Demand for Dynamics 365 talent has outpaced supply. As more enterprises move core operations to the Microsoft ecosystem, hiring the right professionals has become a critical execution risk. Delays in staffing key roles stall deployments, weaken system performance, and erode trust from business stakeholders.
Every Dynamics 365 hire must be tied directly to a business objective. Before starting the search, define the outcome. Whether the goal is faster financial reporting, improved order accuracy, or unified sales forecasting, each objective must be matched to the right module, skill set, and experience level. Poor hires happen when job scopes are vague or disconnected from delivery.
Within Dynamics 365, Finance, Supply Chain, Sales, Customer Service, and Business Central each require specialized knowledge. A developer who excels in Sales module customization may struggle in a Business Central rollout. Hiring generalists across domains leads to delays, rework, and long-term instability.
When to hire a Functional Consultant
If your primary goal is to improve existing processes, implement standard features, or support business users through change, you’re likely looking for a Functional Consultant. This role focuses on configuring the system to match business workflows and translating user requirements into system capabilities. For example, a Finance Functional Consultant will understand general ledger setup, AP/AR flows, and how to configure financial dimensions to support reporting.
In CRM modules like Sales or Customer Service, a Functional Consultant will map lead qualification paths or case management workflows, ensuring they align with your frontline teams’ day-to-day needs. They rarely write code, but they should understand what’s possible out-of-the-box and when to involve Developers.
Candidates holding certifications like MB-310 (Finance) or MB-800 (Business Central) typically have foundational knowledge, but what matters most is whether they’ve implemented those modules in an environment similar to yours. Always ask for direct examples of business problems they’ve solved, not just what configurations they’ve performed.
When a Developer is essential to delivery
If your project requires system extensions, data integrations, or custom business logic, you’ll need a Developer. This role focuses on writing code to adapt Dynamics 365 beyond its native capabilities. Developers often work closely with Functional Consultants, building features that consultants can’t configure through settings alone.
Common developer tasks include integrating Dynamics with external platforms, creating custom plugins, extending forms, or writing logic in X++ for Finance and Operations apps. In CRM-focused environments, this could involve scripting with JavaScript, writing .NET plugins, or building Power Platform components like Power Automate flows and custom connectors.
Look for candidates who understand both Dynamics 365 and the surrounding Microsoft stack—especially Azure services. Certification like MB-500 (Finance and Operations Developer) is useful, but more important is whether the developer can explain how they’ve built and deployed scalable, maintainable customizations. Ask them how they’ve handled performance issues, regression testing, and release management in a production Dynamics environment.
How Solution Architects protect long-term outcomes
When the scope of your implementation crosses multiple business units or involves complex design decisions, you’ll need a Solution Architect. This role is accountable for the integrity of the overall system design and its alignment to business outcomes. Solution Architects advise on which modules to use, how data should flow across systems, and how to balance configuration, customization, and integrations.
They also coordinate the efforts of Functional Consultants and Developers, ensuring work is aligned to a coherent strategy. Without this role, organizations risk duplicating efforts, creating brittle workarounds, or building solutions that fail to scale.
A strong Solution Architect will have experience leading multiple enterprise Dynamics 365 deployments. They should be able to explain their approach to system governance, data modeling, integration patterns, and change control. The MB-700 certification (Finance and Operations Solution Architect) signals a foundational understanding, but the key is whether they’ve actually made these decisions in complex environments.
How to match roles to business outcomes
Each role solves a different kind of problem. Trying to use a Developer to configure workflows, or a Functional Consultant to write integrations, results in inefficiencies and technical debt. Similarly, hiring a Solution Architect when you only need basic configurations is often unnecessary and expensive.
Clarify what you’re trying to do: launch a new module, improve reporting, integrate with other systems, or drive enterprise-wide transformation. Then match that objective to the right role.
If your organization wants to standardize its financial processes across multiple entities, you’ll need a Finance Functional Consultant with deep multi-entity experience and a Solution Architect to ensure global consistency. If you want to connect Dynamics 365 Sales with a third-party marketing platform, you need a Developer who understands both systems and can build stable APIs or use Azure integration tools. If you’re looking to replace legacy ERP infrastructure, you’ll likely need all three roles working together under a common design.
The right evaluation criteria for every Dynamics 365 role
Certifications are useful for validating baseline knowledge, but they don’t replace experience. The best candidates will be able to walk you through real-world Dynamics 365 implementations they’ve led or contributed to. Push for specifics. What modules did they work on? What business problem were they solving? What outcome did they achieve? How did they handle constraints or changes mid-project?
If the answers are vague or tool-focused rather than outcome-driven, keep looking. Strong Dynamics 365 professionals speak the language of business problems, not just platform features.
Define outcomes before hiring
Before beginning any hiring process, make sure you’ve documented the specific business outcome you’re aiming for. What does success look like for this initiative? What needs to change in your current environment? From there, you can define the technical and functional capabilities required—and then search for candidates who have actually delivered similar results.
The Dynamics 365 talent market is competitive, but hiring mistakes are far more costly than hiring delays. Clear role definitions, precise evaluation criteria, and alignment to business goals will reduce time-to-hire, improve quality, and deliver better outcomes.
Work with a trusted talent partner
If you’re looking to connect with verified Dynamics 365 professionals across North America, Procom offers access to flexible IT staffing solutions that align with your project goals. Fill out the form below or visit this page to connect with a talent specialist today.
