Client Job Description: MS Dynamics 365 Solution Architect

Location: Seattle, WA (Onsite)

The Opportunity:
Act as a trusted adviser and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (ERP) Supply Chain SME to clients in an implementation project.
Demonstrate a strong proficiency in Supply Chain Management (Product Information Management, Inventory Management, Warehouse management, Transportation Management and Manufacturing).
Own the overall technical solution strategy, architecture, design, and oversight for enhancing and extending Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations in both implementation projects and support engagements.
Oversees highly complex demonstrations (e.g., business value workshops, architectural design sessions, and proof of concept (POC) sessions, pilots) of end-to-end Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Supply Chain. Ensures demonstrations enable customers to identify and solution with clear criteria and next steps.
Manage the overall stage of a project, including the scope, timeline, budget, and resources.

What you need:
Experience in working at a client's site.
Functional expertise including in-depth knowledge in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (ERP) Supply Chain application
At least 15 years IT industry total experience with minimum 5 years Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (ERP) Supply Chain application architecting/solutioning/configuration and full life-cycle implementation. Preferably retail and fresh food business experience.
Proven track record of successful implementations projects
Strong problem-solving, analytical, and troubleshooting skills
Strong verbal and written communication skills and organizational abilities
Ability to multitask, work in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, and effectively prioritize multiple tasks of varying complexities.
Stakeholder Management and change management skills.
Proven track record in business development.

Bonus points if:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 certifications: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (ERP) Solution Architect Expert and Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Supply Chain intermediate product specific (Functional) certifications (highly preferred)
Based out of Seattle, WA location.
Microsoft Valuable Professional (MVP) credentials
Job Description: Expectations from this role:
1. Works with stakeholders at every level of the organization soliciting strategic imperatives from senior leaders and executives; supporting business unit managers as they leverage business architecture and product development artifacts to create and implement client business plans.
2. Provide direct input into the governance cycle that supports the achievement of key goals, planning and execution of various scenarios, and delivery of bottom line value to the business
3. Help client business and leadership team with problem definition
4. Lead business and technology consulting projects to deliver client objectives
5. Perform assessments of client business processes, organizational change, IT processes, and technology landscape; identifying transformational recommendations
6. Develop a business and technical architecture strategy based on situational awareness of various business scenarios and motivations.
7. Apply a structured business architecture approach and methodology for capturing key views of the enterprise.
8. Guide a team to capture the tactical and strategic enterprise goals that provide traceability through the organization; and are mapped to metrics that provide ongoing governance.
9. Guide a team to describe the primary business functions of the enterprise and distinguish between customer-facing, supplier-related, business execution and business management functions.
10. Guide a team to define the set of strategic, core and support processes that transcend functional and organizational boundaries; identify and describe external entities such as customers, suppliers, and external systems that interact with the business. Identify which people, resources and controls are involved in the processes.
11. Guide a team to define the data shared across the enterprise and the relationships between the data.
12. Guide a team to capture the relationships among roles, capabilities and business units, the decomposition of those business units into subunits, and the internal or external management of those units.Typical performance measures:
1. Transformational value delivered to customer
2. Utilization in billable roles
3. Customer feedback
4. Number of certifications obtained
5.Number of reusable components designed for CoEsPerformance Areas:
Design and Implementation Support:
1. Understand the business requirements from the analyst and create a mapping document, if required (specific to integration)
2. Evaluate technical requirements (e.g. number of interfaces required, maps required for each interface etc.); understand the design concepts to be used
3. Study the best practices for design and jointly design the solution; review the design for potential flaws; verify the design with CoE

Practice Development:
1.Provide feedback on current gaps with internal processes that can be improved

Knowledge Management:
1. Identify best practices, tools and solution accelerators for products in the solution area; bring in the existing solution accelerators, reusable assets, etc.
2. Review the solutions and identify opportunity to create reusable assets, solution accelerators, etc.
3. Stay up to date with new developments in the product and technology solution area under purview
4. Analyze the best in class solutions and design aspects, track industry trends and draw insights

