Senior Systems Specialist (ERP) - Middlesbrough

Altrad are currently recruiting for a Senior Systems Specialist (ERP) to join the team based in Middlesbrough. The successful candidate will own the technical architecture and lifecycle of a complex, multi-country ERP estate spanning Microsoft Dynamics AX, Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC), Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) and legacy NAV, supporting multiple legal entities, countries and operating models. Key Deliverables:

Multi-Country ERP Technical Ownership & Architecture

• Serve as technical authority for a heterogeneous Microsoft ERP estate covering Dynamics AX, Business Central, Dynamics 365 F&O and legacy NAV across multiple legal entities, countries and operating models.
• Design target, transitional and coexistence architectures, including platform boundaries, data flows, environment strategies and migration paths between legacy and strategic ERP platforms.
• Maintain clear application and dependency maps across Microsoft base application versions, country/localisation packs, ISV layers, bespoke extensions, integrations, batch services, reporting and downstream data products.
• Define technical standards for configuration versus customisation, extension patterns, environment topology, supportability, resilience, performance, observability, security and data privacy.
• Govern enterprise versus local design decisions, ensuring justified country-specific requirements are accommodated without creating uncontrolled divergence or unnecessary technical debt.

ERP Platform Engineering & ISV Layer Management

• Own the technical integrity of layered ERP solutions where Microsoft platform components, localisations, multiple ISV products and bespoke changes have interdependent release and upgrade requirements.
• Maintain compatibility matrices covering ERP version, runtime/platform version, localisation, ISV release, custom extension, API/interface version and key infrastructure dependencies.
• Review and challenge solution designs and code produced internally or by vendors across AL/C-AL, X++ and related ERP technologies, ensuring changes are supportable, extensible and aligned to clean upgrade paths.
• Coordinate technical changes across multiple suppliers and ISVs, identifying collision points, sequencing dependencies and preventing one vendor change from adversely affecting another layer of the ERP stack.
• Troubleshoot issues that span ERP base code, ISV functionality, custom extensions, SQL/database services, identity, integrations, reporting and end-user clients.

Integration, Data & Interoperability

• Design and govern integrations using appropriate Dynamics patterns including REST/OData APIs, data entities, web services, business events, file/EDI interfaces and other legacy interfaces where required.
• Use Azure integration services such as API Management, Logic Apps, Functions and messaging patterns to decouple systems, control interfaces and improve resilience and observability.
• Co-design integration contracts with Data Engineering, covering schemas, ownership, lineage, versioning, error handling, service levels and data quality at system boundaries.
• Partner with Data & Analytics teams to enable ERP data consumption through governed pipelines to platforms such as Azure Data Lake, Fabric and Databricks, using incremental/CDC patterns where appropriate.
• Protect master data integrity and support consistent cross-country data definitions while recognising legitimate local statutory and operational variations.

Release, Environment & ERP Lifecycle Management

• Own environment and release strategies across Dev, Test, UAT, Pre-Production and Production, adapting controls to the different deployment models used by AX, BC and F&O.
• Lead major/minor ERP upgrades, cumulative/platform updates, hotfixes, ISV upgrades, extension releases, API deprecations and security patching across multiple country instances.
• Plan upgrades as an end-to-end dependency exercise, validating Microsoft base application, localisation, ISV, custom code, interface and reporting compatibility before production deployment.
• Establish and operate CI/CD and release controls using Azure DevOps and relevant Microsoft lifecycle/admin tooling, including automated build/test, artefact promotion, approvals, audit trail and rollback.
• Define regression and cutover strategies that test critical country processes, statutory functions, integrations and ISV-dependent business scenarios before release.
• Support ERP rationalisation and modernisation roadmaps, including controlled transition from legacy AX/NAV estates to BC and/or F&O where this is the approved target architecture.

Operations, Performance & Problem Management

• Own ERP operational health and service targets, using application telemetry, SQL/database diagnostics, batch monitoring, integration logs and platform monitoring to identify emerging issues.
• Lead resolution of complex, cross-platform incidents and problem-management root cause analyses, coordinating Microsoft, ISVs, infrastructure teams and internal specialists where ownership is shared.
• Drive performance tuning and capacity planning across ERP application tiers, databases, integrations and supporting Azure services.
• Maintain robust backup/restore, disaster recovery, support runbooks and technical operating procedures aligned to agreed RTO/RPO and service requirements.

