SAP Staff Software Development Engineer

Avalara is hiring a Staff Software Development Engineer to provide hands-on technical ownership for complex SAP implementations of AvaTax and related products. The role resolves SAP integration and connector issues, supports customer and partner teams, and develops AI-enabled troubleshooting capabilities and technical enablement resources.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary technical owner on partner-led and direct SAP implementation projects, joining CIP calls with the depth and authority to resolve issues on the spot
• Diagnose technical issues from functional consultants, partners, and customers — spanning connector behavior, ABAP customization, BTP configuration, BAdI/enhancement logic, SAP Basis, or customer-specific code — and resolve them directly in the majority of cases
• Escalate to Connector Engineering only for confirmed product defects, with full reproduction steps, logs, and ABAP traces included
• Own issues to full closure; success is measured by resolution, not hand-off speed
• Debug live issues across SAP ECC, S/4HANA Private Cloud, and S/4HANA Public Cloud, including ABAP debugging, dump analysis, and connector/interface tracing
• Review and advise on custom BAdI implementations, user exits, and enhancement logic partners/customers use to extend Avalara connector functionality (e.g., FlexMapper custom field mapping, address validation BAdIs)
• Navigate SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud's extensibility model (BTP, CDS views, restricted BAdI framework) to find compliant technical paths where standard extensibility is limited
• Apply first-principles troubleshooting to distinguish connector defects from customer configuration, custom code, or platform issues
• Understand tax calculation, VAT, and e-invoicing concepts — including country-specific mandates such as real-time reporting and clearance models — well enough to troubleshoot where they intersect with SAP tax determination and connector behavior
• Use REST API tooling (Postman, SOAP UI) and log/trace analysis to reproduce issues with evidence, inspecting JSON/XML payloads, authentication, and sync vs. async processing
• Analyze connector, ERP-native, and internal logs/traces to pinpoint failure points and separate configuration, data, platform, and product-defect causes
• Prepare escalation-ready diagnostic artifacts (repro steps, payloads, logs, error codes, business impact) for the rare genuine engineering escalations
• Join customer- and partner-facing calls to explain technical analysis, progress, and options in clear, non-engineering language
• Build trusted relationships with CIP technical teams and customer ABAP/Basis resources, positioning Avalara as a strong technical partner on high-stakes, multi-year SAP engagements
• Proactively manage expectations on complex or long-running issues, keeping stakeholders aligned on status and next steps
• Communicate the boundary of support clearly — guiding on approach and diagnosis without taking ownership of partner/customer-owned custom code
• Partner with Connector Engineering to keep engineering focused on product development rather than ad hoc firefighting
• Work with the functional SAP Tax Technology team to raise their independent debugging capability through runbooks, troubleshooting guides, and training
• Document recurring technical patterns (common ABAP errors, BAdI pitfalls, BTP/CDS restrictions) to build institutional knowledge and reduce repeat escalations
• Contribute technical input to roadmap and prioritization discussions based on patterns seen across implementations
• Identify and implement opportunities for AI to accelerate technical triage, such as AI-assisted analysis of ABAP dumps, logs, and traces
• Design and build AI-powered triage agents that auto-classify escalations, surface likely root cause, and recommend next steps or routing
• Integrate AI/LLM capabilities into troubleshooting workflows with appropriate safeguards, observability, and deterministic fallbacks — especially for compliance-critical tax processes
• Use AI-assisted tooling (e.g., Cursor or similar) to speed up documentation, runbooks, and issue write-ups, and continuously evaluate emerging AI tools relevant to SAP technical support
• Operate as a self-starter with minimal day-to-day direction, proactively identifying and acting on technical risk to go-lives, partner trust, or competitive exposure
• Exercise sound judgment on the rare cases that genuinely require engineering involvement — independent resolution is the strong default
• Maintain high accountability on time-sensitive, high-visibility implementations where delays can affect go-live dates and partner relationships

Requirements:

• B.S. in Computer Science or Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• 8–12+ years of experience in SAP technical roles, with direct, hands-on ABAP development and debugging experience, aligned to scope and level of this role
• Proven experience with SAP BTP, CDS views, and the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud extensibility model (including its BAdI restrictions)
• Direct experience with SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA (Private Cloud) integrations, ideally including third-party/ISV connector or middleware integrations
• Demonstrated ability to debug in live customer/partner environments and to read and interpret ABAP dumps, traces, and enhancement/BAdI code
• Strong client-facing skills: comfortable leading technical conversations with enterprise customers and Certified Implementation Partner teams, translating deep technical detail into clear guidance for non-technical stakeholders
• Excellent troubleshooting instincts — able to quickly isolate root cause across a complex chain of SAP configuration, custom code, connector logic, and integration middleware
• Hands-on fluency with integration and API diagnostic tooling — Postman, SOAP UI, REST/SOAP API testing, and reading JSON/XML payloads, request/response cycles, and standardized error codes to reproduce and evidence issues
• Working knowledge of tax calculation, VAT, and e-invoicing concepts, including how country-specific e-invoicing mandates affect SAP document flows
• Self-starter who can operate with significant autonomy, manage competing high-priority issues, and drive them to resolution without constant oversight — and without defaulting to engineering escalation as the first move
• Demonstrated, hands-on applied AI capability: able to give specific examples of using AI to materially improve speed, quality, or scale of technical work, with the ability to explain tool/approach choices and relevant risk and governance considerations
• You'll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here
• You'll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers
• You'll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too
• Prior experience in a partner-facing or consulting role (SI, ISV, or SAP-focused consultancy) involving enterprise, multi-year implementations
• Working knowledge of Avalara's SAP connector architecture, FlexMapper, or willingness to ramp up quickly