Senior Manager Modern Workplace (Microsoft 365)

Role summary

The Senior Manager Microsoft 365 is accountable for the secure compliant cost-effective and user-centric operation and continuous improvement of IFSs Microsoft 365 collaboration and productivity platform. The role requires deep hands-on Microsoft 365 knowledge (architecture service capabilities and limits tenant governance and operational troubleshooting) and leads day-to-day service ownership across core workloads (e.g. Exchange Online Teams SharePoint/OneDrive). It has a strong focus on Microsoft licensing governance and optimization and on Microsoft Purview capabilities for information protection data lifecycle/records management eDiscovery and compliance reporting. Working closely with Security Data Governance Procurement/Finance and IT Operations this leader ensures the platform is reliable and audit-ready while enabling business productivity at global scale.

Scope of responsibility

In scope

• Service ownership for Microsoft 365 collaboration and productivity workloads (tenant governance configuration standards lifecycle management operational readiness).
• Microsoft Purview: information protection and labeling data loss prevention (DLP) retention/records eDiscovery (Standard/Premium as applicable) audit communication compliance (where in use) and compliance reporting aligned to internal and regulatory requirements.
• Microsoft licensing governance and optimization across M365 Purview and adjacent suites (e.g. Entra ID Defender Power Platform Copilot where applicable): entitlement assignment models true-up/true-down support and cost optimization.
• Roadmap and continuous improvement: evaluating Microsoft changes retiring legacy configurations and improving user experience and security posture.
• Operational governance: change management incident/problem escalation oversight service reporting and vendor/Microsoft support engagement.

Out of scope (typical examples)

• Business ownership of content documents and information classification decisions (owned by data/domain owners) except where defined as part of the Purview operating model.
• Application-specific retention beyond Microsoft 365 and connected workloads (unless formally onboarded to Purview policies).
• Non-Microsoft data governance tooling administration (unless explicitly assigned).

Key responsibilities

Strategy leadership and stakeholder management

• Lead and coach a global team of engineers/analysts and/or vendors responsible for Microsoft 365 operations ensuring clear priorities runbooks and measurable outcomes.
• Act as the senior escalation point for major incidents and high-risk changes related to Microsoft 365 and Purview.
• Partner with Information Security & Compliance Data Governance Legal HR Procurement Finance and key business stakeholders to align controls policies and platform capabilities.
• Own and communicate the Microsoft 365 service roadmap risks and decision points via regular governance forums and executive reporting.

Microsoft 365 platform and service ownership

• Ensure tenant governance and secure-by-default configurations across Exchange Online Teams SharePoint/OneDrive and related services aligned to internal standards and regulatory obligations.
• Establish and maintain service standards configuration baselines and operational documentation (service descriptions runbooks support models and architecture decisions).
• Drive lifecycle management: feature adoption deprecation of legacy settings and proactive remediation based on Microsoft advisories and security posture improvements.
• Ensure operational excellence: SLA/OLA adherence monitoring capacity considerations and service continuity planning (in coordination with backup/BCP owners).

Microsoft Purview (compliance protection and data lifecycle)

• Design and operate the Purview capability stack and operating model (roles responsibilities approval workflows) in partnership with Security Legal and Data Governance.
• Implement and continuously improve information protection and labeling standards including sensitivity labels encryption label policies and user guidance.
• Own DLP strategy and configuration for endpoints and M365 workloads including tuning exception handling alert triage and measurement of business impact.
• Own retention and records management design (retention labels/policies disposition reviews deletion/archival controls) aligned to legal and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate eDiscovery processes and readiness (Standard/Premium) including case workflows holds collections and auditability; ensure clear hand-offs with Legal/HR.
• Provide compliance reporting and evidence support for audits (e.g. ISO 27001 SOC/SOX where applicable) including control mapping dashboards and traceable change history.

Microsoft licensing commercial governance and optimization

• Own the Microsoft 365 licensing operating model: license catalogue assignment rules (group-based) access-to-license mapping and governance for add-ons (e.g. Purview Entra ID Defender Teams Phone Copilot where applicable).
• Drive continuous license utilization analysis and optimization: reclaiming unused licenses right-sizing SKU mix reducing duplication and ensuring compliant use aligned to Product Terms.
• Partner with Procurement/Finance to support renewals true-up/true-down cycles and negotiations by providing internal consumption analytics and scenarios.
• Establish and maintain transparent reporting on license consumption forecast cost drivers and savings realized; communicate actions and decisions to stakeholders.
• Ensure audit readiness for vendor and internal licensing reviews with evidence of entitlements assignments and governance controls.

