Sr. Azure/M365 Specialist

If you're seeking a sense of community and the ability for growth, look no further. Since 1982, we have been 100% dedicated to our people. Our approach permits greater ownership for individuals and welcomes input into decisions for a thriving workplace and happy employees. Our people are the core reason for AIS' success. As an employee owned company, we are looking for individuals that are passionate about finding innovative solutions, and excited about emerging technologies and capabilities.

Who We're Looking For:

We're seeking a driven a Sr. Azure/M365 Specialist who not only brings strong technical expertise and leadership skills but also is passionate about making a difference, eager to grow, and embodies our core principles:

• Know Yourself and Pursue Personal Growth: You embrace intellectual curiosity, demonstrate humility, and actively seek feedback to continuously improve.

• Collaborate and Support Team Success: You work effectively with others, understand their strengths, and contribute to a positive and growth-oriented team environment.

• Communicate Openly and Clearly: You create clarity and understanding through inclusive, effective communication and active listening.

• Seek Opportunities and Take Responsibility: You're proactive, embrace progress over perfection, and confidently take ownership of your work and outcomes.

• Be Resilient and Resourceful: You approach challenges with positivity, learn from mistakes, and stay focused on achieving long-term goals.

• Challenge, Collaborate, and Commit: You encourage respectful debate, seek innovative solutions, and commit fully to decisions once made.

• Live Out the AIS Way: You embody AIS's values, mission, and vision, holding yourself and others accountable to our high standards while building trust and fostering positive relationships.

What you will be doing:

As our Sr. Azure/M365 Specialist, you'll play a vital role in providing day-to-day operational leadership within our IT dept, execution of strategic IT projects and goals that align with business goals and driving innovation. You'll be responsible for:

IT Infrastructure & Operations Leadership

• Leading the day-to-day operations of our internal, distributed IT team located in both the US and India, ensuring the smooth operation, security, and efficiency of our technology infrastructure.

• Execution and oversite of IT initiatives and projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within scope, and within budget.

• Fostering strong relationships with internal customers across all departments, understanding their needs and proactively identifying solutions.

• Implementing IT policies, procedures, and standards for user access, security, and data management.

• Maintaining a secure and compliant IT infrastructure, including network security, data encryption, and disaster recovery protocols.

• Maintaining an Azure environment that is a PaaS environment:

• Troubleshooting and optimizing an Azure network that is comprised of Azure Firewall, Route Tables, Network Security Groups, and Virtual Networks and addressing alerts and monitoring for the AIS Azure and M365 environments.

• Image/session host maintenance for Azure Virtual Desktop

• Performing activities such as maintaining secrets and certificates in Key Vault

• Performing maintenance and troubleshooting of M365 services:

  • Entra ID: Creating and maintaining groups (assigned and dynamic), configuring and maintaining conditional access policies, creating single sign-on applications, configuring Privileged Identity Management for Azure RBAC and Entra ID roles

  • Intune: Creating/Maintaining Configuration and Compliance policies, planning and rolling out Windows Updates, publishing/updating applications published in the Company Portal

  • SharePoint/OneDrive: minor SharePoint page updates, end user support, and troubleshooting access issues

  • Exchange Online: delegation of mailboxes, message tracing, and customer support for mail/Outlook issues.

• Staying up to date on emerging cybersecurity threats and implement appropriate security measures to mitigate risks.

• Leading IT efforts associated to security incident response in collaboration with SOC Tier 1 team and Compliance teams, ensuring rapid detection, effective containment, eradication, and recovery.

• Using Defender, you will be gathering evidence of malware and phishing attempts. Guiding the SOC and Compliance teams on next steps of a compromised asset.

• Ensuring policies, procedures, infrastructure, and overall data and system security comply with organizational standards, regulatory requirements, and best practices (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC).

• Assisting with audits by gathering evidence, working with external auditors, and AIS' internal compliance team.

• Assisting with analyzing IT resource utilization and develop strategies to optimize performance and cost-effectiveness.

• Preparing a monthly cost analysis of software licensing and Azure resources, identifying areas of optimization.

• Researching and recommending new technologies and solutions to improve efficiency and support business growth.

• Providing hands-on expertise and support to IT members and the business, as needed.

