Microsoft AI Lead
First seen by Alion on Aug 31, 2026.
Microsoft AI Lead
Role Summary :
We are seeking a hands-on Microsoft AI Lead to manage the design, development, testing and delivery of enterprise Copilot and AI agent solutions.
The role will translate approved architectures and customer requirements into executable delivery plans, lead a multidisciplinary team of 15 - 20 professionals and ensure secure, high-quality production outcomes across the Microsoft AI ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partner with customers, Microsoft stakeholders and the AI Architect to convert prioritized use cases into user stories, technical tasks, estimates, sprint plans and release roadmaps.
- Lead hands-on delivery of agents using Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform and Azure AI services.
- Guide implementation of agent instructions, prompts, topics, knowledge sources, tools, actions, connectors, workflows, RAG and enterprise integrations.
- Manage a 15 - 20 member team of Copilot Studio developers, Power Platform developers, Azure AI engineers, integration specialists, testers and business analysts.
- Own sprint execution, resource allocation, dependencies, risks, scope, quality, customer demonstrations, status reporting and release readiness.
- Enforce engineering standards for source control, ALM/CI-CD, environment management, configuration, reusable components, documentation and code/prompt reviews.
- Implement identity, permission, DLP, data protection and agent governance controls with Entra ID, Purview, Defender and Agent 365 in line with the approved architecture.
- Oversee functional, integration, groundedness, permission, performance, adversarial and regression testing; track defects through closure.
- Coordinate UAT, deployment, training, hypercare, monitoring and continuous improvement; track adoption, quality, latency, consumption and operational issues.
Required Experience:
- 9 - 13 years of technology experience, including 3 - 5 years as a technical lead, engineering lead or solution delivery lead.
- 2+ years of hands-on experience with generative AI, conversational AI, Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI or Power Platform solutions.
- Proven experience managing and developing teams of 15 - 20 members in an Agile delivery environment.
- Experience delivering at least one enterprise solution through discovery, design, build, testing, deployment and production support.
- Strong customer and stakeholder management, with experience handling estimates, delivery risks, releases and technical escalations.
Mandatory Technical Skills :
1. Copilot and agent delivery :
- Hands-on Microsoft Copilot Studio expertise, Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility, Microsoft Foundry and Azure AI services.
- Agent instructions, prompt engineering, topics, tools, actions, RAG/grounding, connectors, workflows and multi-agent concepts.
2. Microsoft business platform :
- Power Automate, Dataverse, SharePoint, Teams, Microsoft Graph and Power Platform environment/solution management.
3. Integration and security :
- REST APIs, JSON, custom connectors, OAuth 2.0, enterprise authentication and integration troubleshooting.
- Working knowledge of Entra ID, Purview, Defender, Agent 365, least privilege, DLP and data-access controls.
4. Engineering and operations :
- Azure DevOps or GitHub, source control, CI/CD, ALM, automated testing, AI evaluations, monitoring and production support.
- Ability to troubleshoot multi-component solutions spanning Microsoft 365, Power Platform and Azure.
Preferred Qualifications :
- Bachelors or masters degree in computer science, engineering, information technology or a related discipline.
- Microsoft certification in one or more relevant areas, such as Azure AI Engineer Associate, Power Platform Developer Associate, Power Platform Solution Architect Expert, Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert.
Role Expectations :
- Operate as a trusted advisor to Microsoft and customer stakeholders while maintaining a strong delivery orientation.
- Balance rapid innovation with enterprise architecture, security, compliance, responsible AI and operational readiness.
- Build reusable assets, patterns and team capability that accelerate future Copilot and agent engagements.
Skills
Machine Learning, Azure, Copilot, Artificial Intelligence, Office 365, Power Platform, Dataverse, Conversational AI