Technical Product Owner, SAP RTR/RAR

Ohio, USA

United States

Full time

R2026-1263

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose - driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage requires a Technical Product Owner possessing proven experience in SAP Record-to-Report (RTR), Revenue Accounting & Reporting (RAR), and deep familiarity with SAP S/4 Finance. This role oversees advancements across our enterprise financial systems. You will work alongside Finance business leads and multifunctional peers to guarantee all solutions implement to Cengage's process standards, architectural frameworks, and strategic ERP roadmap.

This role is crucial to strengthening our RTR/RAR capabilities and ensuring a stable, scalable, compliant, and audit‑ready financial foundation for the business.

What You'll Do

As the Technical Product Owner, you will be accountable for the advancement and optimization of our financial systems. Your knowledge will link finance and technology, providing seamless integration and reliable functionality.

Drive RTR/RAR Strategy, Standards, and Requirements

Collaborate with Controllership, Revenue Accounting, FP&A, Finance, and Technology leaders to collect requirements, validate business needs, and ensure alignment with standard RTR/RAR processes and enterprise build principles.

Translate business needs into clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and functional specifications that safeguard system integrity and compliance.

Ensure solution suitability by verifying that all RTR / RAR modifications follow SAP guidelines, internal controls, accounting standards (GAAP/ASC 606/IFRS 15), and global templates.

Lead the RTR/RAR Product Roadmap and Governance

Lead and prioritize the product backlog for SAP RAR, RTR, GL accounting, financial close, and revenue workflows.

Build and maintain a multi-quarter roadmap that improves financial accuracy, automation, controls, audit readiness, and operational scale.

Conduct development governance reviews, ensuring all RTR/RAR solutions meet the necessary quality and compliance standards.

Measure success through outcomes (such as financial accuracy, faster close, automation, fewer reconciliation exceptions, improved controls, and reduced operational risks).

Ensure Delivery of High‑Quality SAP Finance Improvements

Partner with SAP functional analysts, developers, and architecture teams to deliver improvements across revenue recognition, contract asset/liability calculations, GL posting logic, period-end close processes, reconciliations, and reporting structures.

Confirm functional builds and test outcomes to guarantee financial accuracy, data integrity, and alignment with RTR/RAR standards.

Lead root-cause analysis, defect management, and long-term stabilization of RTR and RAR processes.

Lead Agile Execution

Own sprint planning, backlog refinement, and release readiness in partnership with IT delivery teams.

Ensure visibility, clear prioritization, and timely delivery across internal IT teams and external implementation partners.

Champion quality and accountability across all stages of composing, building, testing, and releasing cycles.

Optimize End-to-End RTR & RAR Workflows

Identify and address problems affecting revenue accuracy, subledger/ledger alignment, period-end close schedules, and maintaining consistency in financial policies.

Drive cross-team problem solving and ensure remediation plans deliver durable process improvements.

Improve Integrations and Data Continuity

Partner across platforms to optimize integrations between SAP, revenue engines, data platforms, consolidation tools, and downstream reporting systems.

Ensure consistent and accurate data flow from order to revenue, subledger, and general ledger workflows.

Stay Ahead of SAP and Finance Technology Trends

Monitor SAP feature updates, changes in regulations, and revisions to accounting standards (ASC 606/IFRS 15).

Apply findings from large-scale ERP transformation programs to improve decision-making, risk mitigation, and solution reliability.

Skills You'll Ne