ERP Technical Developer
What the work looks like, the stacks behind the title, what each level means and the training that helps, then how interviews run and how to prepare for each step.
What an ERP technical developer actually does
A developer who extends and connects an ERP with custom code, interfaces and reports, while keeping the core of the ERP clean and fast.
An ERP technical developer writes the custom code that an ERP needs on top of its standard features: extensions, interfaces with other systems, reports, forms and data migrations.
They work in the language of their platform, such as ABAP for SAP, X++ for Microsoft Dynamics 365 or PL/SQL and SuiteScript for Oracle, and they tune the performance of their code.
With the move to cloud ERPs, more and more teams follow a clean core approach, which keeps the core of the ERP standard and builds extensions outside it, for example on SAP BTP. More and more teams also work with AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Cursor or GitHub Copilot, and expect engineers to use them with judgment.
- Building an extension or an interface
- Fixing a slow report or program
- Reviewing a specification with a functional consultant
- Testing a data migration
- Code reviews and documentation
The same title, very different stacks
Most ERP development searches are defined first by the platform, then by the ground every ERP developer shares.
What each level means in practice
Titles vary from one company to the next. What changes from one level to the next is the scope you own and the decisions you take.
- Writes code from specifications with review
- Learns the platform, the standards and the tools
- Fixes small bugs and reports
- Builds extensions and interfaces on their own
- Works directly with functional consultants
- Tunes the performance of their code
- Designs complex developments and interfaces
- Takes choices on extensions and clean core
- Mentors other developers and leads code reviews
- Sets the technical standards of the ERP
- Leads choices on architecture and platforms
- Writes the guidance others build on
The paths into the role, and what really counts
Companies look first at custom developments you put in production. Platform certifications help, especially at ERP partners and consulting firms.
- Engineering school or master's in computer scienceThe most common path in France, and often expected by large companies.
- University degree in computer scienceA common path in the US and in Europe.
- Development firstMany ERP developers start as developers and learn the ERP on the job.
- ERP training programsSome consulting firms train young developers on ABAP or X++ from the start.
Our view: for this role, a development you put in production and can walk through often says more than any certificate.
A conversation with a senior tech recruiter
Your first interview is with one of our senior tech recruiters, who knows the role, the stacks and the levels in this guide. The conversation covers your own work through real examples, and the technical exercises come later, with the company. Before the call, we send you the six themes we will cover so you can prepare your examples.
- What you owned yourselfThe extensions, interfaces or migrations you were responsible for, and your own part in the team's work.
- Your environment and its constraintsThe ERP version, clean core rules, performance, deadlines or data quality: what shaped your technical choices.
- The decisions you madeWhere to build each extension and how, the options you compared, the options you compared and the reasons for your choice.
- The impact of your workWhat changed thanks to your work, with numbers when you have them: performance gains, interfaces delivered, errors removed or time saved.
- How you work with other teamsYour work with functional consultants, business users and project managers, and how you settle a disagreement.
- What you want nextThe kind of platform, projects and scope you are looking for in your next role.
- Custom developments in production
- Clean core approach
- Performance
The same ground for every candidate. For a given role, every candidate answers the same final questions, built with the hiring manager around what the role really needs.
Ready for the next steps. After our call, we tell you how the company runs its interviews, who you will meet at each step and what each step is meant to assess.
What the company will assess, step by step
Each company runs its own process, and we walk you through its steps before you start. ERP development processes often combine the steps below, and the depth expected at each step grows with your level.
- A coding exerciseLive coding or a take-home in the language of the platform, such as ABAP, X++ or PL/SQL.
- A technical discussionQuestions on extensions, interfaces, performance and the clean core approach.
- A deep dive on your past workOne development you built, discussed in depth: the need, your choices and what you would change today.
- Meeting the manager and the teamHow you work, how you take decisions with others and what the team expects in your first months.
- ConfirmedYou solve the exercise cleanly, explain each choice in simple words and think about performance.
- SeniorYou lead the discussion, choose where each extension belongs and point out risks before you are asked.
- Lead and ArchitectYou run most of the interview as a peer, think about the whole ERP landscape and connect it to the needs of several teams.
How to prepare as an ERP technical developer
Practical advice for each step of an ERP development process, from the way you introduce yourself to the questions you ask at the end of each interview.
Start with the developments and interfaces you built, their platform and your part in them. Mention your languages in one sentence, then close with what you want next.
For each one, prepare the need, the constraints, your decision, the options you set aside, the result and what you would change today.
Interviewers often ask about clean core. Prepare how you kept the core standard and where you built extensions.
Prepare one slow program or report you fixed, with the cause and the gain.
Prepare one example where you challenged a specification and found a simpler solution with the consultant.
Rules on AI coding assistants differ from one company to the next, and sometimes from one step to the next. Ask before each step, and when they are allowed, explain what you ask the tool and how you check its output.
- Walk us through an extension or interface you built.
- How do you apply clean core on a project?
- A report runs for hours. What do you check?
- How do you test a data migration?
- Which ERP version and platform does the company use?
- How does the team apply clean core today?
- How do developers and functional consultants work together?
- Which migrations or projects are planned?
- How is code reviewed and tested?
- How does the team use AI coding tools day to day?
Where ERP technical developers come from, and where they go
The roles people most often hold before this one, and the ones they most often move to.
Some ERP technical developers also become ERP technical architects.