Senior Microsoft Systems Engineer

Xenon Pharmaceuticals•Needham, MA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is seeking a Senior Microsoft Systems Engineer to join their team. This role will serve as the Technical Lead for Generative AI, Collaboration Tools, and Workplace Systems, with a primary focus on being the platform owner for Microsoft 365 and Copilot AI. The successful candidate will also be involved in technical support escalations, requiring interaction with vendor support and consultants. Initial responsibilities will include Copilot governance, Microsoft 365 platform optimization, and secure collaboration capabilities, with ownership of Workplace Systems expanding over time. This position reports to the Senior Director, End User Solutions and is 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.
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.
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

Microsoft, AI, ITIL, and other IT certifications are a plus.
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.
ServiceNow experience a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical system owner for the Microsoft 365 platform (including Copilot AI, Office Apps, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, etc.).
Serve as the technical system owner for Workplace Systems (including Conference Room Audio-Visual Systems, Print Services, Visitor Registration, and Desk Reservation).
Serve as a domain administrator for Active Directory and Entra ID. Partner with the Infrastructure Team on managing users and devices in Entra ID, enterprise applications, and role-based access controls.
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.
Partner with IT Leaders and Business Stakeholders to develop Copilot Agents/Apps, SharePoint Agents, and Power Automate Flows to provide solutions for unique business requirements.
Develop multi-year roadmaps for Copilot, collaboration & productivity solutions, and workplace systems.
Design, plan, configure, document, deploy, and support new messaging, secure file collaboration, video conferencing, productivity solutions, and workplace systems.
Ability to function 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.
As the primary Email Administrator, partner with the Information Security team on improving posture and controls to prevent business email compromise attacks.
Implement sensitivity labels and retention policies in Purview to enable secure external collaboration.
Responsible for documenting 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 IT and 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.
Contribute documentation to the knowledge management process for both end user articles and technical instructions for IT administrators.
Ensure compliance with internal processes and standards to support compliance with relevant regulations (e.g. GxP, SOX, privacy).
Develop and propose short- and long-term objectives and project plans for the function in accordance with overall Company strategies and plans.
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.