Senior Functional Specialist

National Physical Laboratory; Coventry; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in the UK is seeking a Senior Functional Specialist for a 12-month fixed-term contract. This role is pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation of finance and procurement processes within D365 Finance & Operations. You will provide functional support and drive operational efficiency while collaborating across teams. The ideal candidate has proven expertise in D365, particularly in finance modules, along with incident management experience. Strong communication and compliance knowledge are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in D365 Finance & Operations support.
• Strong functional knowledge across finance and procurement modules.
• Experience in testing small enhancements and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary contact for finance-related issues in D365.
• Assist finance and procurement teams effectively in D365.
• Resolve functional incidents and service requests within SLAs.

Skills

D365 Finance & Operations expertise

Incident management

Compliance knowledge

Collaboration skills

Education

Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate (MB-310)

Tools

Azure DevOps

Freshservice

Power BI

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Functional Specialist at NPL. This role sits within the Enterprise Systems team in the CIO function and is pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation of finance and procurement processes within D365 Finance & Operations.

You will be the primary point of contact for functional support, incident resolution, and continuous service improvement. Working closely with finance, procurement, and project teams, you’ll help drive operational efficiency, maintain compliance, and support system enhancements. The role also involves collaboration with technical teams to manage escalations and ensure robust documentation and governance practices.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for finance- and procurement-related issues in D365 F&O.
• Provide day-to-day assistance to finance, procurement, and project teams in using D365 effectively.
• Investigate, diagnose, and resolve functional incidents and service requests within agreed SLAs.
• Work with technical, development, and infrastructure teams to manage escalations and deliver permanent fixes.
• Log, document, and track issues through Azure DevOps and Freshservice.
• Maintain functional knowledge base and support documentation.
• Maintain accurate configuration and business process documentation.
• Participate in post-incident reviews and continuous service improvement initiatives.

This is a great opportunity for someone with the right skills and passion to join the Enterprise Systems team within CIO. It is a 12‑month fixed‑term contract. We’re looking for a proactive and detail‑oriented D365 Finance & Operations Functional Consultant with a passion for support and service excellence. You'll bring strong functional expertise across core finance and procurement modules, along with experience in incident management and system testing. Your ability to bridge the gap between business and IT teams will be key to your success. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and are committed to continuous improvement, this is a great opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Essential Skills Required

• Functional Expertise: Proven experience as a D365 Finance & Operations Functional Consultant, preferably in a support or managed service capacity.
• Experience providing post‑go‑live support in a D365 environment.
• Strong functional knowledge across: General Ledger (GL) – journal management, allocations, financial dimensions, posting profiles; Accounts Payable (AP) – vendor invoices, payments, settlements, workflows; Accounts Receivable (AR) – customer invoicing, cash receipts, collections; Credit & Collections – collection letters, aging, interest notes, customer credit management; Fixed Assets (FA) – capitalization, depreciation, impairment, disposals; Procurement & Sourcing – purchase requisitions, purchase orders, approvals, vendor collaboration; Project Management & Accounting (PMA) – project setup, WBS, funding, cost control, revenue recognition, and research grant tracking.
• Experience supporting month‑end / year‑end processes, budgeting, and reporting.
• Support design and testing of small enhancements, workflows, and configuration changes.
• Participate in Microsoft update testing (monthly service updates / regression testing).
• Support Experience: Working knowledge of ITIL processes (incident, problem, and change management); Use of LCS, Azure DevOps, and Freshservice for ticket management, testing, and deployment tracking; Experience managing functional testing cycles for system updates and hotfixes; Familiarity with compliance and reporting obligations tied to funded research projects; Ability to bridge the gap between finance teams, research operations, and IT.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate (MB-310).
• Familiarity with Power BI, Power Platform, and Excel add-ins for reporting.
• Experience with multi‑currency configurations.
• Knowledge of security roles, segregation of duties, and workflow approval hierarchies.
• Exposure to D365 Supply Chain Management (SCM) integration points.
• Understanding of data management framework.
• Prior experience supporting finance systems within public sector, higher education, or research institutions.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert, therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical. We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.