Principal/Senior Systems Engineer (Microsoft Copilot AI)

Xenon Pharmaceuticals•Needham, MA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal/Senior Systems Engineer to join our team. This role will serve as the Technical Lead for Generative AI and Collaboration Tools. The Principal/Senior Systems Engineer will serve as the platform owner for Microsoft 365 and Copilot AI. The successful candidate will also play a hands-on role with technical support escalations, requiring frequent interactions with vendor support and consultants on behalf of the team. Initial focus will be on Copilot governance, Microsoft 365 platform optimization, and secure collaboration capabilities. During this period of rapid growth, this role may be assigned additional responsibilities (beyond Microsoft platforms and the core responsibilities described above). This position reports to the Senior Director, End User Solutions and will be based onsite in Needham, MA, USA. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience.

Requirements

Minimum undergraduate degree in Computer Science or related discipline and at least 10 years of progressive information technology experience including platform ownership.
Microsoft, AI, ITIL, and other IT certifications are a plus.
Hands-on experience evaluating, governing, or deploying Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, or Generative AI capabilities in an enterprise environment.
Hands-on experience with ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools.
Deep technical experience with Windows 11, Windows Server OS, AD, GPO, Entra ID, Microsoft 365 (Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive etc.), Intune, Power Platform, Teams Rooms, Telephony, Print Services, VDI, mobile devices, laboratory computers, and endpoint security (Defender & Crowdstrike).
Experience with email security technologies and protocols such as Microsoft Defender, KnowBe4, SMTP, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS, S/MIME, email encryption, and digital signatures.
Understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPN, and other networking concepts.
Experience with programming languages, PowerShell, Python, Graph API, and the Power Platform.
Demonstrated ability to serve as the technical lead and key contributor for cross-functional projects with a successful track record of balancing several objectives simultaneously against a multi-year roadmap.
Strong experience in IT Operations including ITIL/ITSM processes, with specific emphasis on Major Incident Management, Problem Management, and Change Management.
ServiceNow experience a plus.
Effective problem solving, with an emphasis on diagnosing and resolving root causes, and on building and supporting robust solutions.
Experience operating as a technical escalation point for Service Desk MSPs.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain highly technical information in a concise and effective manner to an audience of varying technical aptitude.
Strong interpersonal skills and a customer service mindset.
Proactive in anticipating user pain points, extracting business requirements, and developing technical solutions and automation to improve services.
Demonstrated experience as a technical mentor with the ability to lead both end user and admin training.
Ability to work independently, as a team member, and across the organization at any level.
Ability to work flexibly in a fast-paced environment with a strong work ethic and positive attitude.

Nice To Haves

Experience in highly regulated industries requiring proficiency working through audit, process, and compliance requirements is preferred.
Experience with computer system validation to support a commercial organization in the life sciences industries is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical system owner for the Microsoft 365 platform (including Copilot AI, Office Apps, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, etc.).
Continuously review the latest Copilot releases.
Test and evaluate Frontier offerings to determine fit for use.
Promote adoption of agentic features within Microsoft 365 (e.g. SharePoint, Teams, Office Apps, etc.) and educate IT Admins.
Lead End User training sessions to improve the organization’s productivity.
Establish AI Agent governance, standards, and policies, with Agent365, Copilot Studio, and Purview.
Partner with business stakeholders to develop Copilot Agents, SharePoint Agents, and Power Platform Apps/Flows to deliver unique solutions.
Standardize modern ways of working across the company centered on Teams, OneNote, Loop, & Planner.
Implement secure external collaboration controls in SharePoint, including the establishment of sensitivity labels and retention policies in Purview.
Partner with stakeholders to design SharePoint sites to improve communication and collaboration.
As the primary Email Administrator, partner with the Information Security team on improving posture and controls to prevent business email compromise attacks.
Serve as a domain administrator for Active Directory.
Partner with the Infrastructure Team on managing users and devices in Entra ID, enterprise applications, and role-based access controls.
Evaluate Entra Suite and third-party IGA platforms to deliver identity governance, automation, and orchestration capabilities.
Develop multi-year roadmaps for the M365 Platform and Copilot solutions.
Design, plan, configure, document, deploy, and support new messaging, secure file collaboration, video conferencing, and productivity solutions.
Serve as a technical project lead who can create detailed project plans, facilitate project meetings, delegate, track progress, and partner collaboratively with other engineers and consultants.
Document SOPs, system design specifications, knowledge base articles, risk assessments, and system architecture diagrams using Visio.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with technical system owners across the company.
Manage vendors and external resources per their contracted terms and conditions in the context of both project delivery and ongoing operations to maximize return on investment for Xenon.
Ensure compliance with internal processes and standards to support compliance with relevant regulations (e.g. GxP, SOX, privacy).
Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.
Participate in the team’s after hours on-call support rotation for emergency escalations; evening work may be required for planned maintenance activities.
Other duties as assigned.