Enterprise M365 Platform Architect | Hybrid | SC Cleared in Leeds

Division: Data, Technology and Innovation

Department: End User Compute

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £74,900 to £103,000 and London from £82,300 to £113,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

This role is graded as: Technical Specialist - Regulatory

We regulate financial services firms in the UK, to keep financial markets fair, thriving and effective. By joining us, you’ll play a key part in protecting consumers, driving economic growth, and shaping the future of UK finance services.

The Data, Technology and Innovation (DTI) division enables the FCA to be a digital-first, data-led smart regulator by delivering a secure, agile, and cost-effective technology and data ecosystem that drives better decisions, transparency, and operational efficiency. End User Compute (EUC) is a key team providing change and management for a wide range of application and infrastructure services. We operate in small, cross-functional, self-organising teams, passionate about delivering value while having fun. Our Content, Communication and Collaboration team within EUC handles product ownership, analysis and service management for tools like SharePoint, MS Teams and Exchange/Outlook. We regularly engage with frontline business areas, DevOps teams and suppliers, adding variety to our daily tasks.

Role Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and architectural authority for all M365 services across the enterprise, establishing yourself as the go-to expert for platform capabilities spanning security, identity, governance, Azure integration, endpoint management, data protection, migration, and emerging technologies like Copilot, ensuring consistent and scalable platform capability, enabling informed decision-making and alignment and increasing enterprise value from the platform.
• Partner with Product Owners across the organization to get the most value from existing M365 licensing, identifying opportunities to leverage underutilized platform capabilities and translating business requirements into scalable technical solutions, increasing return on investment and platform efficiency.
• Define and maintain architectural patterns, standards, and governance frameworks for M365 access controls, information architecture, compliance, and reporting, ensuring consistency, security, and auditability across all platform implementations, reducing risk and improving regulatory alignment.
• Establish platform-wide governance and reporting initiatives, establishing metrics, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms that provide visibility into platform adoption, licensing utilisation, compliance posture, and ROI, supporting data-driven decision-making and performance tracking.
• Enable cross‑departmental consumption of M365 services by creating reusable patterns, self‑service frameworks, and guidance materials that empower teams across the organisation to leverage platform capabilities safely and effectively, increasing scalability and reducing dependency on central teams.
• Ensure architecture changes adhere to the FCA’s strategic direction, taking proposals through relevant governance forums including appropriate security approvals, while balancing innovation with risk management, maintaining compliance and controlled delivery.
• Work effectively with the FCA’s partners and suppliers to ensure quality service delivery, critically evaluating vendor proposals for technical soundness and commercial viability, ensuring cost‑effective and reliable solutions.
• Contribute to and help shape the product group’s roadmap, collaborate with DevOps teams using Agile methodologies, and participate in enterprise architectural forums, identifying emerging M365 capabilities and trends, aligning architectural vision with implementation, and shaping the organisation’s broader technology strategy to support continuous improvement and long‑term organisational benefit.

Minimum Skills Required

• Architect and deliver enterprise‑scale Microsoft 365 solutions spanning SharePoint Online, Teams, Exchange Online, Power Platform, Viva, Copilot for M365 and Azure integration services, establishing reusable design patterns and platform adoption across multiple business units.
• Defined and implemented enterprise‑wide architectural standards, governance frameworks, and integration models across M365 and connected systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, and alignment with organisational technology strategy.
• Applied advanced cloud and security practices using Azure, Entra ID, Conditional Access, Microsoft Purview, Defender, and Zero Trust principles, while collaborating with stakeholders and product teams to translate platform capabilities into measurable business outcomes and value realisation.

Essential

• Strategic architectural thinker balancing business value, technical excellence, risk management, and cost optimisation while challenging established approaches.
• Extensive platform economics knowledge analysing M365 licensing, utilisation, optimisation opportunities, and articulating ROI for architectural decisions.
• Commercially skilled in evaluating supplier proposals, understanding cost implications, and promoting high‑value solutions.
• Executive‑level influencer able to engage across all organisational levels and translate complex technical trade‑offs into business terms while maintaining credibility across M365 domains.
• Cross‑organisational enabler with experience building relationships, communities of practice, and scalable self‑service adoption patterns.
• End‑to‑end service lifecycle and DevOps collaboration experience including service design, transition, continuity, optimisation, and translating architecture into delivery alongside governance, standards, and compliance leadership.
• Demonstrating initiative with strong prioritisation skills, continuous learning mindset, and experience implementing monitoring, analytics, and reporting for platform health, adoption, and value.

Benefits

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders). Changing from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors).
• Non‑contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your salary.
• Private healthcare with Bupa, income protection, and 24/7 Employee Assistance.
• 35 hours of paid volunteering annually.
• A flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle.

Disability Confident

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, and therefore, people or individuals with disabilities and long‑term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. In cases of high application volumes, we may progress applicants whose experience most closely matches the role’s key requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We welcome diverse working styles and aim to find flexible solutions that suit both the role and individual needs, including part‑time and job sharing where applicable. If you require any adjustments due to a disability or condition, your recruiter is here to help—reach out for tailored support.

SC Clearance is required for this role. You will hold or will be required to obtain Security Check (SC) level vetting.