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 new company 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 and complexity. 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, access governance, cloud threat defence and compliance across Entra ID, Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Microsoft Defender, Purview and related services. You will be responsible for diagnosing complex 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 to communicate effectively with colleagues at all levels, document secure standards and bring structure to complex 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 You will bring substantial hands on experience in Microsoft 365 security, with a deep understanding of identity protection, access control, threat detection and compliance You'll have operated in complex or hybrid environments and will be fully confident configuring, troubleshooting and enhancing services such as Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Defender, Purview and associated governance tools 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 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 On a personal level, you'll be proactive, analytical and organised, balancing high technical standards with a clear, concise communication style You will be comfortable managing competing 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. What you need to do now If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk