Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for SAP GRC Security Consultant
💰 $110,000 - $160,000
🎯 Role Definition
The SAP GRC Security Consultant specializes in implementing and maintaining SAP Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) solutions, ensuring secure and compliant access management across SAP environments. This role involves risk assessment, role design, user access monitoring, and collaboration with business and IT teams to enforce security policies, reduce operational risk, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- SAP Security Analyst
- IT Risk Analyst
- SAP Functional Consultant
Advancement To:
- Senior SAP GRC Consultant
- SAP Security Manager
- IT Security or Risk Director
Lateral Moves:
- SAP Basis Consultant
- IT Compliance Specialist
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Design, implement, and configure SAP GRC Access Control modules including Access Risk Analysis (ARA), Emergency Access Management (EAM), and Access Request Management (ARM).
- Conduct user access reviews, role design, and segregation of duties (SoD) analysis to mitigate risks.
- Implement and maintain SAP security roles, profiles, and authorization objects.
- Collaborate with business and IT stakeholders to understand access requirements and ensure compliance with corporate policies.
- Perform risk assessments and remediation planning to address access violations and security gaps.
- Monitor and audit SAP GRC systems for compliance with regulatory frameworks such as SOX, GDPR, and ISO standards.
- Configure workflow processes for access requests, approvals, and provisioning within SAP GRC.
- Provide expert guidance on SAP security best practices, policies, and controls.
- Troubleshoot security incidents, analyze root causes, and implement corrective actions.
- Develop and maintain documentation including role definitions, policies, and SoD matrices.
- Support SAP upgrades, patches, and system changes with a focus on maintaining security and compliance.
- Conduct training sessions and workshops for end users and IT teams on SAP GRC processes and tools.
- Integrate SAP GRC with other enterprise systems to ensure cohesive security and access management.
- Develop dashboards, reports, and KPIs to monitor security effectiveness and risk exposure.
- Collaborate with auditors during internal and external audits to provide required evidence and reports.
- Participate in GRC strategy development, roadmaps, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Evaluate emerging SAP GRC technologies and recommend enhancements or new modules.
- Ensure alignment of SAP GRC solutions with business objectives and IT security strategies.
- Provide day-to-day support for user access requests, role assignments, and emergency access provisioning.
- Mentor junior SAP GRC team members and support knowledge sharing within the team.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc security and compliance reporting for management and auditors.
- Contribute to the organization’s IT security strategy and risk management roadmap.
- Collaborate with business units to translate regulatory requirements into SAP security controls.
- Participate in project planning, design reviews, and security governance meetings.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Expertise in SAP GRC Access Control modules (ARA, ARM, EAM).
- Strong knowledge of SAP security, role design, and authorization concepts.
- Experience with Segregation of Duties (SoD) analysis and remediation.
- Familiarity with SAP NetWeaver, ECC, S/4HANA, and associated security architecture.
- Understanding of regulatory frameworks including SOX, GDPR, and ISO standards.
- Proficiency in SAP GRC workflow configuration and reporting.
- Ability to conduct risk assessments, compliance audits, and access reviews.
- Experience with SAP upgrade and patch management in a security context.
- Knowledge of identity management and integration with enterprise security systems.
- Competence in documentation, policy development, and role-based access control.
Soft Skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
- Attention to detail and accuracy in compliance and risk management tasks.
- Ability to work independently and as part of cross-functional teams.
- Time management and organizational skills for managing multiple projects.
- Strategic thinking and risk-based decision-making.
- Collaboration and negotiation skills with business and technical teams.
- Mentorship and knowledge-sharing capabilities.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s Degree
Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Information Technology
- Computer Science
- Information Security
- Business Administration with IT focus
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
5–8 years in SAP security or SAP GRC consulting roles.
Preferred:
Experience leading SAP GRC implementations, managing SoD compliance, and supporting large enterprise SAP environments.