Principal Consultant – M365

Job Summary

The Principal Consultant – M365 Messaging, Exchange & Compliance is responsible for the strategy, design, implementation, and governance of Microsoft 365 messaging and compliance services. The role acts as the technical authority for Exchange Online, Microsoft Purview, and eDiscovery, driving enterprise messaging architecture, mailbox lifecycle management, compliance governance, legal hold, records management, and regulatory readiness across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Define enterprise roadmaps, architecture standards, and governance models for Exchange Online, Microsoft Purview, and messaging services.
• Lead the design and implementation of Exchange Online, mailbox lifecycle management, mail flow, transport rules, and messaging security controls.
• Establish governance for eDiscovery, Legal Hold, Retention Policies, Records Management, and compliance processes.
• Drive enterprise-wide compliance, information governance, and regulatory initiatives across Microsoft 365 workloads.
• Design and govern data collection, preservation, search, export, and chain-of-custody processes for investigations and legal requests.
• Implement and maintain Microsoft Purview solutions including:
  eDiscovery Standard & Premium
  Legal Hold
  Retention & Records Management
  Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
  Communication Compliance
  Insider Risk Management
• Lead Exchange Online migration, transformation, and modernization initiatives.
• Define governance and operational standards for email archiving, encryption, journaling, and secure messaging.
• Act as Design Authority for Messaging & Compliance platforms and provide technical leadership to architects and engineers.
• Collaborate with Microsoft and third-party vendors to drive platform optimization, automation, and service innovation.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in Enterprise Messaging, Collaboration, or Digital Workplace Services.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience designing and governing Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 messaging environments.
• 5+ years of experience implementing Microsoft Purview compliance and eDiscovery capabilities.
• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale messaging transformation, governance, and compliance programs.
• Experience managing regulatory, legal, and investigative data requests.
• Experience supporting large global enterprises and highly regulated environments.
• Experience with Retarus or equivalent enterprise email security and messaging platforms.
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Exchange Online and Hybrid Exchange environments.
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Purview and eDiscovery.
• Deep expertise in enterprise mailbox architecture, mail flow, SMTP, transport rules, and messaging security.
• Experience managing compliance investigations, legal requests, evidence preservation, and chain-of-custody processes.
• Strong knowledge of Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Exchange compliance integrations.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and email threat protection.
• Strong understanding of GDPR, regulatory compliance, audit readiness, and information governance frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate.
• Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert.
• Information Protection & Compliance Administrator Associate.
• Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Expert.
• ITIL Foundation / Expert.

Other Requirements

• Strong technical leadership and architecture governance capabilities.
• Ability to work closely with Security, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and Workplace teams.
• Strong understanding of investigation and legal-request processes.
• Ability to work effectively in large global and highly regulated enterprise environments.
• Strong vendor and stakeholder management skills.