Oracle Cloud Practice Head

Position: Oracle Cloud Practice Head Location: Hyderabad, India Reporting To: Consulting Business Head Experience: 16+ years of overall experience with a minimum of 5 years of experience in Oracle Cloud Project Management and Practice Management, Oracle Cloud Delivery Management, Oracle Cloud Pre-Sales, COE, and Training Initiatives. Strong domain experience required in Oracle HCM and Oracle Cloud ERP (Finance, SCM, PPM) tracks with Oracle Cloud EPM familiarity. Job Type : Full-time Travel: Occasional (including international travel) Working Model: Hybrid (60% from office + 40% from home) Job Description: The Oracle Practice Head is a senior leadership role responsible for driving the growth and success of the Oracle Cloud practice. The selected candidate will be responsible for working closely with US and India Leadership teams to establish, execute, and lead the India Oracle Cloud consulting practice functions consistent with the company's strategic direction . This role requires demonstrated expertise in leading an Oracle practice with a global implementation and optimization focus across Oracle Cloud products, principally HCM, ERP, EPM, OIC, and PaaS technologies. The Oracle Practice Head would manage multiple responsibilities, including a Strategist, Practice Leader, Talent Developer and Recruiter, and Delivery Support Leader and be accountable for India’s proactive participation in Sierra-Cedar’s Oracle Cloud Centers of Excellence (CoE). Key Responsibilities Leadership & Strategic Planning:

• Define and implement the overall strategy for the Oracle practice. Develop growth plans, including expanding service offerings in Oracle Cloud Products and technologies.
• Collaborate with senior leadership in the US and India to align business goals with company objectives.

Practice Management & People Development:

• Build competency across Oracle products that align with the organization’s growth plan. Maintain skills inventory for the practice and track certifications. Identify external training investment needs and create a business case for the management.
• Manage resource allocation across projects to ensure optimal utilization and project success.
• Effectively monitor overall practice development needs to drive resources towards being competent on the relevant Oracle Cloud applications and technologies to meet market needs.
• Lead India’s proactive participation in Sierra-Cedar’s Oracle Cloud COE including development of supporting tools and accelerators, ensuring the practice adopts the latest Oracle technologies and best practices to maintain a competitive edge in alignment with US BU and Regional India needs.
• Build, mentor, and lead a team of Oracle consultants and delivery professionals.
• Identify and develop future leaders within the Oracle practice, providing growth opportunities, career development plans, and succession planning.

Delivery Oversight

• Provide India project delivery oversight to select Sierra-Cedar US and India projects.
• Assist with the QA of work products from India consultants and assist US leadership with constructive feedback and proactive improvements.
• Provide feedback to US leadership around project and staffing observations that can assist with future proposals and standards.

Talent Acquisition and Retention:

• Guide the Talent Acquisition team on recruitment focus areas. Lead practice initiatives such as fresher batch recruitment, training, evaluation, mentoring, and subsequent project readiness. Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain top talent by fostering a positive work environment, promoting work-life balance, and ensuring employee recognition.
• Conduct regular check-ins, performance reviews, and one-on-one meetings with team members to address their concerns and career aspirations.
• Promote team-building activities and a strong sense of community within the Oracle practice to ensure high levels of employee engagement and job satisfaction.

Business Development & Pre-Sales Support (Regional India):

• Collaborate with the sales and business development teams to support pre-sales activities, including proposals, bids, and customer presentations.
• Lead solution design and architecture discussions with potential clients.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities and partnerships to grow the Oracle practice.

Innovation & Thought Leadership:

• Stay current on Oracle trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation within the practice and socialize this information with the various COEs.
• Contribute to thought leadership through blogs, whitepapers, webinars, and participation in industry conferences.
• Explore opportunities for developing unique solutions or accelerators to enhance service offerings.
• Offer in-depth functional and domain expertise within areas of strategic focus, including knowledge of related applications, products, and solutions

Key Skills & Competencies Oracle Cloud Expertise: In-depth knowledge of Oracle Cloud Products (SaaS, PaaS) and technologies and other Oracle applications. Leadership: Strong leadership and team-building skills with the ability to motivate and manage diverse professionals. Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and implement strategic plans that align with business goals. Client Management: Strong client relationship management skills with a proven ability to manage senior stakeholders. Project Management: Expertise in delivering large-scale Oracle projects, with a track record of managing scope, cost, and schedule. Financial Acumen: Solid understanding of P&L management, budgeting, and financial performance. People Development : Commitment to fostering a learning culture, supporting team growth, and succession planning. Retention Strategies: Proven experience improving employee engagement and retention through talent management strategies. Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for engaging with clients, team members, and executives. Innovation: A passion for technology and innovation with the ability to drive Oracle solutions forward. Cultural Fit: The candidate should have significant experience working in a multi-shore environment (onsite, offsite, near-site) and should have an average tenure of at least four years in each company they’ve served. Ideally, they will have progressed through the ranks, starting from the bottom of the pyramid (i.e., Consultant → Lead → Manager → Practice Head). Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Utilization: Optimal utilization of team resources across projects (Utilization >=75%) Retention Rate: Reduced employee turnover and increased job satisfaction within the practice (attrition <=9%) People Development: Continuous growth and certification (plus renewals) of team members, as well as leadership pipeline development. CoE Involvement: Accountable for India Oracle Cloud CoE participation and related deliverable, tool, and accelerator commitments.