Solution Development:
1. Build understanding of new solutions and develop delivery capability
2. Assist in creation of new solutions by providing inputs and insights

Product Selection:
1. Collaborate with the product selection group to identify the best suited product to meet the project requirements; provide inputs on product features, as required

Technology Consulting Advisory:
1. Engage with client stakeholders during advisory engagements
2. Gather information relevant to the client's context and conduct detailed analysis using technology solution frameworks
3. Lead consulting team to deliver to client's expectations
4. Seek guidance from Consulting Manager as required
5. Arrive at draft recommendations based on analysis
6. Provide thought leadership on implementation of specific technology
7. Engage with client stakeholders

Alliance Management:
1. Engage with the technology specialists of the product vendor to identify ways to leverage the product
Skill Examples:
1. Uses Domain / Industry knowledge to contextualize the solution to the industry, assess the domain specific risks to the solution, review the business requirements captured and assess the gap. P in business requirement workshops to generate ideas w.r.t domain specific KPIs, reporting requirements, etc.
2. Use COTS Product Features / Functionality knowledge to understand the technical/functional dependencies of the product work flow/custom component (native and outside product). Independently analyze the customizations completed and required to the base product, applying the best practices in her/her own area of work. Impart training on the various functional modules of the product or custom components/solutions provided, configure or change a module/change custom code in the product independently
3. Uses Competitive Products Landscape knowledge to relate how the same business events are handled in different products; leverage reusable solutions across products
4. Uses Different Implementations knowledge to relate own area of work to the big picture of the project. Expand the approach for the specific functionality and highlight potential gaps and risks as necessary
5. Uses Technology Concepts knowledge to identify technical risk and define mitigation strategies during coding. Validate, review and make recommendation to complex queries, recommending appropriate framework, approach, solution to meet the functional and non functional requirements and create HLD for the project. Guide junior team members in creating the LLD, create POC to validate new tools and solutions, compare and contrast technology landscape options for the customer, identify and leverage the most appropriate tools to set up the build environment, build training materials and assessments for technologies, conduct project training and assist in ramp up
6. Uses specialized knowledge of process consulting to drive changes in customer organization. Conduct workshops independently, lead a consulting engagement, play the role of a trusted advisor within UST and with clients on process harmonization,. converting leads to opportunities and cCoach team members.
7. Uses Project Management Tools and Techniques knowledge to plan and manage simple, small or medium size projects/ modules as defined within UST. Identify risks and mitigation strategies and implement the same to manage simple, small or medium size projects/ modules, identify critical path and manage dependencies within a small project
8. Uses Project Governance Framework knowledge to create / customize RACI matrix and governance framework for small or medium size projects. Support development of the communication protocols, establish and follow an escalation matrix for small or medium size projects, create reporting mechanisms for small / medium projects/ modules as defined within UST
9. Uses Project Metrics knowledge to understand relevance in project, collect and collate project metrics and share it with the relevant stakeholders; understand and apply the tools used to track metrics
10. Uses Estimation and Resource Planning knowledge to create estimate and plan resources for specific modules / small projects with detailed requirements in place. Conduct impact analysis for changes and analyze corresponding impact to overall estimates, resource loading and MPP (re-baseline)
11. Uses Requirement Gathering and Analysis knowledge to raise ambiguities on requirements shared, create requirement management artifacts (such as traceability matrix, etc.), provide inputs/ create estimates and solutions (based on the size of the project. Identify impacted areas based on the change requests, understand the data and model based on requirements, create/review design artifacts, apply common requirements repository in context of project/program
12. Uses Solution Structuring knowledge to create customized solution to the problem and present the proposed solution to customer; highlighting the solution benefits and road map to achieve. Carve out simple solution / POC to build confidence in the solution, review the proposal for completeness