Service management and delivery

• Own change governance for Microsoft 365 and Purview: change planning risk assessment stakeholder communications and post-change validation.
• Manage service improvements through a structured backlog and quarterly planning balancing security/compliance user experience and cost.
• Coordinate with Service Desk and other IT teams to ensure effective 1st/2nd/3rd line support knowledge management and consistent end-user communications.
• Maintain a strong relationship with Microsoft (and partners) ensuring timely escalations service health monitoring and alignment to the Microsoft roadmap.

Key interfaces

• Information Security & Compliance (policy risk management control assurance incident response)
• Legal and HR (eDiscovery investigations employee communications retention obligations)
• Data Governance / Data Owners (classification standards stewardship retention requirements)
• Procurement and Finance (commercial governance renewals forecasting chargeback/showback if applicable)
• IT Service Desk and IT Operations (support model incident/problem/change management)
• Architecture / Enterprise Platforms (integration patterns identity endpoint management monitoring)
• Business stakeholders and champions (adoption feedback productivity outcomes)

Key deliverables and success measures

• Service reliability: availability and performance within agreed targets; reduction in recurring incidents through problem management.
• Security & compliance posture: measurable reduction in high-risk misconfigurations; timely remediation of Microsoft advisories; audit findings closed on time.
• Purview outcomes: label coverage and adoption DLP signal quality (precision/recall via tuning) retention policy coverage for critical data sets eDiscovery readiness tested.
• Licensing optimization: realized savings from reharvesting/right-sizing; improved forecast accuracy; documented licensing governance controls.
• User experience: improved self-service reduced time-to-resolution and improved satisfaction for collaboration services.
• Operational maturity: current documentation runbooks and a predictable change cadence with strong stakeholder communications.

Qualifications :

Experience

• 7 years in enterprise Microsoft 365 roles (engineering service ownership platform governance) including leading teams and/or managed service providers.
• Strong Microsoft 365 platform expertise including administration and troubleshooting across Exchange Online Teams SharePoint/OneDrive and supporting capabilities (e.g. authentication flows mail flow Teams policies SharePoint architecture and service limits).
• Proven hands-on and operational experience with Microsoft Purview (Information Protection DLP retention/records audit and eDiscovery).
• Demonstrated competence in Microsoft licensing: SKU design assignment governance utilization analytics and supporting renewals/negotiations.
• Experience operating services in a regulated environment with audit requirements (e.g. ISO 27001/SOC/SOX) producing evidence and control narratives.
• Strong IT service management experience (incident/problem/change) ideally in a global hybrid environment.

Technical skills

• Microsoft 365 (expert): Exchange Online (mail flow transport hybrid concepts) Teams (policies governance voice basics where in scope) SharePoint/OneDrive (information architecture sharing governance) tenant governance and service health/operational management.
• Microsoft Purview: sensitivity labels and label policies encryption DLP (workloads and endpoints where applicable) retention/records management eDiscovery Audit Compliance reporting.
• Identity and access integration understanding (Entra ID): conditional access concepts role-based access control and privileged access processes in partnership with IAM.
• Automation and reporting: PowerShell and Microsoft Graph fundamentals; ability to create repeatable reporting for configuration compliance and licensing.
• Data and reporting literacy: ability to interpret usage signals and build executive-ready insights (e.g. adoption risk cost).

Leadership and behavioural competencies

• Strong people leadership with ability to prioritize delegate coach and create clarity across a distributed team.
• Executive-level communication: able to explain trade-offs across security compliance user experience and cost without vendor marketing.
• Structured problem-solving and risk management; comfortable driving decisions with imperfect information.
• Stakeholder management and negotiation skills across IT Security Legal HR Procurement Finance and business leaders.
• High integrity and accountability with a strong bias for audit-ready documentation and repeatable processes.

Education and certifications

• Bachelors degree in Information Technology Computer Science Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Microsoft certifications (preferred): Microsoft 365 Administrator (MS-102) and/or Security/Compliance certifications (e.g. SC-400). Additional certifications in identity/security are an advantage.
• ITIL Foundation (preferred) or equivalent service management experience.

Working model

This is a global role and may require collaboration across time zones. Some travel may be required depending on stakeholder needs and key initiatives. The role follows IFS policy requiring 3 days a week in the office.

The responsibilities listed reflect the primary focus of the role but are not exhaustive and may evolve in line with business needs.

Additional Information :

We embrace flexibility and hybrid work opportunities to support diverse needs and lifestyles while also valuing inclusive workplace experiences. By fostering a sense of community we drive innovation strengthen connections and nurture belonging. Our commitment ensures you can work in a way that suits you best while also engaging with colleagues to share ideas and build meaningful relationships.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time