Senior Microsoft Infrastructure & Exchange Engineer

Own the health, security, and continuity of the organisation's core Microsoft platform: Exchange Server 2019 (on-premises) in hybrid with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS/DHCP, and the identity and email-security layers that sit on top of them. The role helps maintain reliable corporate messaging, mailbox availability, and identity services in a multi-site business environment.

KEY Responsibilities

Core: Microsoft Exchange (on-premises + hybrid)

• Install, configure, administer, and upgrade Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 on-premises; apply cumulative updates and security patches on a controlled schedule.

• Run and maintain Exchange Hybrid with Microsoft 365: hybrid configuration, free/busy, cross-premises mail flow, and directory synchronisation health.

• Execute mailbox migrations (on-prem to/from Exchange Online) with zero-data-loss cutovers and a tested rollback for each wave.

• Manage mailbox lifecycle, distribution and shared mailboxes, mail flow, transport rules, send/receive connectors, and certificate lifecycle (issuance, renewal, binding) with no lapsed-certificate outages.

• Design, build, and maintain Database Availability Groups (DAG) for Exchange high availability; own failover testing and quorum health.

• Diagnose and resolve complex mail-delivery, queue, performance, and availability problems using message tracking, protocol logs, and transport diagnostics.

Core: Active Directory & Group Policy

• Perform advanced Active Directory administration: domain services, sites, trusts, OU design, delegation, user authentication, and permissions.

• Design, implement, troubleshoot, and optimise Group Policy (GPO): scope, precedence, security filtering, and drift control.

• Administer and maintain DNS and DHCP as authoritative infrastructure services for the estate.

• Own AD replication health, security hardening (privileged accounts, tiering), and disaster-recovery readiness for the directory (backup, forest/domain recovery runbook, tested restore).

Core: Email Security

• Administer the enterprise email-security gateway/solution: anti-spam, anti-phishing, malware protection, content filtering, quarantine management, and policy tuning.

• Own the sender-authentication stack (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) from monitoring through enforcement, and manage mail routing and inbound/outbound threat protection.

• Investigate email-borne threats and phishing incidents with Information Security; tune policies to cut false positives without opening exposure.

Core: Networking & Security

• Apply working command of TCP/IP, DNS, routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, VLANs, and NAT to keep messaging and identity reachable and secure.

• Troubleshoot network-layer faults affecting mail flow, hybrid connectivity, and authentication end to end.

• Apply network-security principles and integrate cleanly across messaging, identity, cloud, and the security stack.

Core: Microsoft 365, Identity & Automation

• Administer Microsoft 365, Entra ID (Azure AD), and Single Sign-On (SSO): tenant configuration, conditional access, and application registrations in coordination with Information Security.

• Build and maintain PowerShell scripting and automation for provisioning, reporting, bulk operations, and repeatable runbooks.

• Own monitoring, backup, disaster recovery, patching, and infrastructure documentation for the messaging and identity estate; keep runbooks and topology current.

General

• Provide senior-level escalation for messaging, identity, and email-security incidents raised by IT Team Leaders and the Service Desk.

• Maintain up-to-date, formally registered technical documentation, standard operating procedures, and as-built diagrams.

• Contribute to departmental KPI objectives set for the financial year.

• Ensure IT policies, security standards, and change-management procedures are followed.

• Perform other assignments as required.

Business Continuity

• Ensure the messaging and identity BC/DR plans adequately deliver the required recovery capability and meet business continuity requirements.

• Maintain, test, and document DAG failover, AD recovery, and Exchange/M365 restore procedures on a periodic basis.

• Communicate the implications of infrastructure changes that may impact the BCMS.

• Participate in BC exercises; support the Business Impact Analysis for messaging and identity services.

• Make recommendations, remove roadblocks, and report continuity risk to IT management.

Working Arrangement (Onshore, Riyadh)

• Base: Riyadh, with on-site and hybrid working arrangements in line with organisational policy.

• Hours: Standard working hours, with flexibility to support business needs.

• On-call: Participates in an on-call rotation for critical messaging, identity, and email-security incidents, including outside standard working hours, in line with agreed response targets.

