16 Years of SAP, Growth and Friendship: Unveiling  a Relocation Journey to EPAM Spain

Meet Alena Rantsevich, Functional Consulting Team Leader at EPAM. She started her journey with the company 16 years ago and recently relocated to Spain.

Among the things that motivated Alena to grow with the company for over a decade is her ability to change projects and countries, stay afloat in turbulent times, and find people she can talk to about project tasks and daily routines. Apart from holding a key consulting role in SAP projects at EPAM Spain, Alena is leading a pool of 10 people. Hence, her motto is: “Even unachievable goals become visible with the support of your team.”

Learn more about Alena’s story in this interview.

What was your journey into SAP consultancy like?

SAP appeared in my life accidentally when I joined EPAM as an SAP consultant in 2008. The exciting part is that I was initially applying for another position, but due to my relevant domain expertise in construction, my CV ended up in the hands of an SAP team lead, and this is how I got in. Over the past 16 years, I’ve worked on a dozen international projects for industry leaders, developed professionally to become a manager, and, most importantly, made the life-changing decision to relocate to Spain. So, without exaggeration, I can say that SAP was my lucky ticket.

What do you find most challenging and rewarding working on SAP projects at EPAM?

In my opinion, EPAM has solid expertise in SAP and, as a testament to it, has been a trusted SAP platinum partner for more than 25 years.

The EPAM SAP team unites over 2,500 professionals who deliver award-winning projects in four domains: consulting, engineering, customer experience, and data and analytics services. We have helped over 150 clients seamlessly transform operations with SAP products, and I am proud to be part of these success stories.

I currently play a key role in SAP projects at EPAM. Being primarily involved in consulting, I work closely with developers, integration and basis teams while maintaining constant collaboration with clients. Since 2011, I have combined my role with manager-level responsibilities, leading a team of 10 functional consultants.

With all of these, every project implementation may be a little overwhelming. Still, when I see the results of my work, for example, when goods are delivered to a client faster or top managers make the right decision at the right time based on the report I helped build, it is all worth it.

Alena and her SAP colleagues on a team building event, year 2022

What qualities do you think make a good SAP consultant?

SAP was designed to automate complex business solutions, and as our lives become faster every day, the technologies we use daily should keep pace — offering higher speed and quality.

From my experience, a successful SAP consultant is a good listener and unafraid to leave their comfort zone. You need to listen to clients, understand their needs and pain points, and advise them based on your experience. You should also have enough patience to approach each task carefully, building a solution on paper and setting it up in SAP. You should be skilled at utilizing out-of-the-box functionality, enhancing it according to business needs, and connecting it with satellite systems.

EPAM Spain offers the environment to boost the hard and soft skills required for consultancy. You will be able to learn and teach, share and brainstorm, and lead and collaborate with international clients to find solutions to challenging business tasks.

For me, the main ingredient for professional growth is the people I work with, and throughout 16 years with EPAM, I have been surrounded by skilled colleagues who are happy to share their knowledge. Some of my SAP colleagues have an even more extended history with EPAM, which can only mean that the SAP community we have built here is attractive.

Share your experience relocating to Spain.

When selecting the relocation destination, I did my best to make an informed decision because I was taking my family with me. Spain is a safe European country with a high level of medicine and education — an essential factor when you have kids.

People here are accepting of different cultures, and the climate permits you to spend a lot of time outdoors all year round. The transportation system and infrastructure are top tier, so my family travels quite often to enjoy the numerous historical and natural landmarks.

And of course, it is impossible not to mention the tasty Spanish food!

EPAM made the relocation process as smooth as possible for all my family members. A dedicated specialist handled all related documents and organized the necessary consulate visits to obtain the work permit.

We received help and monetary support to cover the travel logistics and transportation of personal belongings for the move. Additionally, the EPAM Soft-Landing Team eased our arrival to a new country, providing us with temporary accommodations and helping with all the administrative tasks.

The hardest part of the adaptation process for me is mainly learning Spanish. Relocation will be easier and faster if you already know the language. Another challenging thing is finding new friends and building social connections from scratch. Luckily, many of my colleagues at EPAM are my friends, so I did not lose contact with them after the move.

Despite the unavoidable difficulties of moving to another country, I can confidently say I enjoy living in Spain. When the sky is clear, and the sun is shining, solving even very complex problems is easier.

What advice would you give to SAP professionals contemplating a career at EPAM Spain?

My recommendation is to join our team, of course. We are a community of professionals coming from different countries and cultures.

Each EPAMer brings a different background and portfolio to the team, but we are united by one common mission: to make the lives of our clients easier with the help of SAP products.

You will never be bored working as an SAP consultant at EPAM — check our open positions in Spain and apply today: https://epa.ms/SAP-Spain-Careers.