Sr. Systems Engineer - M365 & Data Governance

At Early Warning, we've powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle, Paze, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

This role is responsible for the architecture, engineering, governance, and operational excellence of the Microsoft 365 environment. This role serves as a technical leader for collaboration platforms including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive, while providing advanced expertise in Microsoft Purview and M365 data governance, compliance, and information protection capabilities.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong governance experience to ensure secure, compliant, and optimized collaboration services across the enterprise.

Essential Functions

M365 Platform Engineering & Administration

• Architect, implement, and support Microsoft 365 services including Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Exchange Online, and related workloads.

• Lead design and lifecycle management of collaboration environments to ensure scalability, reliability, and performance.

• Manage tenant-level configuration, policies, conditional access integration, and service health monitoring.

• Drive automation and operational efficiencies using PowerShell, Graph API, and related tooling.

• Provide Tier 3 engineering support and root cause analysis for complex platform issues.

Microsoft Purview & Data Governance

• Design and implement Microsoft Purview solutions, including:

  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies

  • Information Protection & Sensitivity Labels

  • Data Lifecycle Management & Retention Policies

  • eDiscovery (Standard and Premium)

  • Insider Risk Management

  • Communication Compliance

  • Records Management

• Lead enterprise data classification, labeling, and protection strategy.

• Define and enforce governance frameworks for Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive content.

• Partner with Legal, Risk, Compliance, and Security teams to meet regulatory and audit requirements.

• Ensure proper implementation of retention schedules and defensible disposition practices.

Security & Compliance

• Implement security best practices aligned with Zero Trust principles.

• Integrate M365 with Microsoft Defender, Entra ID (Azure AD), and other security tooling.

• Conduct compliance assessments and remediate gaps.

• Maintain documentation supporting audits, regulatory reviews, and internal controls.

• Support the company's commitment to protect the integrity and confidentiality of systems and data.

Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain M365 governance roadmap and standards.

• Evaluate new Microsoft features and drive controlled adoption.

• Establish usage monitoring, reporting, and health metrics.

• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior engineers and administrators.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education or experience equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in computer science or engineering.

• 7+ years of IT experience, including 5+ years supporting Microsoft 365 in an enterprise environment.

• Deep expertise in:

  • Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive

  • Microsoft Purview (DLP, eDiscovery, Records Management, Information Protection)

  • M365 data governance frameworks

  • Retention, classification, and regulatory compliance strategies

• Advanced PowerShell scripting for M365 automation and administration.

• Strong understanding of identity and access management (Entra ID / Azure AD, Conditional Access).

• Experience supporting regulated environments (financial services, healthcare, etc.) preferred.

• Aptitude to learn new technologies and maintain industry knowledge

• Ability to work in a fast paced environment

• Experienced with network security and encryption protocols.

• Experienced with Relational Database concepts.

• Excellent interpersonal skills

• On-call availability 24/7.

• Background and drug screen.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft certifications such as:

  • Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator Expert

  • Microsoft Information Protection Administrator (SC-400)

  • Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity certifications

• Experience with Insider Risk Management and Advanced eDiscovery.

• Familiarity with Defender for Cloud Apps and other Microsoft security stack integrations.

• Experience implementing governance in large-scale, multi-geo environments.

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers.

Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

The base pay scale for this position in:
Phoenix, AZ/ Chicago, IL / Washington, DC in USD per year is: $106,000 - $130,000.
New York, NY/ San Francisco, CA in USD per year is: $128,000 - $156,000.

Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate's education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.

Some of the Ways We Prioritize Your Health and Happiness

• Healthcare Coverage-Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans as well as company contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) or pre-tax savings through flexible spending accounts (FSA) for commuting, health & dependent care expenses.

• 401(k) Retirement Plan-Featuring a 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on your first 6% deferral immediately upon eligibility.

• Paid Time Off -Flexible Time Off for Exempt (salaried) employees, as well as generous PTO for Non-Exempt (hourly) employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.

• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave

• Maven Family Planning - provides support through your Parenting journey including egg freezing, fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, postpartum, early pediatrics, and returning to work.

AndSOmuch more! We continue to enhance our program, so be sure tocheck our Benefits page herefor the latest. Ourteamcan share more during the interview process!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Early Warning Services, LLC ("Early Warning") considers for employment, hires, retains and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status or any other factor that is irrelevant to the performance of our employees.