Senior Azure and Office 365 Engineer

Contract to Hire
Hybrid -Downtown Manhattan ( 3 days onsite/2 days remote)
Someone should be expert in all Microsoft Products like O365, Exchange, OneDrive, Copilot, Entra ID etc.

Job Title: Senior Azure and Office 365 Engineer Location: Downtown, Manhattan NYC/ Hybrid (2 days remote & 3 days onsite / week)
Role Overview
We are looking for an experienced Senior Azure and Office 365 Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and governance of Microsoft 365 and Azure services, with a specialized focus on Exchange Online and cloud-based identity and security solutions. This senior-level role will drive architecture decisions, enforce best practices, and support enterprise-scale collaboration and messaging systems.

The ideal candidate will bring deep knowledge in Exchange Online, Entra ID, OneDrive, security & compliance, and hybrid infrastructure, while also contributing to broader system and network initiatives across Azure and AWS.

Role Expectations
Lead the architecture, implementation, and lifecycle management of Exchange Online:
Design and maintain hybrid Exchange configurations
Manage mail flow, transport rules, spam/phishing protection, connectors
Administer mailboxes, archive policies, retention, shared mailboxes, and delegate access
Perform advanced troubleshooting (NDRs, mail routing, M365 admin logs)
Develop Exchange Online PowerShell scripts for automation, auditing, and reporting
Own the design and management of Microsoft 365 tenant configuration, including:
OneDrive for Business architecture, GPO integration, sync health, and lifecycle management
Security and Compliance features: DLP, retention, eDiscovery, and Microsoft Purview
Collaboration governance across Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive
Administer and enhance Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), including:
Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Identity Protection
Federation and SSO integration with internal and external applications (OAuth, SAML)
Act as escalation for Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and PKI
Lead or assist in cloud-focused projects such as M365 tenant hardening, domain migrations, hybrid identity, and data governance
Support foundational Azure IaaS infrastructure (VMs, storage, networking) and Entra ID integrations
Provide expert-level guidance on incident resolution, root cause analysis, and performance tuning
Drive automation initiatives using PowerShell, Azure CLI, and scripting for routine tasks and reporting
Maintain secure and compliant infrastructure configurations aligned with CIS/NIST frameworks
Oversee certificates and PKI environments, including internal CA and public SSL/TLS lifecycle management
Ensure enterprise-grade backup and recovery readiness for Exchange Online, Entra ID, and key cloud systems
Mentor junior engineers and provide architectural input for cross-functional cloud and messaging projects
Skills & Knowledge
Expert-level experience with Exchange Online, including:
Mail routing, connectors, hybrid setups, message tracing, journaling, retention, litigation hold
Mailbox migrations, license management, and throttling resolution
Deep knowledge of Microsoft 365 services architecture, including SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive
Strong understanding of Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD):
Conditional Access, Identity Protection, MFA, role-based access, group automation
Solid experience with PowerShell, Graph API, or other automation tools for O365 administration
Advanced skills in Active Directory, including domain trust, GPO, DNS, and hybrid identity models
Proven experience with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, security baselines, and anti-phishing policies
Familiarity with Intune/MEM for policy deployment related to M365 services and endpoint compliance
Hands-on experience with PKI, CA configuration, certificate lifecycle, and secure authentication
Strong troubleshooting skills in email delivery, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, hybrid mail transport, and user access issues
Additional or

Preferred Qualifications
Experience in AWS (Amazon Web Services), including:
EC2, VPC, Route 53, IAM, CloudWatch, and Windows administration in AWS
Working knowledge of VMware virtualization and virtual networking
Microsoft Certifications strongly preferred:
MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator
AZ-104: Azure Administrator
AZ-305: Azure Solutions Architect (bonus)
SC-300: Identity and Access Administrator
Exchange Online-focused certifications or legacy MCSE/MCSA a strong plus
Understanding of Zero Trust architecture, compliance frameworks (HIPAA, ISO 27001), and data protection strategies