Dynamics 365 F&A Functional Lead

Position Name: - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Functional Lead/ Business Transformation Advisor

• Client and the Project we are hiring for:- TBD
• Replacement or a new role: - New Role
• If Replacement, then of who: - N/A
• Project Manager:- TBD
• Duration of Project: - 6 Months
• Reporting Manager: - TBD
• Team Members if the incumbent will be responsible to manage: - N/A
• Location: - Onshore

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly experienced Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Lead / Business Transformation Advisor to lead a strategic finance transformation and enterprise business process modernization initiative for a global institutional investment management organization.

This is a senior consulting role for an individual who can operate at the intersection of business strategy, finance and accounting, investment management, enterprise finance operations, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance technology.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and understand how an institutional investment manager operates across financial planning, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash and bank management, budgeting, financial close, financial reporting, investment accounting, fund accounting, reconciliations, audit controls, tax, and management reporting.

The successful candidate will act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology stakeholders, helping define the future-state finance operating model and translating business objectives into a scalable Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Microsoft Power Platform solution.

Candidates with experience in institutional asset management, private equity, commercial real estate, real estate investment, alternative investments, wealth management, or capital markets are strongly preferred.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities:-

Business Advisory & Strategy

• Act as a trusted advisor to business, finance, accounting, and technology leadership.
• Assess current-state finance and accounting processes and define the future-state finance operating model.
• Identify opportunities to streamline financial processes, improve controls, reduce manual activities, and automate finance operations.
• Lead business process reengineering initiatives across finance and accounting functions.
• Recommend industry best practices aligned with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance.
• Translate strategic finance objectives into practical, scalable Dynamics 365 Finance solutions.
• Advise senior stakeholders on finance transformation roadmaps, operating models, process standardization, and technology-enabled improvements.

Functional Leadership

• Lead functional design across the Dynamics 365 Finance platform.
• Define finance process flows, functional requirements, business rules, controls, and solution specifications.
• Define functional design for legal entities, ledgers, currencies, financial dimensions, posting profiles, accounting structures, and financial reporting requirements.
• Drive functional roadmap planning, prioritization, release planning, and deployment strategy.

Financial Services & Accounting Expertise

Provide functional leadership around finance and accounting processes supporting:

• Investor onboarding
• Institutional client relationship management
• Capital raising pipeline management
• Fund lifecycle management
• Deal and investment tracking
• Financial reporting support
• Accounting workflows
• Portfolio reporting
• Compliance and regulatory requirements
• Executive dashboards and KPI reporting
• Understand the relationship between investment management processes and the underlying finance and accounting processes.
• Translate complex investment and financial requirements into Dynamics 365 Finance functional solutions.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Collaborate closely with:

• Investor Relations
• Finance & Accounting
• Portfolio Management
• Capital Markets
• Asset Management
• Compliance
• Operations
• Information Technology

Solution Governance

• Establish functional governance standards for Dynamics 365 Finance.
• Review solution architecture and functional designs with technical teams.
• Ensure scalability, security, maintainability, and compliance of the finance solution.
• Guide configuration versus customization decisions with an emphasis on standard Dynamics 365 Finance capabilities.
• Establish functional design standards, documentation standards, testing standards, and business acceptance criteria.
• Support change management, training, user adoption, and organizational readiness.
• Ensure appropriate controls and governance are incorporated into finance transformation initiatives.

Must Have:

• 8+ years of experience in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance / Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations.
• Strong understanding of finance and accounting processes and their implementation within Dynamics 365 Finance.
• Proven experience leading large-scale finance transformation, ERP modernization, or Dynamics 365 Finance implementation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of institutional asset management, investment management, private equity, real estate investment, alternative investments, wealth management, or capital markets.
• Strong accounting and finance background with practical understanding of:
• General Ledger
• Fund Accounting
• Investment Accounting
• Financial Reporting
• Investor Reporting
• Capital Commitments
• Distributions
• Reconciliations
• Audit and financial controls
• Experience integrating Dynamics 365 Finance with enterprise finance, accounting, investment management, banking, data, or reporting platforms.
• Demonstrated business process reengineering experience across finance and accounting functions.
• Ability to translate complex accounting and business requirements into scalable Dynamics 365 Finance solutions.
• Strong executive presence and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong understanding of finance data governance, security, integration, controls, and enterprise architecture principles.
• Experience with financial data migration, reconciliation, testing, and end-to-end finance process validation.
• Willingness to work in a hybrid environment in Chicago or the broader Midwest region.

Good To Have:

• Experience working for or consulting with an institutional investment manager or similar financial services organization.
• Experience with commercial real estate, private equity, real estate funds, debt investments, or alternative investments.
• Experience with investor lifecycle management and fundraising CRM.
• Experience with relationship intelligence and client engagement platforms.
• Experience with Azure Integration Services.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Fabric and modern enterprise data platforms.
• Experience with enterprise data strategy and master data management.
• Experience leveraging Microsoft Copilot and AI-enabled CRM capabilities.
• Prior consulting experience with executive-level clients.

Qualification Required:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
• Relevant professional qualification is highly desirable.
• 8+ years of relevant professional experience with Dynamics 365 Finance / Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations.
• 7+ years leading enterprise ERP, finance transformation, or business transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in financial services, investment management, asset management, private equity, real estate investment, or related industries.
• Strong combination of Dynamics 365 Finance functional expertise, accounting and finance knowledge, investment management experience, business transformation capability, and executive advisory skills.
• Strong preference for candidates based in Chicago or the broader Midwest region.