Office 365 Architect

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Who are we?

Western National Insurance Group is a private mutual insurance company with over 120 years of experience serving customers' property-and-casualty insurance needs in the Midwestern, Northwestern, and Southwestern United States. Known as "The Relationship Company®," we define success as a measure of the relationships we've built over time. In everything that we do, we know that delivering a friendly and helpful interaction makes for a better experience for everyone involved. That's the power of "nice". At Western National, nice is something we work to bring to every person and organization with whom we partner and serve.

Does this opportunity interest you?

Western National is seeking an Office 365 Architect to join our team!

The individual in this role will have the opportunity to manage, maintain, and optimize the company's Office 365 environment. This role ensures the effective deployment, security, and performance of Office 365 services, supporting the organization's productivity and collaboration needs. The architect will work closely with the Desktop Architect Team, Security, and other departments to provide solutions and support for Office 365-related issues.

What are the responsibilities and opportunities of this role?

• Administers and maintains the Office 365 environment, including Exchange Online, Intune, Azure, Microsoft Entra ID, SharePoint Online, Teams, OneDrive, and other related services.
• Manages user accounts, permissions, and licenses.
• Monitors and ensures the security, compliance, performance, and usage of Office 365 services.
• Plans and executes the deployment of new Office 365 services and features.
• Configures Office 365 settings and policies to meet organizational requirements.
• Implements and manages data retention, compliance, and security policies.
• Provides technical support and troubleshoots incidents and service requests related to Office 365.
• Coordinates with Microsoft support for advanced troubleshooting and issue resolution.
• Develops and delivers training materials and sessions for end-users and IT staff.
• Maintains comprehensive documentation of the Office 365 environment, including configurations, procedures, and policies.
• Generates and analyzes reports on Office 365 usage, security, and compliance.
• Serves as the ultimate escalation point for Office 365 support.
• Develops and assesses innovative solutions for business-driven projects and initiatives.
• Creates a positive customer support experience by building strong relationships through understanding, communicating promptly on progress, and handling customers with a consummately professional attitude.
• Maintains a close partnership with the Desktop Architect and Security Teams. Designs and recommends solutions for enhancing the security of the Western National environment.
• Leads or participates in the development of business continuity and disaster recovery plans, maintains current knowledge of plan executables, and responds to crises in accordance with business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
• Creates and maintains team and / or end-user documentation and knowledge articles.
• Creates and maintains support tickets and project tasks as assigned.
• Makes configuration changes to the Office 365 environment.
• Creates, modifies, and deactivates user accounts and permissions.
• Implements and enforces security, compliance, and usage policies.
• Reviews work with manager or peers to ensure accuracy prior to disbursement.
• Develops innovative solutions to a variety of complex problems or problems that do not have routine solutions.
• Diagnoses and resolves complex technical issues related to Office 365 services.
• Identifies and addresses potential issues before they impact users.
• Evaluates new Office 365 features and updates, recommending and implementing beneficial changes.
• Participates in the evolution of company-level software development best practices, standards, and policies.
• Consistently acts according to our customer experience standards, including responding quickly, maintaining a positive attitude, building rapport, demonstrating empathy, managing the customer's expectations, using the proper communication channel for the situation, and taking ownership to ensure the customer's issue is resolved.
• Performs special projects and other duties as assigned.

Requirements

What are the must-have qualifications for a candidate?

• Three to five years of experience managing and administering Office 365 environments.
• Proficiency in Office 365 administration, strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, and familiarity with PowerShell scripting.
• Proven experience providing excellent face-to-face technical support for internal customers.
• Understanding of Office 365 security and compliance best practices.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical users.
• Strong attention to detail and solid organization skills.
• Ability to work independently or on a team to carry out assignments to completion.
• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain confidentiality and dependability.
• Ability to coach and train less experienced team members.
• In-depth knowledge of Office 365 services and features.
• Bachelor's degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field; experience in lieu of degree acceptable.

What will our ideal candidate have?

• Microsoft certifications such as Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert.
• Experience in planning and executing Office 365 migrations and deployments.
• Ability to identify and implement innovative solutions to enhance productivity and collaboration.

Compensation overview

The targeted hiring range for this role is $114,930 - $140,470, annually. However, the base pay offered may vary depending on the job-related knowledge, skills, credentials, and experience of each candidate as well as other factors such as the scope and location of the role. Candidates looking for compensation outside of the posted range are encouraged to apply and will be considered based on their individual qualifications and / or may be considered for other positions.

Culture and Total Rewards

Western National has long been known as "The Relationship Company®" and caring for our employees is part of that relationship commitment. We value connectiveness, empowerment, and accountability, and we believe that our employees are our biggest asset.

Currently ranked as the 41st largest private company by revenue in Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal), Western National has earned accolades year-over-year as an employer of choice and garnered multiple awards for wellness in the workplace. Western National has also been named a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune for the past four consecutive years. In addition, the Group is consistently recognized as a Ward's 50 property-and-casualty insurance company for its outstanding financial results.

Western National offers full-time employees a significant Total Rewards Package, including:

• Medical insurance plan options and other standard employee benefits, including dental insurance, vision benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, and more!
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) Plan (participants are eligible for 100% matching on the first 6% of their contributions)
• Wellbeing Program, including onsite fitness studio
• Paid Time Off - including holiday, vacation, and volunteer
• 100% company-paid tuition reimbursement for approved job-relevant coursework and access to The Institutes (Risk and insurance education)
• Paid parental leave
• Bonus opportunities

Western National believes in supporting balance between work and life by providing a flexible work environment, which includes a variety of hybrid and remote work arrangements designed to balance individual, job, department, and company needs.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Western National provides employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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Salary Description

$114,930 - $140,470