Microsoft 365 & Email Platform Architect in Bristol

We're currently looking for an experienced Senior Microsoft 365 & Email Platform Architect to join our IT team on a full-time, permanent basis to help deliver our Modern Workplace strategy. This role can be based in Newcastle, Bristol or Plymouth and falls under our hybrid working policy. We would ask that you reside close enough to one of our office locations so that you can visit weekly/a few days a fortnight as per current working practices.

The team: First-class IT systems are absolutely key to the success of any business in today's commercial world and the legal sector is no exception. Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP prides itself on being at the forefront of technological advancements within the legal profession, something we've become well known for. To remain competitive in our markets, and to continue supporting our growth strategies, our team of dedicated IT professionals have a key role to play, ensuring the integrity of the IT infrastructure, development of new and existing systems and excellent support to all of our employees, and clients.

Role Purpose: This role provides strategic ownership and architectural leadership for the firm's Microsoft 365 and email communications platform. Email is a core business system—not a commodity—underpinning identity, security, client trust and key operational workflows. The role designs and delivers sustainable, multi‑year solutions to ensure the platform remains secure, resilient, scalable and aligned with business strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• You will own the end‑to‑end architecture and roadmap for Exchange Online, email gateway services and associated Microsoft 365 capabilities.
• Acting as the architectural authority for email‑driven integrations, you will define target architectures spanning email, identity and security across Microsoft and third‑party platforms, and lead the delivery of well‑designed, supportable platform improvements.
• Security and compliance are embedded by design. You will ensure email and identity controls meet regulatory, audit and client assurance requirements, oversee email‑related incident response, and drive continuous improvement following incidents.
• You will also provide architectural assurance, produce clear standards and documentation, and act as a senior technical advisor to stakeholders across IT and the wider business.

What we are looking for? We're open to different industry backgrounds, so you do not necessarily need to have worked within the legal sector. What's most important is your expert knowledge, approach, attitude and ability to communicate your ideas and contribute to improving the future direction of our infrastructure journey. Ideally you will have exposure to the following:

• Architectural ownership of Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online in complex, regulated or professional services environments
• Experience designing and delivering long‑term M365 and email platform roadmaps
• Strong end‑to‑end solution design across email, identity, security, collaboration and third‑party integrations
• Hands‑on integration with enterprise email security platforms (e.g. Mimecast), including policy design and mail routing
• Proven accountability for platform outcomes, architecture quality and technical direction
• Experience stabilising, improving and maturing under‑performing platforms
• Comfortable leading or influencing change across teams, vendors and managed service providers
• Strong understanding of secure M365 configuration baselines and client‑assured environments
• Purview (data governance/compliance) knowledge beneficial
• Firewall knowledge (ports/applications/rulesets) also beneficial

To be considered for the role you must possess the minimum:

• Deep, hands‑on experience with Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 in complex enterprise environments
• Strong architectural understanding of identity‑driven communication platforms
• Proven experience designing and delivering long‑term platform solutions, not just BAU support
• Strong understanding of how email security platforms (e.g. Mimecast) integrate with Microsoft 365
• Ability to balance risk, usability, compliance and future scalability
• Experience operating in regulated or highly client assured environments
• Comprehensive expertise in mail security, including DMARC and Defender configuration
• Proven proficiency in setup of data classification and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) controls
• Knowledge of scripting and email platform reporting and task automation

In addition to your technical skills, we are looking for a candidate who has the right attitude, mindset and is driven, hungry to learn and able to excel in their area of expertise and is eager to contribute with a desire to be successful.

What makes it great to work here? We continually work hard to create an open culture that sets us apart from other firms. Our culture gives us much more of a human feel, emphasising that we're more than just suits! As signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, it's important to us that our people are able to maintain healthy and happy lives, both in and out of work. We have a number of resources and initiatives designed to support health and wellbeing and we're very happy to talk flexible working. Through our DEI initiatives we create an environment in which difference is valued. We have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Group, led by our Board Sponsor, which works with our colleague networks (we currently have firm supported networks for race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage, LGBTQ+, disabilities, neurodiversity, families, and women's career development and we're in constant dialogue with our people about how we expand our networks to better support everybody). We encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities and sexual orientations. We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long term condition and need us to make any adjustments to give you the best possible recruitment process, please let us know by contacting the recruiter on the right hand side of this page. Please also let us know if you need this job advert or the application form in a different format. We will offer an interview to candidates with a disability or long-term condition who meet the minimum criteria for this role. You can opt into this scheme within the application form. Your response to this question is only used for this purpose, is only visible to the recruitment team and is not used for data monitoring. We are an in-house recruitment team and will always aim to fill our roles directly in the first instance.