Job Type: Contract (estimated 20–30 hours initially, with potential extension through go-live)
Location: Remote
Engagement Model: Flexible scheduling / time & materials
Rate: $130/hr
Overview
Our client, a small but dynamic service-based organization operating entirely in the cloud, is seeking an experienced Microsoft 365 Security & SharePoint Consultant to assess, remediate, and optimize their Microsoft 365 environment. The organization currently supports a lean internal team with fluctuating seasonal/project-based users, requiring a secure, scalable, and flexible collaboration environment.
This engagement is focused on strengthening the client’s Microsoft 365 security posture, improving identity and access management, restructuring SharePoint permissions and governance, and ensuring the environment aligns with modern security best practices.
The consultant will act as a trusted advisor and hands-on technical expert, guiding the client from discovery through remediation and implementation. The initial scope is estimated at approximately 20–30 hours, though the client is flexible and prepared to extend the engagement if additional work is required to achieve the desired future state.
Key Responsibilities:
Microsoft 365 Security Assessment & Hardening
- Conduct a discovery and assessment of the client’s current Microsoft 365 tenant configuration, security posture, and identity management practices.
- Review Microsoft 365 Business Premium licensing capabilities and ensure security features are being fully leveraged.
- Assess and remediate gaps related to:
- Identity protection
- Authentication security
- Administrative access controls
- Microsoft Defender for Business capabilities
- Safe Links / Safe Attachments
- Email and collaboration security settings
- Privileged access management
- Design and implement security hardening recommendations aligned with Microsoft best practices.
- Evaluate current identity security risks, particularly around administrative access and privileged accounts.
- Separate elevated administrative access from standard day-to-day user accounts.
- Design and implement Conditional Access policies to strengthen identity protection.
- Recommend and configure access controls based on user personas and risk levels.
- Establish best practices for secure onboarding/offboarding of temporary and seasonal users.
- Reduce identity-related attack surface and improve protection against account compromise.
- Review the existing SharePoint Online architecture, site structure, groups, permissions, and access models.
- Identify excessive permissions, legacy access groups, and misconfigured access roles.
- Redesign SharePoint access controls based on business roles and data sensitivity.
- Implement secure partitioning for confidential data, including:
- Financial records
- HR documentation
- Contracts
- Client-sensitive information
- Personally identifiable information
- Perform SharePoint “housekeeping” by removing obsolete permissions and cleaning up access structures.
- Develop governance recommendations for long-term SharePoint management and security.
- Assess the organization’s readiness for AI-enabled tools such as Microsoft Copilot and other enterprise AI platforms.
- Identify data exposure risks that could arise from poorly configured permissions.
- Recommend remediation to ensure sensitive information is properly protected before broader AI adoption.
- Serve as a technical advisor to the client on Microsoft 365 security strategy.
- Translate technical risks into practical business recommendations.
- Provide a prioritized remediation roadmap.
- Support budget and implementation planning as findings emerge.
Required Experience & Qualifications:
- Extensive hands-on experience with Microsoft 365 administration, security, and tenant management
- Strong expertise in Microsoft 365 Business Premium security capabilities
- Deep knowledge of:
- Azure Active Directory / Microsoft Entra ID
- Conditional Access
- Identity protection
- Privileged access controls
- Microsoft Defender security features
- Authentication best practices (MFA, role separation, access controls)
- Advanced experience with SharePoint Online administration, architecture, permissions, and governance
- Experience restructuring or remediating SharePoint environments with poor access governance
- Ability to assess and harden small-to-mid-sized cloud-first environments
- Experience supporting environments with BYOD and hybrid user access models
- Strong understanding of security implications related to AI tools and data discovery
- Excellent stakeholder communication and advisory skills
- Ability to work independently in an assessment + implementation capacity
Nice to Have
- Microsoft certifications (e.g. MS-102, SC-300, SC-200, SC-100)
- Experience with Microsoft Copilot governance/readiness
- Previous consulting experience in small business or managed services environments
- Experience designing security governance frameworks