M365 Security Engineer (SC) – Paying up to £500 Per Day, Inside IR35, Based in Oxford, Hybrid Working - On site 2 days per week, 6 Month Contract, To Start ASAP
Your newpany
We’re supporting a prestigious, nationally significant scientific research organisation whose work drives some of the most advanced and ambitious projects in the UK. Operating at the forefront of innovation, they manage digital and data environments of exceptional scale andplexity. Their Microsoft 365 ecosystem is central to safeguarding sensitive research, enabling scientific collaboration and ensuring critical services run securely and efficiently. They are now strengthening their cloud security posture and are seeking expertise to guide, protect and evolve their Microsoft 365 capabilities. This is a setting where your skills will directly support work with real national impact.
Your new role
You will take the lead in shaping and securing a sophisticated Microsoft 365 estate within a high value research environment. Acting as the organisation’s trusted specialist, you will oversee identity protection, accessernance, cloud threat defence andpliance across Entra ID, Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Microsoft Defender, Purview and related services. You will be responsible for diagnosingplex issues, conducting deep investigations, remediating threats and ensuring that policies, configurations and controls remain robust and resilient. Your work will involve collaborating closely with cyber security, infrastructure, networking and service delivery teams, ensuring that new services and configurations are delivered securely and aligned with modern best practice. This role will require clarity of thought, technical depth and the confidence to operate autonomously. Your ability tomunicate effectively with colleagues at all levels, document secure standards and bring structure toplex environments will be central to strengthening the organisation’s security foundations. This is a role where your expertise will be felt across the organisation and where your decisions will help safeguard systems of national significance.
What you'll need to succeed
1. You will bring substantial hands on experience in Microsoft 365 security, with a deep understanding of identity protection, access control, threat detection andpliance
2. You’ll have operated inplex or hybrid environments and will be fully confident configuring, troubleshooting and enhancing services such as Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Defender, Purview and associatedernance tools
3. You’ll be familiar with interpreting and responding to cloud security threats, managing incidents end to end, and advising stakeholders on how to maintain a strong security posture
4. Experience with SIEM tooling, ideally Microsoft Sentinel, along with a strong understanding of Zero Trust principles, modern authentication and secure baseline configuration, will be highly valuable
5. On a personal level, you’ll be proactive, analytical and organised, balancing high technical standards with a clear, concisemunication style
6. You will befortable managingpeting priorities, producing strong documentation and representing your expertise to both technical and non‑technical audiences
What you'll get in return
You’ll join an organisation where technology and security form the backbone of major scientific endeavours. You will work within a highly collaborative environment that values expertise, precision and forward thinking solutions. This role offers the opportunity to influence security strategy, shape the development of cloud security capabilities and contribute directly to work that delivers national and global impact. Your contribution will be recognised, your voice will be valued and your technical leadership will help strengthen a mission critical digital landscape.