M365 Security Engineer; SC

Contract Details and Location

£500 Per Day (Inside IR35). Based in Oxford, hybrid working – onsite 3 days per week. 6-month contract with view to extend to 12 months and beyond. To start ASAP.

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.

You will take the lead in shaping and securing a sophisticated Microsoft 365 estate within a high-value research environment. As the organisation’s trusted specialist, you will oversee identity protection, access governance, cloud threat defence and compliance across Entra , Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Microsoft Defender, Purview and related services. You will diagnose complex issues, conduct deep investigations, remediate threats and ensure that policies, configurations and controls remain robust and resilient.

You will collaborate 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 requires clarity of thought, technical depth and the confidence to operate autonomously. Clear communication with colleagues at all levels, documentation of secure standards and the ability to bring structure to complex environments are central to strengthening the organisation’s security foundations.

Your expertise will be felt across the organisation and your decisions will help safeguard systems of national significance.

• Substantial hands-on experience in Microsoft 365 security, with deep understanding of identity protection, access control, threat detection and compliance.
• Experience in complex or hybrid environments and full confidence configuring, troubleshooting and enhancing services such as Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, Defender, Purview and related governance tools.
• Familiarity with interpreting and responding to cloud security threats, managing incidents end-to-end, and advising stakeholders on maintaining 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.
• Proactive, analytical and organized personal style, balancing high technical standards with clear, concise communication.
• Comfortable managing competing priorities, producing strong documentation, and representing expertise to both technical and non-technical audiences.

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.