Contract Helpdesk Manager / 2nd‑Line Support (Dynamics 365) Contract length: 4 months Location: Merseyside 3 days working week  Start date: ASAPPurpose of the role Our retail client is migrating from Microsoft AX 2008 to Dynamics 365. This project will cover the next 20 days pre post‑go‑live and throughout a 3 month stabilisation window. The two‑person service desk may well experience elevated ticket volume. We are seeking an experienced Helpdesk Manager with strong 2nd‑line MS365  and Microsoft Dynamics to:Manage the overall helpdesk functionProtect service levels during the hyper‑care period by taking ownership of complex incidents or ticketsMentoring two engineers and demonstrating best practicesOption to introduce lightweight ITIL‑aligned processesSupport the IT Manager with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and performance metrics that will endure after contract end.Act as the escalation point for Dynamics 365, Windows and O365 issuesTriage SQL queries.Key responsibilitiesTeam leadership & scheduling - manage workloads, rotas and on‑call cover for two Service Desk Engineers.Ticket triage & resolution - own Priority 1-3 incidents, ensuring < 10 aged tickets (> 5 days) by Week 6.Dynamics 365 & SQL support - execute queries, analyse locks and potentially guide data‑fix requests.Process design & documentation - With guidance from IT Manager to create/maintain SOPs and knowledge‑base articles for the top 20 recurring issues.Metrics & reporting - establish dashboards for backlog age, first‑touch fix %, reopen %, SLA compliance; present weekly to the Head of IT.Continuous improvement - run root‑cause analysis, trend spotting and propose corrective actions.Knowledge transfer - deliver train‑the‑trainer sessions and a final service‑desk health report before roll‑off.Key deliverables & timeline Timeframe Deliverable Days 1-5 Service‑desk baseline, agreed SLAs, hyper‑care playbook Days 6-20 Ticket triage leadership, first wave of SOPs, initial SQL query library Weeks 4-8 KPI dashboard live; coaching and code reviews embedded Weeks #removed# % SOP coverage for repeat issues; handover pack & exit report Required skills & experience3 + years managing an IT Service/Help Desk (#removed# seats).Demonstrable Dynamics 365 F&O incident resolution.Strong Transact‑SQL: ability to write and optimise queries and perform basic performance tuning.Hands‑on support of Microsoft 365, Windows 10/11, networking fundamentals.Proven track record drafting SOPs, defining SLAs/KPIs and driving adoption.Excellent stakeholder communication skills and experience coaching junior engineers.DesirablePrevious AX 2009/2012 to Dynamics 365 migration exposure.ITIL Foundation or SDI Service Desk Manager certification.Retail POS hardware/software familiarity.Power BI basics for ad‑hoc reporting.Reporting & working environmentReports to the Head of IT.Works closely with Dynamics project team, DBA and Infrastructure Lead.Works three days per week (Tue-Thu preferred) with some additional flexibility for remote support outside those days if required.Standard hours 08:00-17:00 (UK), with ad‑hoc out‑of‑hours escalation during hyper‑care