functional Solution Design (SAP–o9 Integration)

• Collaborate with functional architects in ERP+ teams to design and validate integration flows between IBP system and SAP S/4HANA:
• Oversee the functional specifications for interfaces and be the point of contact for the integration and application teams.

• Ensure data mapping, transformation rules, and ownership are clearly defined between SAP, o9, and legacy systems.

Testing & Validation

• Own the end-to-end test strategy for IBP and ERP+ integration points, covering both o9 and SAP integration touchpoints.
• Lead UAT planning and execution, ensuring business teams validate all planning-to-execution scenarios.
• Track, triage, and resolve defects and data mismatches between systems.
• Support performance and regression testing of key integrations.

Change Management & Training

• Partner with Organizational Change Management (OCM) to capture the changes in the workflow for the business users
• Drive adoption of new global planning standards, ensuring consistency across regions and brands.

Cutover, Go-Live, and Hypercare

• Partner with ERP+ and IBP teams to define cutover sequencing ensuring smooth synchronization of data across SAP and IBP applications.
• Support dress rehearsals and readiness assessments for the IBP domain.
• Manage post-go-live hyper care activities — monitoring data flows, resolving system integration issues, and stabilizing planning cycles.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

• Deep understanding of Product creation, Planning & Preproduction processes
• Familiarity with o9 and SAP Applications
• Experience in ERP or Planning system implementations
• Strong leadership and analysis skills

Ralph Lauren will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance laws. Please note background checks will be evaluated individually.