• Change windows: Executes major changes (upgrades, migrations, DAG/AD maintenance) inside approved maintenance windows, typically outside peak, with change-management sign-off.

• Access & security: Follows applicable information security, data-handling, and privileged-access controls.

Competencies: Professional and Technical

Behavioral Competencies

Competency Level

Analytical Thinking Level 4

Initiative Level 3

Continuous Learning Level 3

Communication (written & verbal) Level 3

Stress Management Level 3

Planning & Organizing Level 3

Adaptability Level 3

Teamwork Level 3

Technical Competencies

Competency Proficiency

Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 (on-prem + hybrid, DAG) Expert

Exchange migrations & mail flow / connectors / certificates Expert

Active Directory & Group Policy (design, DR, replication) Expert

DNS / DHCP / domain services Advanced

Email security (gateway, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, anti-phishing) Advanced

Microsoft 365 / Entra ID / SSO / Conditional Access Advanced

PowerShell scripting & automation Advanced

Networking & network security (TCP/IP, firewall, VPN, VLAN, NAT) Intermediate to Advanced

Backup, DR, patching & infrastructure documentation Advanced

Critical incident management Advanced

Competencies: EHS

Awareness of basic EHS requirements and corporate objectives; awareness of EHS/incident reporting within the QEHS management system.

Organizational Competencies

Intermediate. Refer to the organisation's applicable competency framework.

Decision Making

Decides and executes: messaging/identity configuration, patch and change execution within approved windows, migration cutover mechanics, GPO and email-security policy tuning, and automation design. Recommends and routes up: architecture changes, tenant-level identity/security policy, BC/DR strategy, and major-version platform decisions (to the relevant IT infrastructure and Information Security leadership).

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Maintain high availability of messaging services and prevent avoidable outages through timely certificate management and patching.

• Respond to critical messaging and identity incidents within agreed targets, restore services promptly, and document root causes.

• Mailbox migration waves delivered on schedule with zero data loss and a tested rollback per wave.

• Keep systems patched in line with approved security baselines and remediate critical vulnerabilities within required timeframes.

• Email security: SPF/DKIM/DMARC at enforcement; measured reduction in delivered phishing/spam with controlled false-positive rate.

• Test business continuity and disaster recovery procedures periodically and document successful recovery tests.

• Maintain current technical runbooks and infrastructure documentation for all owned services.

• Meet the individual KPIs agreed for the current financial year.

1. Level 3 Engineer of Microsoft Exchange 2019 and Exchange Server Subscription Edition. Have proven experience in installation and upgrade of Microsoft Exchange Environment-Expert.
2. Hybrid environment Microsoft 365 ability to manage Microsoft Teams. Active Directory and understanding of Group Policies

Qualification: Education and Experience

• Language: Arabic (native) and English (professional working proficiency).

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Equivalent experience with strong certification is acceptable in lieu of the degree.

• Experience: For a fully-fledged senior, 8+ years in enterprise Microsoft infrastructure, of which 5+ years hands-on with Exchange Server (2016/2019) on-premises and Exchange hybrid with Microsoft 365, in a mid-to-large, multi-site enterprise environment, with a full Exchange migration and a DAG deployment owned. A strong mid-senior Saudi national (6+ years) with solid Active Directory / Entra ID / Microsoft 365 depth and a genuine appetite to master on-prem Exchange is acceptable and encouraged under the organisation's development pathway, entering on a structured certification ramp (see the development plan).

• Certifications:

• Strongly preferred: MCSE: Messaging or MCSE: Server Infrastructure (or legacy MCITP: Enterprise Messaging), evidencing Exchange + AD depth. For a mid-senior entrant, these become ramp targets.

• Preferred: Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate (MS-203); Enterprise Administrator Expert (MS-102); Identity and Access Administrator (SC-300); Windows Server Hybrid Administrator (AZ-800/AZ-801).

• Nice-to-have: email-security vendor certification (Proofpoint / Mimecast / Microsoft Defender for Office 365), a networking cert (CCNA-level), and a security baseline (SC-900 / Security+).