American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Senior Cloud Engineer I (Hybrid)

Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science or related field, or 15 years of relevant experience.
  • At least 5 years of hands-on experience in Microsoft 365 and Entra ID administration within a mid- to large-enterprise context.
  • Exposure to Azure DevOps, GitHub, or similar tools for infrastructure-as-code practices.
  • Expert-level experience with Exchange Online, including mail flow troubleshooting and advanced configurations.
  • Strong skills in KQL for querying and analyzing data in Microsoft 365 security tools.

Responsibilities

  • Design and administer Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, and security features.
  • Administer and harden Entra ID, focusing on access control and security features.
  • Manage and troubleshoot Exchange Online configurations and mail delivery issues.
  • Investigate incidents and develop detection queries using Microsoft 365 Defender.
  • Collaborate on maintaining security baselines and compliance across the Microsoft 365 environment.
  • Automate administrative tasks using scripts and streamline processes.
  • Participate in CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code practices for Microsoft 365 workloads.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work flexibility with 3 days in the office and occasional travel for meetings and training.
  • Access to a competitive Total Rewards Program to reward and motivate staff.
Full Job Description
AIR's Tek Office is seeking an experienced Senior Cloud Engineer with a focus on Microsoft 365/Entra to join its diverse and talented group. The Senior Cloud Engineer manages and optimizes the organization's Microsoft 365 and Entra ID tenants, with primary responsibility for Exchange Online, identity, security, and collaboration services. This role requires advanced skills in Microsoft 365 administration, investigation, and strong cross-platform experience, with the ability to drive automation and modern cloud practices. This position reports to the Director of IT Infrastructure Operations.

This position offers hybrid work flexibility, requiring three days per week in AIR's Crystal City, Virginia office, with occasional travel for meetings, training sessions, and conferences.

Key responsibilities:

The key responsibilities for the position include, but are not limited to-
  • 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, and advanced troubleshooting of mail delivery issues.
  • Investigate incidents, identify patterns, and develop detection queries and reports leveraging Microsoft 365 Defender, Purview, and Log Analytics.
  • 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 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 and security events.
  • Produce and maintain technical documentation, standards, runbooks, and architectural diagrams for Microsoft 365 and Entra services.
  • Mentor junior collaborators and provide guidance on best practices, governance, and operational excellence.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience
  • 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.
  • Exposure to Azure DevOps, GitHub, or similar tools to manage scripts, pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code definitions for Microsoft 365.
  • Strong experience using KQL in Microsoft 365 Defender, Sentinel, or Log Analytics to query logs, create custom detections, and analyze security or operational events.
  • Demonstrated expert-level experience with Exchange Online: mail flow troubleshooting, advanced transport configuration, security and compliance policies, and integration with third-party services.

Skills
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • 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 is preferred.
  • Experience with Microsoft Sentinel or similar SIEM platforms for M365 and Entra monitoring and analytics is preferred.
  • Experience with LSoft List-Plex is preferred.
  • Passion for the craft with a demonstrated ability to learn and understand the technology both at a high level and at a detailed level.

Disclosures: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

#LI-MP1 #LI-Hybrid

AIR's Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers the anticipated annual salary as listed. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the annual salary range for candidates that are based in the United States.

Anticipated Annual Salary Range

$149,000-$176,000 USD

About American Institutes for Research (AIR)

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan behavioral and social science research, evaluation, assessment, and technical assistance organization based in Washington, D.C. AIR was established in 1946 as a behavioral and social science research organization. AIR's mission is to conduct and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people's lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. AIR has more than 2,000 employees and offices across the United States and abroad.
Learn more about American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1946

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