Senior Microsoft Security Cloud Engineer

University of Colorado•Denver, CO

3d•Remote

About The Position

The University of Colorado System Administration office, located in Denver, brings together administrative departments and service centers that provide guidance and services to all of CU's campuses. University Information Services (UIS) provides technical services and enterprise applications to the University of Colorado’s (CU) four campuses and the Office of the President. UIS is committed to excellence in customer service, technical expertise, and the development of enterprise applications responsible for supporting CU’s students, faculty, staff, and others. The Office of Information Security (OIS) supports the activities of System Administration through a collaborative security process. The Senior Microsoft Cloud Security Engineer plays a key role in the University of Colorado’s information security operations, focused on collaboratively securing the university’s Microsoft cloud environment. This role includes managing Microsoft 365 security monitoring and incident response, administering and configuring Microsoft Purview for compliance and data governance, and implementing security policies and controls across Microsoft 365 and Azure environments. Working within the Office of Information Security at System Administration and in collaboration with campus Information Security teams, this role ensures the effective protection of university data and services by supporting enterprise-level cloud security strategies. The engineer will also collaborate with IT teams across campuses to apply best practices, support incident investigations, and maintain compliance with regulatory and institutional standards (e.g., GLBA, FERPA, HIPAA, NIST). This position reports to the System ISO and is exempt from the State of Colorado Classified System.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education or equivalent professional experience (professional experience may be substituted on a year-for-year basis).
Three (3) years of experience managing or securing Microsoft 365 or Azure environments.
In-depth knowledge of Microsoft 365 and Azure security features and administrative portals (e.g., Defender XDR, Purview, Intune).
Understanding of identity and access management principles, especially as applied to Azure AD.
Understanding of hybrid on-premise/cloud Microsoft environments.
Familiarity with data governance and compliance requirements (e.g., FERPA, GLBA, HIPAA, NIST frameworks).
Skill in analyzing and responding to security incidents and events.
Ability to configure and manage cloud-native security controls and compliance tools.
Strong written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams in a distributed IT environment.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) years of experience as described above.
Experience in information security operations activities.
Experience managing Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and/or Purview in an enterprise environment.
Completion of one or more certifications such as Microsoft SC-200, SC-300, AZ-500, or equivalent.
Experience working in higher education or the public sector.
Experience supporting compliance with GLBA, FERPA, HIPAA, or other regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

Monitor and respond to alerts in Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, and related tools.
Investigate security incidents and coordinate response and remediation activities.
Tune alerting systems to reduce false positives and improve threat detection.
Administer and configure security settings across Microsoft 365 and Azure AD.
Collaborate with IAM and infrastructure teams to ensure secure access and authentication configurations, including conditional access policies, MFA, and identity protection.
Maintain secure configuration baselines for Microsoft cloud services.
Configure and manage Microsoft Purview for data loss prevention (DLP), data classification, and compliance policies.
Assist units in understanding and applying data governance and protection policies.
Provide support for compliance assessments, and data privacy reviews.
Serve as a subject matter expert on Microsoft cloud security for other IT teams and campus stakeholders.
Develop and maintain documentation of security policies, procedures, configurations, and standards.
Support security awareness and training efforts related to cloud technologies.
Work with campus IT and security teams to align Microsoft security practices with institutional goals.

Benefits

No-cost or low-cost medical & dental plan options, some inclusive of IVF assistance.
Disability, Life, Vision Insurance options.
Multiple retirement planning options including a mandatory 401(a) plan where CU contributes 10%25 of your gross pay, a 401k or 403b plan and a 457 deferred compensation plan.
Pre-tax savings plans, such as Health care and Dependent care flexible spending accounts.
Ample sick and vacation leave, along with at least 12 paid holidays. This includes a dedicated week off for winter break.
6 weeks of parental leave to adjust to the joys of parenthood.
A tuition benefit program for you and/or your dependents.
Free RTD EcoPass and Free Onsite Parking at our 1800 Grant Street Office.
Many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.
Additional taxable fringe benefits may be available.