SAP CO – Cost Center Planning Consultant

Position Overview

We are looking for approximately three Senior SAP Cost Center Planning Consultants to support the Accounting team during a 3–4 month project as part of the transition to SAP Cost Center Planning. The consultant will serve as a Controlling Champion, working closely with Plant Controllers to ensure the accuracy and completeness of actual postings, validate cost center structures, support cost categorization and allocation activities, and execute the end-to-end cost center planning process. This role requires strong hands-on experience in SAP Controlling (CO), a solid understanding of manufacturing plant operations, and the ability to work directly with business and plant finance teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Plant Controllers to review and validate actual postings, identifying incorrect allocations and posting errors.

• Analyze transactional SAP data, identify posting issues, and collaborate with business stakeholders on appropriate correction methodologies.

• Validate cost center structures, ownership, groupings, and expense categorization.

• Support all cost center planning activities, including SAP transactions such as KP06, KP26, KSU7, KSS4, KSPI, and related planning processes.

• Guide Plant Controllers on planning templates, activity rate calculations, allocation methodologies, and reconciliation activities.

• Support the definition and validation of assessment and distribution cycles, including allocation logic.

• Analyze under-absorption and over-absorption of production orders and help the business understand their root causes.

• Ensure compliance with cost center planning governance, ownership assignments, and planning calendar requirements.

• Evaluate absorption logic, including the treatment of non-absorbing cost centers.

• Support CO-PA integration preparation and assess the impact of cost center planning on product costing and profitability analysis.

• Provide expertise in Product Costing and support the understanding of Material Ledger impacts related to cost center planning.

• Develop user manuals, step-by-step guides, and plant-specific process documentation.

• Deliver training and knowledge transfer sessions for Plant Controllers and other business users.

• Document allocation logic, cost center grouping rules, and procedures for cleansing actual postings.

• Support reconciliations and ensure consistency of planning and transactional data across related processes.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 8–10 years of relevant SAP experience with deep expertise in SAP Controlling (CO) and Cost Center Planning.

• Strong hands-on experience with SAP cost center planning processes.

• Proven experience analyzing SAP transactions and actual postings, identifying posting errors, and recommending corrective actions.

• Strong knowledge of:

• Cost Center Accounting (CCA)

• Cost Center Planning

• Activity Type and Activity Rate Planning

• Assessment and Distribution Cycles

• Cost Allocation Methodologies

• Product Costing

• CO-PA Integration and Planning

• Absorption logic and production order under-/over-absorption

• Material Ledger impacts

• Solid understanding of manufacturing plant operations and the relationship between operational activities, cost centers, activity rates, and product costing.

• Experience working directly with Plant Controllers and business stakeholders.

• Strong analytical, data reconciliation, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to translate complex SAP Controlling processes into practical business guidance.

• Experience creating training materials, user documentation, and process guides.

• Advanced English proficiency (written and spoken).

Key Competencies

• SAP CO / Cost Center Planning expertise

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Hands-on approach to transactional and data analysis

• Business and manufacturing operations understanding

• Stakeholder management and communication skills

• Ability to work independently with Plant Controllers and Finance teams

• Documentation and training capabilities

• Knowledge of planning governance and process controls

Project Details

• Duration: Approximately 3–4 months

• Resources Required: 3 consultants

• Business Area: Accounting / Controlling

• Primary Focus: SAP Cost Center Planning transition and support for Plant Controllers