Microsoft Purview Specalist; Co-pilot

Position: Microsoft Purview Specalist (Co-pilot)
Microsoft Purview Specialist (Contract) 3-6 Months £525 a day (Inside IR35) Hybrid (1 day in Manchester) We are seeking an experienced Microsoft Purview specialist to lead the design, implementation, and operationalisation of Purview across Microsoft 365. This individual will work closely with IT Services, Information Governance, IT Security, Legal, and Data teams to ensure data is appropriately classified, protected, and governed to support safe adoption of Copilot and broader Microsoft 365 services.

This is a hands-on specialist role responsible for configuring Purview capabilities such as Information Protection, Data Loss Prevention, eDiscovery, retention policies, and audit controls. The successful candidate will also establish governance frameworks, define best practices, and upskill internal teams to support ongoing operations. The role sits within the Digital Workplace / IT Services function and reports to the Digital Workplace Manager.

The contractor will play a key role in establishing foundational capability and enabling long-term operational ownership within internal teams. Essential:
Proven hands-on experience implementing and configuring Microsoft Purview in a production environment Strong experience across key Purview capabilities Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365 security and compliance architecture Experience designing and implementing data governance frameworks and control Experience working in environments with regulatory requirements such as GDPR or UK data protection legislation Ability to work independently to establish new capability and provide technical leadership Strong stakeholder engagement skills, including working with security, legal, compliance, and IT teams Experience producing documentation, standards, and operational handover material Highly desirable:
Experience supporting Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness or governance Experience in Higher Education, Public Sector, Government, or similarly complex organisations Experience implementing Purview at scale across large tenant environments

Experience with Insider Risk Management and advanced Purview capabilities Microsoft security and compliance certifications (e.g., SC-400, SC-300, SC-100) Active SC Clearance (preferred) 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