Senior Microsoft Cloud Engineer

At Ardent, we hire people who want more than a job — they want to serve a mission that matters. Our teams support the federal government’s most critical national security and defense priorities, helping protect the nation, strengthen resilience, and advance the technologies and capabilities that keep America secure. For veterans, cleared professionals, and purpose-driven innovators, Ardent is a place to continue serving alongside a team that understands the importance of the mission and the people behind it.

We also know top talent has choices, which is why we back our mission with benefits and flexibility that stand out: competitive pay, comprehensive health coverage, flexible PTO, federal holidays off, tuition reimbursement, professional development support, wellness stipends, and a culture that values and rewards hard work, dedication, and adaptability. If you want to build something meaningful, while enjoying the kind of flexibility and support that you need to do your best work — Ardent is where your next mission begins.

Ardent is seeking a Senior Microsoft Cloud Engineer to join our team.  

This is a hybrid position in Washington, DC.

Position Description:

Ardent is seeking a Senior Microsoft Cloud Engineer to provide advanced engineering, operational, and advisory support for enterprise Microsoft cloud environments, including Microsoft 365, Azure, and Microsoft Security platforms. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and optimizing secure cloud services aligned with NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-207 (Zero Trust Architecture), and FedRAMP Moderate requirements.

The Senior Microsoft Cloud Engineer will support enterprise tenant management, Azure infrastructure, collaboration services, identity and access management, and Microsoft security technologies. This individual will collaborate with cloud, network, and cybersecurity teams to maintain a resilient, scalable, and secure cloud environment that supports mission objectives and continuity of operations.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Design, implement, operate, and optimize Microsoft 365, Azure, and Microsoft Security services to ensure reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Implement and maintain cloud security controls aligned with NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-207 (Zero Trust Architecture), and FedRAMP Moderate requirements.
• Administer and secure identity services using Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, privileged access controls, and least-privilege access models.
• Manage and support Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, and related Microsoft 365 collaboration services.
• Provide Azure infrastructure and application support, including cloud networking, workload configuration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and hybrid integrations.
• Configure and manage Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, Purview, and related security platforms to support threat protection, data governance, information protection, and incident response readiness.
• Manage data sources feeding Microsoft Sentinel and support health reporting and alerting on ingest log data quality.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, training materials, standard operating procedures, and change management records.
• Support audits, assessments, compliance reviews, and security posture improvement initiatives.
• Implement automated reporting and dashboard solutions using Power BI and other Microsoft technologies.
• Develop reporting related to system health, compliance, utilization, and cloud spending forecasts.
• Configure Azure budgeting, monitoring, alerting, and forecasting capabilities to support cost management objectives.
• Develop and maintain incident response and disaster recovery playbooks aligned with organizational continuity requirements.
• Serve as a senior technical advisor supporting architecture reviews, modernization efforts, and complex issue resolution.

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience supporting enterprise Microsoft cloud environments.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience serving in a senior engineering, architecture, or technical leadership capacity.
• Experience designing, implementing, operating, and optimizing Microsoft cloud services in large enterprise environments.
• Experience implementing cloud security architectures aligned with NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-207, and FedRAMP Moderate requirements.
• Advanced experience administering hybrid Active Directory, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Entra ID environments.
• Experience managing Windows, macOS, and iOS devices using Microsoft Intune.
• Experience supporting Autopilot deployments, endpoint compliance, software delivery, and device management for large enterprise environments.
• Advanced experience with identity and access management, including Conditional Access, privileged access management, MFA, FIDO authentication, and least-privilege access models.
• Experience supporting Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, and related Microsoft workloads.
• Experience configuring and supporting Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, Purview, and related security technologies.
• Experience with PowerShell automation, Microsoft Graph administration, and cloud management automation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and provide senior-level technical leadership.
• Current Microsoft certifications including:
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert
  • Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft Certified: Information Security Administrator Associate
• Ability to obtain and maintain any required government background investigation.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience supporting federal government environments.
• Experience supporting Zero Trust initiatives and enterprise cloud modernization efforts.
• Experience supporting FedRAMP Moderate environments.
• Experience with Microsoft Sentinel data ingestion, monitoring, and reporting.
• Experience developing technical documentation, architecture diagrams, training materials, and operational procedures.
• Experience supporting enterprise environments with 700+ endpoints.
• Experience with Power BI reporting, cloud cost management, and operational analytics.

Due to the nature of the work we support, all candidates in consideration for this role must be willing to undergo the government issued background investigation process. We highly encourage all Veterans and those with disabilities to apply.

Ardent is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other basis protected by state, local, or federal law.