Solution Architect

Job Title

Solution Architect

Job Description Summary

The Solution Architect Microsoft Collaboration & Power Platform is responsible for the architecture, governance, automation, operational excellence, and strategic direction of the organization's Microsoft 365 collaboration ecosystem. This role serves as the technical lead for SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Power Platform, and related Microsoft 365 collaboration services.

The architect partners with business leaders, security teams, infrastructure teams, and external vendors to design scalable, secure, and cost-effective collaboration solutions while ensuring regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and exceptional end-user experiences.

The role requires deep technical expertise combined with strong business acumen, leadership, governance, and communication skills.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Microsoft 365 Collaboration Architecture

• Lead architecture and governance for:
  • SharePoint Online
  • Microsoft Teams
  • OneDrive for Business
  • Viva Connections and related collaboration technologies
• Develop and maintain collaboration platform roadmaps.
• Define standards, best practices, and architectural patterns.
• Evaluate new Microsoft features and determine organizational adoption strategies.
• Serve as escalation point for complex platform issues and strategic initiatives.

SharePoint & OneDrive Governance

• Define and implement SharePoint governance frameworks.
• Establish site lifecycle management processes.
• Develop strategies to manage storage growth and platform sprawl.
• Implement controls for sharing, permissions, and external collaboration.
• Manage archival and lifecycle processes for inactive and terminated employee data.
• Develop solutions to optimize storage costs while maintaining compliance requirements.

Microsoft Teams Governance

• Design and maintain Teams governance policies.
• Define standards for team creation, lifecycle, ownership, and guest access.
• Partner with Security and Risk teams to ensure compliance with corporate policies.
• Develop operational dashboards and reporting for Teams adoption and utilization.

Power Platform Governance

• Establish governance strategy for:
  • Power Apps
  • Power Automate
• Define Dev, Test, and Production Environment Standards.
• Implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies.
• Govern custom connectors, gateways, and application ownership.
• Review and approve platform architecture for business-critical solutions.
• Management of storage consumption

Automation & Innovation

• Identify opportunities to automate manual operational processes.
• Design solutions using:
  • Power Automate
  • Azure Functions
  • Logic Apps
  • Custom APIs and integrations
• Partner with engineering and operations teams to improve service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Develop reusable operational frameworks and automation patterns.

Reporting & Analytics

• Develop executive dashboards and operational reporting.
• Monitor collaboration platform health, adoption, utilization, and governance metrics.
• Use data and analytics to drive informed decision-making.
• Provide leadership reporting on platform usage, compliance, storage consumption, and operational effectiveness.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Partner with internal business leaders and technology teams.
• Collaborate with external vendors and managed service providers.
• Drive accountability for service delivery and operational improvements.
• Participate in strategic planning and budgeting discussions.

Security & Compliance

• Ensure collaboration platforms comply with:
  • Corporate security standards
  • Data governance requirements
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Records management policies
• Partner with Identity, Security, and Risk teams to implement security controls.
• Support audits and compliance reviews.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelors degree in computer science, Information Technology, Information Systems, or related discipline.
• Equivalent experience considered.

Experience

• 8+ years of Microsoft platform architecture experience.
• 5+ years administering and architecting Microsoft 365 collaboration solutions.
• Experience supporting large enterprise environments (10,000+ users preferred).
• Experience leading enterprise-wide governance initiatives.
• Experience working within complex global organizations.

Technical Skills

Required

• SharePoint Online
• Microsoft Teams
• OneDrive for Business
• Microsoft 365 Administration
• Power Apps
• Power Automate
• Power BI
• Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft Purview
• Azure
• PowerShell
• Microsoft Graph API

Preferred

• Azure Functions
• Logic Apps
• ShareGate
• Viva Suite
• ServiceNow Integration
• Data Governance Technologies

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinking
• Solution architecture and design
• Executive communication
• Vendor management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Problem solving
• Data-driven decision making
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Ability to influence without direct authority

Success Measures

The successful candidate will:

• Improve governance across Microsoft 365 collaboration platforms.
• Reduce collaboration platform risks and operational inefficiencies.
• Drive adoption of automation and self-service capabilities.
• Optimize collaboration storage and licensing costs.
• Deliver successful M&A and divestiture collaboration initiatives.
• Improve reporting, compliance visibility, and operational maturity.

Serve as a trusted advisor for collaboration technologies across the enterprise.

INCO: Cushman & Wakefield