Manager of Unified Communications & M365

Job Title: Manager of Unified Communications & M365

Location: Columbus, OH

Employment Type: Contract-to-Hire, Onsite

Start Date: March 9, 2026

Pay Rate: $70-75 per hour (based on experience)

Conversion Salary: $130,000–$140,000

Shift: Day Shift – 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM – M-F

Job Duration: 26 weeks

The Manager of Unified Communications & M365 leads the enterprise communication and collaboration ecosystem across Cisco Unified Communications and Microsoft 365 platforms. This onsite leadership position provides strategic direction, oversees operations, and drives continuous improvement for voice, video, messaging, and collaboration services used across clinical and administrative environments.

• Cisco Unified Communications Leadership
  • Direct overall architecture, administration, and lifecycle management of the Cisco UC ecosystem (CUCM, Unity Connection, IM & Presence, Webex, Contact Center).
  • Lead PSTN, SIP trunking, SBC, and telecom carrier integrations.
  • Maintain call quality, redundancy, and disaster recovery posture.
  • Manage Cisco endpoints, device firmware, and provisioning.
  • Act as escalation authority for advanced Cisco UC issues.
• Microsoft 365 & Teams Collaboration
  • Oversee M365 services including Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and One Drive.
  • Manage Cisco–Microsoft integration models (Teams calling interoperability, Webex devices to Teams meetings, hybrid coexistence).
  • Drive governance, policies, and collaboration standards.
• Security, Identity & Compliance
  • Partner with cybersecurity teams for secure collaboration environments.
  • Manage identity integrations with Entra  (Azure AD), MFA, conditional access, RBAC, and compliance policies.
  • Oversee data retention, eDiscovery, and secure external collaboration.
• Leadership & Team Management
  • Lead and mentor a team of UC and M365 engineers/administrators.
  • Define performance expectations, career development plans, and technical standards.
  • Establish operational workflows and escalation structures.
• Vendor & Stakeholder Oversight
  • Serve as primary contact for Cisco, Microsoft, telecom carriers, and UC service providers.
  • Manage contracts, licensing, renewals, and cost optimization.
  • Collaborate with leadership to align communication solutions with organizational priorities.
• Operations & Continuous Improvement
  • Monitor platform health, call quality, and service availability.
  • Define KPIs and operational metrics.
  • Lead modernization initiatives, automation projects, and process improvements.

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years in enterprise collaboration, messaging, or unified communications.
• 3+ years managing Microsoft 365 services.
• 2+ years in people leadership or technical team leadership.
• Expert-level experience with Cisco UC and Microsoft 365 ecosystems.

Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

To apply, please email your resume to [email protected]