{"id":2527072,"url":"https://alion.io/job/sidley-microsoft-architect","title":"Microsoft Architect","company":{"id":15213,"name":"Sidley","domain":"sidley.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/sidley","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":null},"role":"Enterprise Apps","role_family":"Enterprise Apps","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Chicago, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":161400,"max":229950,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":229950},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Azure","optional":false},{"name":"Copilot","optional":false},{"name":"Copilot Studio","optional":false},{"name":"OneDrive","optional":false},{"name":"Outlook","optional":false},{"name":"Power BI","optional":false},{"name":"PowerShell","optional":false},{"name":"SharePoint","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-29T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T16:47:39Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":15,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":15},"description":"The Microsoft Architect is based in Chicago and is the Firm's senior technical authority on the Microsoft platform and is accountable for the architecture and evolution of Sidley's Microsoft estate. The role's first priority is a well-architected, governed, and consistently deployed productivity foundation (SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Exchange Online and Outlook, the Microsoft 365 applications, Entra, Purview, Graph, and tenant administration) so that lawyers and staff can collaborate securely and client confidentiality is protected by design. On that foundation, the Architect leads Copilot enablement across the Firm, layers in the broader Microsoft AI platform (Foundry, Work IQ, Fabric IQ, Foundry IQ, and Microsoft Scout) as readiness allows, and partners directly with Microsoft engineering to maximize the return on the Firm's investment.\nDuties and Responsibilities:\nDesign and own the target-state architecture and standards for the Microsoft productivity estate, including SharePoint and OneDrive information architecture, permissions and sharing, lifecycle, and SharePoint Advanced Management to keep the estate Copilot-ready.\nArchitect Teams (including Teams Phone and Rooms), Exchange Online and Outlook, Microsoft 365 Groups, and the wider Microsoft 365 application portfolio, including data residency, Microsoft 365 Backup, and integration with the Firm's document management systems.\nLead enterprise deployment and remediation of the Microsoft stack, retiring inconsistent policies, oversharing, and legacy configuration through pilots, waves, and change management.\nConfigure Microsoft Entra and design the tenant's administrative architecture: the Microsoft 365 permission model, admin roles, tenant-wide policies and configuration profiles, and configuration-as-code baselines.\nEstablish, with Information Security and Information Governance, the Microsoft Purview architecture (sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, retention, information barriers, eDiscovery, and legal hold) and the interfaces to Intune, Defender XDR, and Entra.\nDrive Copilot enablement across the estate (readiness and data hygiene, licensing, grounding, connectors, and adoption guardrails), operate the Copilot Control System, and establish the agent identity and governance model (Entra Agent ID, Microsoft Agent 365, and Copilot Studio).\nArchitect Microsoft Foundry and its integration with the Azure estate, define governance for Fabric, Power BI, and the Power Platform, and translate Microsoft's AI and productivity roadmap (Work IQ, Fabric IQ, Foundry IQ, and Microsoft Scout) into Firm priorities, pilots, and licensing inputs.\nLiaise with Microsoft engineering as the Firm's primary technical counterpart, bringing requirements and escalations to Microsoft; partner with Security, Enterprise IT Services, Network, Endpoint, and business stakeholders; and mentor Microsoft 365 administrators and engineers.\nEducation and/or Experience:\nRequired:\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience.\nA minimum of 7 years architecting or administering Microsoft 365 in an enterprise environment.\nDeep understanding of SharePoint Online and OneDrive, and enterprise-level expertise in Microsoft Copilot, Teams, Exchange Online and Outlook, and the Microsoft 365 productivity applications.\nDeep knowledge of the Microsoft 365 permission model, policies, and configuration profiles, with proficiency in the Microsoft 365 admin center, the Copilot Control System, and the workload admin centers.\nFoundational understanding of Microsoft Entra and the ability to configure Entra and other Azure-based services; working knowledge of Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Graph, Intune, and the Power Platform.\nAbility to architect Microsoft Foundry within an Azure estate, with a base understanding of Work IQ, Fabric IQ, and Foundry IQ and current awareness of Microsoft's AI roadmap, including Microsoft Scout.\nDemonstrated experience partnering directly with Microsoft engineering or product teams, and the ability to produce clear architecture documentation for technical and non-technical audiences.\nPreferred:\nMicrosoft certifications such as Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert, Identity and Access Administrator Associate, or Azure Solutions Architect Expert.\nLaw firm or professional services experience, including confidentiality, ethical wall, and information governance requirements, and integration with document management systems such as iManage or NetDocuments.\nPowerShell and Microsoft Graph scripting, and hands-on experience with Copilot Studio, agent development, or the Defender XDR stack.\nOther Skills and Abilities:\nThe following will also be required of the successful candidate:\nStrong organizational skills\nStrong attention to detail\nGood judgment\nStrong interpersonal communication skills\nStrong analytical and problem-solving skills\nAble to work harmoniously and effectively with others\nAble to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion\nAble to work under pressure\nAble to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities\nApplicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or in the future\nThe target salary range for this role is:\n$161,400 - $229,950 if located in IllinoisSalaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits.\nTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities above satisfactorily and meet the requirements. The requirements listed above are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email  (current employees should contact Human Resources).\nSidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6234,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Legal Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-14T12:24:39Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":67,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.742,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":15,"expected_fill_days":28,"reasons":["conf:0","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-14T17:13:21Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":229950,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/sidley-microsoft-architect","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/sidley-microsoft-architect.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-14T17:13:21Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":22022,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-15T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":15213},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=15213"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsidley-microsoft-architect"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsidley-microsoft-architect"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsidley-microsoft-architect"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/sidley-microsoft-architect\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsidley-microsoft-architect"}]}