Microsoft 365 Systems Engineer

Job Title: Microsoft 365 Systems Engineer

Location: Dallas, TX (Hybrid) supporting a global, follow-the-sun team
Department: Messaging & Collaboration, Enterprise Technology Operations

Reports To: Director, Systems Administration

Interview Mode:

• 1st Round: Virtual
• Final Round: Face-to-face, in person at the client location in Dallas, TX.
  
  Microsoft 365 / Messaging & Collaboration

• Preferred location is Irving/Dallas and requires a Senior Systems Engineer with 8+ years of experience.
• Candidate should possess end-to-end Microsoft 365 expertise across all major workloads.
• Core technical skills include Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Graph API, Azure, and Active Directory/Entra ID.
• Strong experience in PowerShell scripting and automation is mandatory, along with the ability to automate operational processes.
• Hiring manager emphasized that a true M365 Engineer should have broad exposure across all M365 technologies, not just one specialized area.
• Candidate should demonstrate the ability to quickly understand new technologies and adapt to evolving Microsoft platforms.
• Requirement is urgent, and profiles should be shared at the earliest as multiple vendors are already working on the position.
• Priyanka to share rate range
• Duration would be 12-18 months
• There would 2-3 levels of interview rounds

Position Summary

Gartner's Messaging & Collaboration team is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to own the engineering, administration, and governance of our global Microsoft 365 environment. This senior individual contributor serves as a technical escalation point for the Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Microsoft Entra ID services that thousands of Gartner associates rely on every day.

The role blends hands-on platform engineering with project delivery and governance: configuring and securing services, automating administration at scale, leading migrations and compliance initiatives, and partnering with Microsoft and third-party vendors to keep the collaboration ecosystem reliable, secure, and audit-ready. The successful candidate is equally comfortable resolving a production incident, scripting a bulk change in PowerShell, and representing the team in a change advisory or security review.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Platform Engineering & Administration

• Administer and optimize the Microsoft 365 tenant Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Microsoft Entra ID including service configuration, health monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Manage Microsoft Teams calling, meeting, recording, and retention policies, including automatic call recording (ACR) and Teams Premium capability rollouts.
• Provision and govern SharePoint Online sites and OneDrive permissions, public vs. private site classification, external/guest access, metadata, and storage cleanup.
• Administer Exchange Online mail flow, distribution and security groups, mailbox lifecycle, message footers/banners, safe-sender lists, and out-of-office configurations.
• Manage Microsoft Entra ID app registrations, secret and certificate rotation, conditional access policies, group-based licensing, and guest/inactive account reviews.

Automation & Integration

• Develop and maintain PowerShell automation for provisioning, bulk administration, and recurring reporting across the M365 stack.
• Build and troubleshoot Microsoft Graph API integrations and scope Azure application registrations for internal and partner solutions.
• Operate governance and reporting tooling (e.g., SysKit Point) for workspace provisioning, inactive-workspace cleanup, and adoption reporting, surfacing usage insights through Power BI dashboards.

Migration, Backup & Recovery

• Lead and support data migrations into Microsoft 365 including Google Workspace to SharePoint Online and tenant transition initiatives using tools such as AvePoint.
• Administer backup and recovery for M365 workloads (e.g., Keepit), perform OneDrive and SharePoint restores, and support backup-controls assurance reviews.

Compliance, Security & Governance

• Implement information-governance and compliance controls using Microsoft Purview data retention, legal holds, eDiscovery, and information protection.
• Support regulatory and audit programs, including CMMC readiness, SOX, and internal audit controls for collaboration platforms.
• Represent Messaging & Collaboration in the Change Advisory Board (CAB), authoring and reviewing change records and ensuring affected configuration items are documented.
• Contribute to AI governance for Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio, helping define safe, compliant adoption of AI capabilities across the tenant.

Service Delivery & Collaboration

• Act as a senior escalation point for complex incidents and service requests in the Messaging & Collaboration queue, partnering with Microsoft FastTrack and Premier Support on critical issues.
• Manage relationships with platform and tooling vendors, evaluating new features, licensing, and roadmap alignment.
• Mentor junior engineers, document standards and runbooks, and contribute to technical hiring and onboarding.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience administering enterprise Microsoft 365 / Office 365 environments at scale.
• Deep expertise across Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).
• Strong PowerShell scripting skills for automating administration and reporting across M365 workloads.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Graph API and Azure app registration / authentication concepts.
• Practical experience with conditional access, identity governance, and M365 security and compliance controls.
• Familiarity with ITSM and change-management processes (e.g., ServiceNow, CAB).
• Excellent troubleshooting, documentation, and cross-functional communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant Microsoft certifications (e.g., MS-102, MS-700, MS-721, SC-300, SC-400, or equivalent).
• Experience with Microsoft Purview, eDiscovery, legal holds, and data-retention administration.
• Hands-on experience with M365 migration and backup tooling such as AvePoint and Keepit.
• Exposure to compliance frameworks including CMMC and SOX.
• Experience governing Microsoft Copilot / Copilot Studio and other AI collaboration capabilities.
• Experience supporting a global, multi-region user base across AMER, EMEA, and APAC.

Core Technical Skills

Platforms & Services:

• Microsoft 365 (tenant administration)
• Exchange Online & mail flow
• SharePoint Online & OneDrive
• Microsoft Teams & Teams Premium
• Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD)
• Microsoft Purview (compliance)
• Microsoft Copilot & Copilot Studio

Tooling & Automation:

• PowerShell (Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, Graph)
• Microsoft Graph API
• SysKit Point (governance & reporting)
• AvePoint & Keepit (backup / migration)
• Power BI (usage & adoption reporting)
• ServiceNow (ITSM / change management)
• Conditional Access & identity governance

Key Competencies:

• Ownership and accountability for production collaboration services.
• Structured problem-solving under pressure during incidents and escalations.
• Security- and compliance-first mindset balanced with end-user experience.
• Clear communication with technical peers, leadership, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaboration across global teams and effective vendor management