Opportunities for Career Development

• Leadership & Talent Development - Opportunity to strengthen leadership skills by coaching, mentoring, and guiding employees through personalized development plans. This builds influence and positions you for senior leadership roles.

• Performance & Accountability - Opportunity to enhance strategic thinking and decision-making by setting clear expectations, managing performance, and driving results. Demonstrating accountability prepares you for roles with broader organizational impact.

• Employee Engagement & Relations - Opportunity to develop emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills by fostering strong, respectful relationships and addressing workplace concerns effectively. These capabilities are essential for executive-level positions.

• Career Growth & Rewards Strategy - Opportunity to gain expertise in career planning, succession strategies, and compensation frameworks by partnering with HR on promotions and rewards. This experience prepares you for leadership roles involving talent and organizational strategy.

Location and Travel Details:

This position will start onsite at our Reston Headquarters 5 days a week for the first 2 months and then transition to an optional hybrid schedule.

Security Clearance and Citizenship Requirements:

Due to restricted access needed to perform the work, US Citizenship is required.

Required Qualifications:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field (or equivalent industry work experience) a minimum of 10 years of experience IT service delivery.

• Hands-on Technical Expertise:

  • Azure: Minimum of 5-7 years' experience with the following Azure resources - Azure VMs, Azure Storage, Azure Networking, Azure Virtual Desktop, Key Vault, and Azure Monitor

    • Azure Government and Azure Commercial

    • Azure Network Management: Azure: Networking, Azure Firewall, Virtual Networks, Network Security Groups, Route Tables

  • Microsoft 365: Minimum of 5-7 years' experience with the following services: Exchange/Exchange Online, SharePoint/ SharePoint Online, Teams, Intune, Defender Suite, Entra ID

    • Commercial and GCC-High

    • Identity Management (Entra ID): User/Group Management, Single Sign-on, Privileged Identity Management, Azure RBAC and Entra ID Administrator Roles, Conditional Access Policies

  • Network and Infrastructure: Public DNS, ISP/WAN Management, Meraki Firewalls and Wireless Access Points, Fundamental networking concepts: subnetting, VLANs, routing, etc.

  • IT Management Tools: ServiceNow or other ITSM tools, Azure DevOps

  • Automation and Scripting: Azure Automation Accounts, PowerShell, VS Code, Windows Shell Scripting

  • Security & Compliance: Entra ID, Defender, working knowledge of compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and CMMC

  • Meeting and Collaboration: Teams Rooms Audio/Video Devices, Integrated Room System Management

• IT Service Management: Strong understanding of IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL) and Agile project management

• Cybersecurity Acumen: Demonstrated expertise in cybersecurity principles and best practices, with hands-on experience evaluating enterprise security posture, implementing data loss prevention strategies, and contributing to incident response efforts through technical analysis and remediation planning. Experience with gathering evidence for compliance framework audits.

• Help Desk Operations: Experience with IT Help Desk operations and best practices, including experience with a distributed team across multiple time zones and countries.

• Problem Solving and Communication: Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Relationship Building: Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively across teams and departments.

Preferred Qualifications:

We'd also value the following:

• Technical Experience:

  • Experience with Meraki-based network environment and AvePoint for Backups.

  • Experience with Function Apps, Microsoft Sentinel, App Services, Azure SQL, and, Azure Data Factory, Purview, Windows 365

  • Proficiency with ServiceNow and BeyondTrust (remote assistance) for IT management.

  • Previous experience with Crestron for meeting and collaboration systems.

  • Practical experience in deploying and managing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools such as Bicep and/or Terraform.

  • Proficient in using Azure DevOps Pipelines and/or GitHub Actions.

• Certifications:

  • Security related certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

  • Microsoft related certifications such as Azure Administrator Associate or Modern Desktop Administrator Associate

Why AIS?

• Employee Ownership: Your contributions directly impact the company's success, and you share in its achievements.

• Continuous Learning: Access to resources, training, and mentorship to support your professional growth.

• Inclusive Culture: A workplace where diversity is celebrated, and everyone's voice is valued.

• Mission-Driven Work: Engage in projects that make a meaningful difference for our clients and communities.

Applied Information Sciences does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs.