A well-scoped D365 contractor job description is the fastest way for a manufacturer to get the right specialist into their project.
When a manufacturer asks me for “a senior D365 consultant with manufacturing experience,” I know the first conversation is going to be a long one. That description fits hundreds of people. Most of them are the wrong fit for that specific project.
After 14 years placing Dynamics specialists into manufacturing implementations across the US, the pattern I see is consistent. The manufacturers who get the right person quickly describe the work in detail before they describe the person.
This blog is for the IT leader who is about to bring in a D365 contractor and wants to get it right the first time. It covers the five details every job description should name, a real example from one of our clients, and a simple template you can copy.
Why a general job description attracts general candidates
D365 Finance & Operations is a huge platform. A consultant who has spent ten years configuring warehouse flows for a distributor has a very different skill set from one who has spent ten years in cost accounting for a process manufacturer.
Both can honestly call themselves “senior D365 consultants with manufacturing experience.”
A general job description also slows your team down. Every interview turns into a discovery session, and you end up scoping the role in the middle of the hiring process.
What a strong D365 contractor job description names
Before you write the job description, scope the work. These five details do most of the heavy lifting.
1. Your manufacturing model
Say whether you run discrete, process, or mixed-mode manufacturing. Discrete runs on bills of material and production orders. Process runs on formulas, batch orders, and co-products. A contractor who is excellent in one can take months to find their feet in the other.
2. The modules, by name
Lead with the modules. Each of these has its own specialists:
- Production Control
- Master Planning
- Advanced Warehouse Management
- Cost Accounting
- General Ledger and financial dimensions
Naming them gives you a far closer match than a job title alone.
3. Your project stage
Pre-selection, design, build, testing, cutover, and post go-live each call for a different kind of help. A contractor who thrives in design workshops may be the wrong person for a cutover weekend.
4. Operations, finance, or both
In manufacturing, the operations and finance workstreams are tightly connected. Production orders drive inventory valuation, and inventory valuation drives your month-end close. Tell candidates which side the role sits on and who they will work alongside on the other side.
5. How the work gets done
Include expected hours, likely duration, and onsite needs such as plant visits, workshops, or cutover support. Good contractors plan their calendars months ahead, and this detail helps them say yes quickly.
Our D365Contractors.com community exists to serve D365 ERP customers who want to beef up their internal capability and drive projects forward internally. Chat with us today about our vetted consultants who are ready to jump in and help:
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A real example: the D365 upgrade that started with the general ledger
One of our clients is a multi-site US fresh produce business that grows, packs, and ships its own products. They were running Dynamics AX and planning their move to D365.
When we first spoke, the conversation was all about the upgrade. As we dug into the detail, one issue kept coming up. Their general ledger structure in AX had become the bottleneck for everything else on the ERP roadmap.
Leadership couldn’t get the reporting they needed from it. The steering committee had stalled, because nobody could picture what “better” looked like.
So we scoped the role around that problem, and the job description became very specific:
- Model: Vertically integrated agribusiness, covering growing, processing, and distribution
- Modules: General Ledger, financial dimensions, and chart of accounts design
- Stage: Pre-upgrade groundwork on Dynamics AX, ahead of D365
- Side of the house: Finance, working closely with operations and BI
- Deliverable: A restructured GL design that leadership could sign off on
We placed an independent D365 finance contractor with deep GL experience. He produced:
- A chart of accounts design
- A financial dimension analysis
- Mapping tables from the old structure to the new one
- A process improvement matrix
- A dated project plan for the finance and reporting workstream
The biggest shift was in the room. Leadership could finally see a GL structure they believed in, with a clear path to the reports they needed. The steering committee moved from debating the problem to working through a sequenced plan.
The client has since continued building out their team with further specialists for the D365 journey.
That result came from a job description that named the real problem. A general “D365 upgrade consultant” search would likely have found someone strong on the new platform, while the GL issue kept blocking progress.
If your own project is heading toward a data or finance crunch, why D365 F&O data readiness is the number one project killer covers the warning signs.
A simple D365 contractor job description template
Copy this and fill it in before you speak to anyone. One page is plenty.
- About us: Industry, manufacturing model, number of sites
- Platform: D365 F&O, Business Central, or a legacy system such as AX
- Project stage: Where you are today and your next milestone
- Modules in scope: List them by name
- The problem to solve: One or two sentences in plain language
- Side of the house: Operations, finance, or both
- Who they work with: Internal team, implementation partner, other contractors
- Deliverables: What “done” looks like
- Logistics: Hours per week, expected duration, onsite needs
Frequently asked questions
What should a D365 contractor job description include?
Your manufacturing model, the specific D365 modules in scope, your project stage, whether the role is operations or finance focused, the deliverables, and practical details like hours, duration, and onsite needs.
Should a manufacturer hire a D365 finance contractor or an operations contractor first?
It depends on where your biggest risk sits. If your chart of accounts or financial dimensions are unresolved, finance often comes first, because dimension design is very hard to change once you are transacting. If planning or production is the pain point, start on the operations side.
Can I bring in a D365 contractor alongside my implementation partner?
Yes. Many manufacturers bring in an independent contractor to strengthen a specific workstream while their partner continues to deliver. A clearly scoped job description also makes it easier to define where the partner’s scope ends and the contractor’s begins. The buyer’s guide to choosing a D365 implementation partner for manufacturing covers the partner side.
Find the right specialist for your plant
A well-scoped job description does half the work. The other half is getting it in front of contractors who have delivered D365 in a real production environment.
Our guide to how manufacturers hire D365 manufacturing contractors covers the modules, roles, vetting, and pricing in one place.
If you want a second pair of eyes on your job description, or you already know the gap and need the right person to fill it, we can help. Our independent D365 experts have delivered in real plants, and we typically present two or three vetted matches within 48 hours:
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About the Author
Ryan Carolan is the founder of D365Contractors.com, connecting North American companies with pre-vetted, independent D365 experts. 14 years exclusively in D365 staffing. Hundreds of contractor placements into implementations across the US.
Most weeks, he waffles on about stuff like this online.
