Job Description

Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Growth mindset encourages each of us to lean in and learn what matters most to our customers, to create the foundational knowledge that enables us to make customer-first decisions in everything we do. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission.

The Microsoft Federal organization was established to address the unique mission, legal/regulatory requirements, and procurement rules and processes of the United States Government (USG). Microsoft Federal is committed to ensuring its resources – including appropriately qualified, experienced, and certified personnel (with necessary security clearances or otherwise) are available as needed to meet USG evolving needs. To that end, Microsoft embraces, as a mission-critical philosophy, flexibility in the recruiting, hiring, and workforce assignment of Microsoft Federal personnel. Microsoft Federal personnel can expect to serve in various roles in the Microsoft Federal organization during the course of their career to meet evolving USG needs, regardless of segment – Civilian, Defense, or intelligence community.

Proactively acts as the voice of the customer/partner and internal communities leveraging relevant insights from feedback tools and systems. Identifies and/or translates customer/partner problems into industry solutions. Drives self and guides other team members to focus on customer/partner experience through efficient delivery and ensuring a seamless and connected customer experience. Proactively identifies, escalates, and mitigates blockers using appropriate tools. Delivers solutions in line with company methodologies, ensuring proven practices and patterns are followed. Proactively identifies new opportunities for Consumption, Usage & Unified expansion at scale. Operates according to required operational excellence and proven practice standards throughout all sales stages/activities/tools of record. Leverages market insights and demand signals. Contributes to leading virtual teams using knowledge of Microsoft architectures and their context in the competitive landscape. Proactively identifies gaps that enable solutions to scale across customers.

Responsibilities

Microsoft Federal is seeking passionate individuals to join our team as Cloud Solution Architects (CSA), specializing in Data Security. In this role, you will help drive transformative security and AI outcomes for enterprise customers across industries. The pace of innovation in data security is accelerating—ideal candidates are committed to maintaining deep technical expertise, supported by Microsoft’s extensive skilling resources and community. You will serve as a trusted advisor, guiding customers in securing their entire data estates against internal and external risks through Microsoft’s integrated security and compliance solutions.

• Land an end-to-end value proposition for Data Security, spanning Microsoft’s integrated security offerings including Zero Trust, Modern SOC, Cloud Adoption, and Digital Transformation.

• Empower customers in their Microsoft Security journey, helping define secure strategies, architectures, and implementations aligned with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 E5 Security/Compliance Services.

• Drive adoption of Microsoft Purview’s integrated Data Security services, enabling customers to:

• Protect Sensitive Data using classification, sensitivity labeling, and encryption policies.

• Manage Insider Risks with machine learning-based detection, adaptive protection, and advanced privacy controls.

• Prevent Data Loss through built-in exfiltration policies across Microsoft 365 apps, services, and endpoints.

• Lead hands-on technical engagements, supporting customers in evaluating and deploying Microsoft’s data security and compliance solutions. This includes capabilities such as Insider Risk Management, Information Protection, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), eDiscovery, and Compliance Manager. These engagements help customers assess and implement controls that secure sensitive data, manage insider threats, prevent data exfiltration, and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

• Architect security solutions that meet business, IT, regulatory, and compliance needs—infusing key technologies to ensure alignment with enterprise security goals.

• Ensure solutions are “Secure by Design” and follow Microsoft’s Well-Architected Framework, focusing on performance, scalability, maintainability, reusability, and reliability.

• Facilitate Architectural Design Sessions to align solution design with customer business objectives and technical environments, driving consensus and defining next steps toward production deployment.

• Act as the Voice of the Customer, sharing insights and best practices with Microsoft’s Global Security, Engineering, and Product teams to remove blockers and influence product roadmaps.

• Troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges, demonstrating the value of Microsoft Security implementations and accelerating customer success.

• Collaborate with other Cloud Solution Architects and stakeholders, co-developing complex, end-to-end enterprise security solutions on the Microsoft Azure platform.

• Orchestrate technical resources across Microsoft and partner ecosystems to deliver impactful business outcomes.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or related field AND 4+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements

• The successful candidate must have an active U.S. Government Top Secret Security Clearance. Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. Failure to maintain or obtain the appropriate clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.
• Clearance Verification This position requires successful verification of the stated security clearance to meet federal government customer requirements. You will be asked to provide clearance verification information prior to an offer of employment.
• Microsoft Cloud Background Check This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
• Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customer and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, Liberal Arts, or related field AND 8+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, Liberal Arts, or related field AND 6+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR equivalent experience.
• 4+ years experience working in a customer-facing role (e.g., internal and/or external).
• 4+ years experience working on technical projects.
• The technical aptitude and experience to learn new cloud security technologies and understand relevant cloud security market trends. 

• Competitive Landscape: Knowledge of cloud security platforms and competitors.

• Ability to lead strategic customer conversations to develop Data Security Frameworks and solution architecture design.

• Business fluency: The ability to convey the business need and value of proposed solutions, plans, and risks to stakeholders and decision makers. This includes the ability to persuade and inform based on facts and alignment with goals and strategy

• Situational fluency: Using self-awareness as a mechanism to interpret verbal and non-verbal cues to increase your ability to "read the room."

• Insightful listening: asking insightful questions to understand the customer needs, issues, business environment and drivers, and going beyond what is said

• Good understanding of the principles of Data Security, such as data classification, encryption, sensitivity labelling, information protection policies and exfiltration controls

• Ability to work effectively across v-teams

• Effective time management skills

• A drive for continuous learning and self-improvement

• Experience in the implementation (end to end) of Data Security projects with Data Security Platforms, preferably experience with Microsoft Purview (Information Protection, Data Loss Prevention, Information Risk Management)
• Certification in one or more of the following technologies preferred: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies (AZ-900, SC-200, MS-500, SC-100, SC-401), CompTIA Security+, CISSP, CCSP, CGRC, GIAC-GCLD, GIAC-GS.

Travel is an integral part of this position. You should be willing to travel as is demanded by the needs of our customers and our business. This position requires approximately 25% overnight travel if you reside or are willing to relocate within commuting distance to the work. This position may require up to 75% overnight travel if you are not within commuting distance to work.

Cloud Solution Architecture IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,400 - $203,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $137,600 - $222,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.