Microsoft Senior Cyber Security Consultant

* Solution Design: Collaborate with sales teams and customers to understand their security needs and design tailored solutions that address their challenges.
* Customer Engagement: Build strong relationships with customers, acting as a trusted advisor and providing expert guidance on security best practices and Microsoft solutions.
* Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams in the Sales organization, including Client Solutions, to support the go-to-market strategy and drive successful customer outcomes.
* Market Insights: Stay updated on industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging security threats to provide strategic insights and inform solution development.
* Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with key stakeholders, including Microsoft sales specialist and executive teams, to support business objectives and drive joint growth.

Skills and experiences

Required technical skills:
* 8+ years of experience in cybersecurity with strong expertise in Microsoft Entra & Unified Threat protection (Defender and Sentinel Solutions)
* Microsoft Entra (Identity & Access Management - IAM):

* Strategic Design & Architecture: Lead the architectural design, implementation, and optimization of complex Microsoft Entra solutions, including hybrid identity configurations (Entra Connect, Pass-through Authentication, PHS, ADFS modernization) and cloud-native deployments.
* IAM Expertise: Deep expertise in managing and configuring Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) for user and group lifecycle, application registration, enterprise applications (SaaS/LoB), and service principals.
* Advanced Features: Design and implement sophisticated Conditional Access policies, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) strategies, Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for JIT/JEA, and Entra ID Protection for risk-based access.
* Identity Governance: Implement and manage Entra Identity Governance features (access reviews, entitlement management) and B2B Collaboration for secure external partner access.
* Authentication Protocols: Extensive knowledge and practical application of modern authentication protocols (SAML, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect) for seamless application integration.

* Microsoft Defender Portfolio (Security Operations):

* Strategic Design & Architecture: Lead the architecture, deployment, and optimization of the comprehensive Sentinel SIEM& SOAR (Mandatory) & Microsoft Defender suite, including Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps (MDCA), Defender for Cloud, and Defender for O365.
* Threat Detection & Response: Design and implement EDR/XDR strategies utilizing Defender for Endpoint and Defender for Identity for proactive threat hunting, incident investigation, and automated remediation.
* Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): Leverage Defender for Cloud to assess, strengthen, and monitor the security posture of cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP).
* Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) & DLP: Implement and optimize Defender for Cloud Apps (MDCA) for cloud application discovery, data loss prevention (DLP), and threat protection across sanctioned and unsanctioned apps.
* Security Operations Integration: Integrate Defender signals with Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM/SOAR) for centralized logging, alerting, and automated incident response workflows.
* Vulnerability Management: Utilize Defender for Endpoint's threat and vulnerability management capabilities to identify, prioritize, and remediate organizational weaknesses.
* External Attack Surface Management: Experience with Defender External Attack Surface Management (formerly RiskIQ) for discovering and managing external digital assets.

* Automation & Scripting: Develop and implement automation using PowerShell, Azure CLI, Kusto Query Language (KQL), and Azure DevOps for security operations, policy enforcement, and reporting across both Entra and Defender platforms.
* Knowledge of PowerShell scripting for security automation and incident response

Qualifications:
* 8+ years of progressive experience in IT and cybersecurity, with a significant portion dedicated to Identity & Access Management and Security Operations, including at least 5 years in a leadership, management, or client-facing consulting role.
* Extensive hands-on expertise with Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) and the comprehensive Microsoft Defender Security Operations is mandatory.
* Proven track record of successfully designing, implementing, and managing complex security solutions in diverse enterprise environments.
* Highly desirable certifications: Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert, Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate, CISSP, CISM, CCSP, PMP.Strong understanding of broader cybersecurity domains, network security, cloud computing platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP), and enterprise IT infrastructure.
* Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to articulate complex technical and business concepts clearly and persuasively to all levels of an organization.
* Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team in a consulting or advisory capacity.
* Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
* Good to have Microsoft Security certifications e.g. SC100, AZ500, SC200, SC300

About you

Characteristics that can spell success for this role:

* Seen as a role model and acts as a leader.
* Consultative, collaborative, relationship builder.
* Problem-solver, patient, quality-driven
* Talented in designing and implementing technology solutions.
* You take full accountability to lead and manage projects, providing operational leadership for work efforts requiring significant coordination.
* You create and implement work plans for assigned projects, programs, and clients against established operational objectives.

Enjoy your career
* Some of the best things about working at Avanade:
* Opportunity to work for Microsoft's Global Alliance Partner of the Year (14 years in a row), with exceptional development and training (minimum 80 hours per year for training and paid certifications)
* Real-time access to technical and skilled resources globally
* Dedicated career advisor to encourage your growth
* Engaged and helpful coworkers genuinely interested in you

Find out more about some of our benefits [1] Employee Benefits at Avanade | Avanade.

A great place to work

As you bring your skills and abilities to Avanade, you'll get distinctive experiences, limitless learning, and ambitious growth in return. As we continue to build our diverse and inclusive culture, we become even more innovative and creative, helping us better serve our clients and communities. You'll join a community of smart, supportive collaborators to lift, mentor, and guide you, and to lean on your expertise. You get a company purpose-built for business-critical, leading-edge technology solutions, committed to improving the way humans work, interact, and live. It's all here, so take a closer look!

We work hard to provide an inclusive, diverse culture with a deep sense of belonging for all our employees. Visit our [2] Inclusion & Diversity page.

Create a future for our people that focuses on:
• Expanding your thinking
• Experimenting courageously
• Learning and pivoting

Inspire greatness in our people by:
• Empowering every voice
• Encouraging boldness
• Celebrating progress

Accelerate the impact of our people by:
• Amazing the client
• Prioritizing what matters
• Acting as one

Learn more

To learn more about Avanade check out these links:

[3] LinkedIn

[4] Inside Avanade Blog

[5] Avanade Careers

References

Visible links
1. https://www.avanade.com/en/career/benefits
2. https://www.avanade.com/en-us/about-avanade/inclusion-and-diversity
3. https://www.linkedin.com/company/avanade
4. https://www.avanade.com/en/blogs/inside-avanade
5. https://www.avanade.com/en/career