Senior Cloud Engineer I

American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization focused on behavioral and social science research. They are seeking a Senior Cloud Engineer I to lead the design and administration of their Microsoft 365 and Entra ID ecosystem, ensuring secure and optimized cloud collaboration and identity platforms for a diverse workforce.

Responsibilities:

• Design, configure, and administer Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Teams, Copilot, and related security/compliance features
• Administer and harden Entra ID (Azure AD), including conditional access, identity protection, app registrations, and role‑based access control
• Own Exchange Online configuration: mail flow, transport rules, connectors, policies, hybrid connectivity (if applicable), and advanced troubleshooting of mail delivery issues
• Use Kusto Query Language (KQL) in tools such as Microsoft 365 Defender, Purview, and Log Analytics to investigate incidents, identify patterns, and develop detection queries and reports
• Collaborate with security and networking teams to implement and maintain security baselines, DLP, retention, eDiscovery, and auditing across the M365 environment
• Develop and maintain automation, scripts, and integrations using PowerShell and Microsoft Graph API to streamline administration, reporting, and provisioning
• Contribute to CI/CD and infrastructure‑as‑code practices (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitHub) for Microsoft 365 configuration and related workloads
• Work with containerized and cloud workloads (e.g., Kubernetes) where they integrate with M365/Entra for identity, security, or application access
• Lead complex incident response and root‑cause analysis for M365 and identity‑related outages or security events
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, standards, runbooks, and architectural diagrams for Microsoft 365 and Entra services
• Mentor junior administrators and provide guidance on best practices, governance, and operational excellence

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related discipline and at least 9 years of relevant experience in the IT industry, or a master's degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience, or at least 15 years of relevant industry experience
• At least 5 years experience of hands‑on administration experience with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID in a mid‑ to large‑enterprise environment
• Effective communicator with demonstrated ability to communicate with and understand the needs of both technical and non-technical internal and external clients
• Demonstrated ability to work well independently, and collaboratively as needed
• Adept in a fast-paced environment to manage multiple concurrent deliveries
• Demonstrated analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with a focus on detail and high quality
• Demonstrated expert‑level experience with Exchange Online: mail flow troubleshooting, advanced transport configuration, security and compliance policies, and integration with third‑party services
• Strong experience using KQL in Microsoft 365 Defender, Sentinel, or Log Analytics to query logs, create custom detections, and analyze security or operational events
• Deep understanding of identity and access concepts: SSO, OAuth/OIDC, federation, conditional access, MFA, and privileged identity management
• Proficiency with PowerShell for automation, bulk operations, and configuration management in Microsoft 365 and Entra ID
• Solid knowledge of security, compliance, and governance capabilities in M365 (e.g., DLP, retention, eDiscovery, audit, safe links/attachments)
• Exposure to Azure DevOps, GitHub, or similar tools to manage scripts, pipelines, and infrastructure‑as‑code definitions for Microsoft 365
• Familiarity with container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes/AKS) and how they integrate with Entra ID for identity and access control
• Experience using Microsoft Graph API for automation, integration, and advanced reporting scenarios
• Experience with Microsoft Sentinel or similar SIEM platforms for M365 and Entra monitoring and analytics
• Experience with the Varonis platform, AWS, and/or Google Workspace