13. Uses Knowledge Management Tools & Techniques knowledge to leverage existing material/ re-usable assets and enhance in knowledge repository. Independently create and update knowledge artifacts, perform skill gap analysis, create and track project specific KT plans, provide training to others, write white papers/ blogs at internal level (if applicable). Write technical documents/ user understanding documents at the end of the project, implement KM and KT measurement metrics
14. Uses Technical Standards, Documentation & Templates knowledge to create documentation appropriate for the project. Create documentation appropriate for the reusable assets/ best practices/ case studies, apply tools and processes that can track compliance to defined technical standards at the project level
15. Uses Pricing & Licensing Models knowledge to conduct pricing exercise for complex projects viz. FP / value-based pricing etc., understand pricing strategies and business models of relevant products, solutions or associated services, review medium-complex proposalsKnowledge Examples:
1. Domain / Industry: Specialized knowledge of one or more sub-domains within the relevant industry vertical, customer business domain and basic knowledge of geography specific business domain and regulations, multiple industry standards and regulations and in-depth knowledge of one, sources and parameters of industry analytics, market/ industry trends / current state
2. COTS Product Features / Functionality: Working knowledge (awareness of functionality of a specific product 3. Competitive Products Landscape: Working knowledge of COTS product and cross-trained in another similar COTS product that support similar business process (including basic knowledge of the competitiveness and UST capability at a high level for the same)
4. Different Implementations: Demonstrates working knowledge of 2 or more different kinds of implementations (upgrade, new implementation, conversion / migration, enhancements, maintenance, interfaces testing) for a specific product
5. Technology Concepts: Demonstrates specialized knowledge of technology (OS, languages, applications, databases concepts, data models, etc.), technology landscape
6. Process Consulting: Specialized knowledge of process consulting/harmonization concepts, framework (performance management, role profiling, shared services), process analysis tools and frameworks, tools and practices required to model processes (such as Visio, BPM Strategy / Roadmap, Value Stream Mapping, BPM Maturity assessment, BPM CoE setup, Vendor evaluation, Business Rules harvesting)
7. Project Management Tools and Techniques: Demonstrates working knowledge of project management process (such as project scoping, requirements management, change management, risk management, quality assurance, disaster management, etc.), tools (MS Excel, MPP, client specific time sheets, tools & processes, capacity planning tools, etc.)
8. Project Governance Framework: Demonstrates working knowledge of project governance framework, RACI matrix
9. Project Metrics: Demonstrates basic knowledge of project metrics (e.g. quality metrics, utilization, onsite to offshore ratio, span of control, rookie ratio, pyramid)
10. Estimation and Resource Planning: Working knowledge of estimation and resource planning techniques (e.g. UCP Estimation model), industry level functional sizing methodologies (e.g. FP), and UST Specific Estimation Templates
11. Requirement Gathering and Analysis: Demonstrates working knowledge of requirements (functional/ non functional), requirement analysis tools (such as functional flow diagrams, activity diagrams, blueprint, storyboard), techniques (business analysis, process mapping, etc.), requirements management tools, requirements traceability, requirement elicitation practices (interviews, questionnaires, user observation, workshops, brainstorming, use cases, role playing, prototyping, etc.)
12. Solution Structuring: Demonstrates working knowledge of UST service offering, domain related COTS products. Basic knowledge of service lines in UST
13. Knowledge Management Tools & Techniques: Demonstrates working knowledge of industry knowledge management tools (such as portals, wiki), UST and customer knowledge management tools, techniques (such as classroom training, self-study, application walkthrough and reverse KT)
14. Technical Standards, Documentation & Templates: Demonstrates working knowledge of various document templates and standards (such as business blueprint, design documents and test specifications)
15. Pricing & Licensing Models: Working knowledge of pricing models (fixed price, non-linear and united )
End User License Agreements, etc) Awareness of advanced commercial and pricing models (outcome-based, transactional pricing, non-linear)
Additional Sills: D365,Supply Chain Management,Financial Operations,Project Implementation