Security, Access & Compliance

• Apply secure-by-design controls across ERP identity, roles, permissions, segregation of duties, privileged access, service accounts and integration identities.
• Ensure ERP designs and changes meet applicable UK/EU data residency, GDPR, Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements, together with relevant contractual and sector controls.
• Maintain auditable change, access and deployment records and ensure vulnerabilities, unsupported components and technical exceptions are identified and remediated through controlled plans.

Stakeholder, Vendor & Delivery Management

• Translate complex business requirements into technical ERP designs, clearly separating global/common requirements from country, entity and ISV-specific needs.
• Manage and technically assure third-party ERP partners, developers and ISVs, holding suppliers to agreed architecture, coding, documentation, security, testing and support standards.
• Coordinate roadmaps across Microsoft, ISV and internal delivery teams so release sequencing, end-of-support dates and platform dependencies are visible and actively managed.
• Provide clear technical decision records, architecture diagrams, runbooks and handovers to BAU/support teams.

Team Leadership & Technical Mentoring

• Act as the senior escalation point for analysts and technical specialists working across ERP, integrations and connected business systems.
• Mentor colleagues in structured troubleshooting, dependency analysis, release management and safe support of complex multi-layer ERP environments.
• Review and sign off technical fixes and changes, ensuring appropriate standards, peer review and change governance are followed.

• Proven experience supporting, designing or technically owning complex, multi-country and multi-entity ERP environments rather than a single standardised implementation.
• Strong Microsoft Dynamics ERP background across Dynamics AX, Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, with deep expertise in at least one platform and strong working knowledge of the others;
• Demonstrable experience managing layered ERP architectures comprising Microsoft base applications, country/localisation components, multiple third-party ISVs, bespoke extensions and integrations.
• Strong understanding of AL/C-AL and X++ concepts sufficient to diagnose issues, review technical designs/code and work effectively with specialist developers; hands-on development capability in one or more Dynamics technologies is advantageous.
• Proven delivery of ERP upgrades, migrations, platform changes and controlled releases where compatibility across Microsoft, ISV and custom layers must be actively managed.
• Experience with Dynamics integration patterns including REST/OData, APIs, data entities, webhooks/business events, OAuth and Azure integration services such as API Management, Logic Apps, Functions and messaging.
• Strong environment and release-management knowledge, including Azure DevOps, CI/CD, automated testing, artefact promotion, lifecycle/admin tooling and robust rollback/cutover planning.
• Good SQL Server and database diagnostic skills, with the ability to investigate performance, data integrity, batch and cross-system issues in ERP contexts.
• Understanding of multi-country ERP considerations including legal entities, localisation, tax/statutory requirements, currencies, languages, data residency and controlled variation from global standards.
• Strong vendor and ISV management skills, with the ability to challenge technical proposals, coordinate multiple suppliers and maintain clear accountability across shared solution boundaries.
• Secure-by-design mindset covering identity, permissions, segregation of duties, auditability, data protection and controlled privileged access.
• Excellent problem solving and technical communication skills, including the ability to explain complex ERP dependencies and risks to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Desirable

• Experience in Engineering, Construction, Energy, Industrial Services or similarly complex project-led environments.
• Experience of vertical/industry ISVs layered on Microsoft Dynamics ERP platforms, particularly where multiple ISV products and localisations must coexist.
• Power Platform and Dataverse experience, including Power Apps, Power Automate and governance of ERP-adjacent low-code solutions.
• Familiarity with Azure data tooling and modern analytics platforms including Data Factory, Fabric, Databricks and lakehouse concepts.
• ITIL/Agile delivery experience, service transition and formal change/CAB participation.
• Relevant Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure or Power Platform certifications.

Why Join Us?

• Work on high-impact projects within a leading organisation.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for career growth and professional development.
• Collaborative and dynamic work environment with a focus on innovation and excellence.

As an employer, we are committed to promoting and protecting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our people.

At Altrad, our people create endless opportunities.

We are the leading provider of support services transforming our nations critical infrastructure to operate safely and sustainably.

With over 16,000 talented people across our region, we provide the full spectrum of critical services including consulting, design, engineering, construction, asset life optimisation through to decommissioning, for industries both onshore and offshore.