The biggest hiring challenge I see isn't finding NetSuite talent. It's defining what organisations actually need.

By Ben Adcock, Finance Transformation Specialist, Stanton House

I've spent the last few years speaking to finance leaders who are delivering NetSuite implementations and wider finance transformation programmes.

Some are replacing legacy systems. Others are scaling after investment. Some are redesigning finance from the ground up.

While every programme is different, one theme comes up again and again. It isn't that organisations can't find good people. It's that they're often unsure what they're actually looking for.

A role might begin life as "Finance Transformation Manager" or "NetSuite Lead", but after a few conversations it starts to grow.

The person needs NetSuite experience. They also need to redesign finance processes, improve reporting, lead stakeholders, drive adoption, understand automation, bring AI into finance, own programme delivery and develop the team.

At some point, one role quietly becomes five.

That's usually the point where hiring becomes difficult.

One finance leader I worked with recently made an observation that has stayed with me. They said the biggest challenge wasn't recruiting someone; it was agreeing internally what success for the role actually looked like.

I think that's becoming one of the defining challenges in Finance Transformation hiring.

Technology is evolving quickly. AI is entering almost every finance transformation conversation. Expectations of finance leaders are growing. But many job descriptions haven't evolved in a structured way, they've simply accumulated more responsibilities.

The result is often an overloaded brief that's difficult to recruit against and even harder for someone to succeed in.

Before I talk about candidates, I now encourage clients to take a step back and answer a different question.

What problem are you actually trying to solve?

Because until that's clear, it's incredibly difficult to know who you need to hire.

Is this really a NetSuite hire?

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that organisations believe they're hiring for a system.

In reality, they're hiring for change.

NetSuite might be the catalyst, but the role often needs to influence operating models, finance processes, reporting, governance, stakeholder engagement and adoption across the business.

Sometimes the capability required is a Finance Systems Lead.

Sometimes it's a Finance Transformation Lead.

Sometimes it's a Business Analyst, Change Manager or Programme Manager.

Sometimes it's an experienced interim who can shape the programme before a permanent appointment is made.

The job title isn't the starting point.

The business problem is.

AI is making role definition even harder

Another trend I've noticed over the last 12 months is the way AI has entered almost every transformation conversation.

Increasingly, briefs include "AI experience" or "automation experience".

But when I ask what that actually means, the answer isn't always clear.

Does the organisation want someone who can identify automation opportunities?

Implement AI-enabled processes?

Improve forecasting?

Lead adoption?

Work alongside technology teams?

Or simply understand where AI fits within a finance function?

Those are very different requirements.

If we're not clear about the outcome, we risk searching for capability that doesn't really exist in the form we've described it.

The most successful projects start before recruitment

The organisations that tend to recruit most successfully aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets.

They're the ones that spend time defining the role before they launch the search. They understand:

• the business problem they're solving
• the capability that's genuinely missing
• which skills are essential and which are desirable
• whether the role should be interim or permanent
• what success looks like after six months

Those conversations don't just improve recruitment. They improve the transformation programme itself.

A different way to think about hiring

I've started encouraging clients to think less about writing a job description and more about designing a role.

That means challenging assumptions before they become requirements.

Does one person really need to own systems, transformation, reporting, AI, change and programme delivery?

Is AI genuinely central to the role, or simply part of the wider roadmap?

Would an interim help define the permanent requirement before going to market?

Is the budget aligned with the capability being asked for?

Those questions often reshape the brief completely.

Final thoughts

In my experience, NetSuite programmes rarely struggle because organisations can't find good people. More often, they struggle because the capability required hasn't been clearly defined before recruitment begins. The earlier those conversations happen, the better the outcome - for the hiring manager, the candidate and ultimately the transformation programme itself.

That's why we've developed a Finance Transformation Capability Diagnostic. Rather than starting with a job title, it helps finance leaders identify the business problem they're trying to solve, define the capability required and determine the most effective route to securing it.

If you're planning a NetSuite implementation, finance systems upgrade or wider finance transformation programme and would like a copy of the diagnostic workbook, I'd be happy to send it across. Even if you're still shaping the requirement, it provides a practical framework for challenging assumptions, clarifying capability needs and reducing the risk of an over-scoped role before you go to market. 

Contact me to request your copy.