Presales Customer Innovation Principal

Job description / Role

Requisition ID: 179817
Work Area: Presales
Expected Travel: 0 - 50%
Career Status: Professional
Employment Type: Regular Full Time

COMPANY DESCRIPTION
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and industries innovate through simplification. From the back office to the boardroom, warehouse to storefront, on premise to cloud, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably.

SAP is the global market leader for business software and thus contributes a considerable part of the world's economic power grid. At SAP you get your chance to put your ideas into action with maximum impact.The Customer Innovation Principal will work with some of SAP's most strategic customers and drive new value creation for customers and expanded sales opportunities for SAP. We are looking for someone with a passion for innovation and that can translate that passion into constantly challenging himself/herself and the entire account team to think differently, reframe existing approaches, employ design thinking, and drive those ideas into the core of the sales strategy. The Customer Innovation Principal has a passion for big ideas, important trends and historic transformations. He or she is an entrepreneurial thinker who is hungry to make a change and do something really exciting. As a great communicator with strong analytical skills coupled with strong business acumen, the Customer Innovation Principal will have the ability to think creatively in all aspects of the job including brainstorming, problem solving and client relationships.

EXPECTATIONS AND TASKS
- Support of key sales opportunities leveraging design thinking tools and techniques as key drivers to understanding the customer's journey and identify opportunities for new value.
- Drive innovative approaches and thinking into SAP accounts.
- Practice in sales cycle with revenue related results.
- Facilitate workshops with customers & follow-up.
- Demonstrate use of new tools.
- Represent SAP as Design Thinking Thought Leaders.
- Train and coach sales teams.
- Introduce new tools.
- Lead select customer sessions.
- Enable the virtual account team through demonstrated leadership, sharing practices and coaching.
- Drive the adoption of Design Thinking in the Presales and IVE organziation.
- Drive innovation DNA and adoption of design thinking tools and techniques within the Market Unit.
- Injects new ideas, perspectives and approaches to create new value for customers using SAP innovations.
- Challenge and reframe customer's assumptions and generate new ideas that add/create new business value.
- Shift strategic focus from the exploitation/enablement of proven business models to the exploration of new ones.
- Drive the shaping and execution of the communications strategy including the development of artifacts that best present SAP's value to customers.
- Develop comprehensive presentations, adding strategic business perspectives as well as ongoing business value to clients.
- Conduct deep research customer industries, trends, business models and unique business issues.
- Present findings and recommendations to a broad variety of client stake holders.
- Enable SAP teams in practicing design thinking and inspire colleagues to try new approaches.
- Understand high level capabilities of SAP solutions and innovations, working hand-in-hand with solution teams to architect and realize the vision.

Requirements

WORK EXPERIENCE
- 10+ years experience in design, professional services environment, management/strategy consulting, and/or business analysis.
- Experiences with business model mapping, BM generation and opportunity finding within complex organizations.
- Strong analytical skills, with very high attention to detail.
- Strong presentation skills and the ability to facilitate and influence discussions at all levels of the organization (internally & externally).
- Conversant in the principles and practices of user-centered design and design thinking.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATION / SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
- Undergraduate or graduate degree in business.
- Right-brained thinker with a demonstrated passion for innovation, creative thinking and new ideas.
- Executive presentation and communication skills.
- Exceptional problem solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to apply design thinking techniques and tools to opportunities and reframe thinking..
- Ability to anticipate issues and challenges.
- Ability to adapt and function effectively in a fast-paced, changing environment.
- Ability to create and execute on solid innovative business plans.
- Innovative thinking.
- Strong program management skills.
- Ability to navigate a complex global organization developing global buy in as needed.
- Expert English required.
- Fluency with other languages is a bonus.

SAP'S DIVERSITY COMMITMENT
To harness the power of innovation, SAP invests in the development of its diverse employees. We aspire to leverage the qualities and appreciate the unique competencies that each person brings to the company.

About the Company

Headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, SAP is the world's largest business software company with more than 51,500 employees at sales and development locations in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Our global development approach focuses on distributing development across the world in strategically important markets. A global network of SAP Labs spanning Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, and the United States, enables SAP to operate locally, yet organize globally.

As the global technology research unit of SAP, SAP Research significantly contributes to SAP's product portfolio and extends SAP's leading position by identifying and shaping emerging IT trends through applied research and corporate venturing. SAP Research has highly skilled teams in 11 research centers worldwide.