Senior Microsoft Cloud Operations Engineer

XCell was born out of a passion for using the power of design to transform organizations in ways that build up our communities. We work in small, fast-paced agile teams that use Design Thinking to help Government, Non-Profit and Educational organizations solve complex challenges. We value our team and culture — finding the right fit takes time, and we believe in hiring slow.Citizenship & EligibilityU.S. citizenship is required.Must be U.S.-based and able to work on-site in Washington, DC.Must be able to pass a federal background investigation and suitability determination for access to the customer’s systems and facilities.What it looks likeWe are looking for a Senior Microsoft Cloud Engineer to run and secure an enterprise Microsoft 365, Azure, and Microsoft Security environment for a federal customer in Washington, DC. You will operate, harden, and advance the tenant, lead on identity and Zero Trust, and keep the environment secure, resilient, and audit-ready. This is a senior, hands-on role for someone who can operate independently and advise stakeholders. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, U.S.-based, and able to work on-site in DC.In this role you will:Identity and access: administer Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, privileged access, and least-privilege models; manage MFA including provider transitions, third-party MFA, and Smart Card and FIDO2 authentication.Endpoints at scale: manage Windows, macOS, and iOS devices through Microsoft Intune and Autopilot across 700+ endpoints, including compliance and policy delivery.Security operations: run Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and Purview; manage Sentinel data sources and monitor ingestion and log-quality health; support incident response readiness.Collaboration and Azure: support Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint Online, and provide Azure infrastructure, networking, and hybrid integration.Automation: build and lock down PowerShell and Microsoft Graph automation across the relevant APIs.Reporting and cost: build Power BI dashboards for systems health, compliance, spend and forecast, and utilization; configure Azure budgets with early overage alerting.Compliance and continuity: align configurations to NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-207 Zero Trust, and FedRAMP Moderate; keep the tenant audit-ready and support incident and disaster recovery.Change and advisory: work through formal change management, maintain documentation, SOPs, and runbooks, and serve as a senior technical advisor to the team.What we are looking forCurrent Microsoft certifications (hard requirement): you must currently hold, and have maintained for about five years, the following active certifications. Expired certifications, or certifications never used professionally, will not qualify.Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator ExpertMicrosoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect ExpertMicrosoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect ExpertMicrosoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator AssociateMicrosoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator AssociateMicrosoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator AssociateMicrosoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator AssociateMicrosoft Certified: Information Security Administrator AssociateSenior, independent operator: able to run an enterprise Microsoft cloud environment with minimal supervision and sound technical judgment.Deep hands-on experience: across Entra, Intune and Autopilot, Defender, Sentinel, Purview, Exchange Online, and Azure.Strong communication: able to advise stakeholders and collaborate across network, cybersecurity, and cloud teams.Nice-to-haveExperience in a federal or highly regulated environment.Hybrid Active Directory, M365, and Entra tiered-security experience.Experience preparing for audits, assessments, and compliance reviews.Two to four short technical writing samples you personally authored (documentation, design docs, PowerShell, SOPs).Qualifications / ExperienceProven senior-level experience operating enterprise Microsoft 365, Azure, and Microsoft Security platforms.All eight Microsoft certifications listed above, currently active and maintained roughly five years.Experience implementing Zero Trust, least privilege, and Conditional Access at enterprise scale.Strong documentation, change-management, and stakeholder-communication skills.What we care aboutYou, the person. Bring your whole, authentic self, not a version you think we want to see.Your passions, professional and personal, even if they have nothing to do with the job.Your honest thoughts on technology, teamwork, and how you approach problems.Location & On-site RequirementOn-site in Washington, DC. This is not a remote role.Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S.-based, and able to work on-site in DC.Applicants must live in, or be willing to relocate to, the DC metro area.Work AuthorizationWe participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. XCell is a federal contractor, and all positions require work to be performed within the United States.