Modern Workplace Manager

Mott MacDonald Group; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Pension matching 4.5–7%

Life assurance up to 4x salary

Employee ownership Programme

Job summary

Mott MacDonald is seeking a Modern Workplace Lead to shape how the organisation collaborates, focusing on Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint and Copilot. You will own strategy, governance, and lifecycle across these services to deliver secure, resilient experiences for colleagues.

You will lead a team across Architecture, Cyber and IT Operations, driving adoption, standards and continuous improvement in a hybrid working environment.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of Microsoft services in a complex enterprise with roadmap, governance and adoption.
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft 365 stack and related tools (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Purview, Copilot).
• Strong architecture, security, resilience and operational readiness leadership.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and ability to explain trade-offs in business terms.
• People leadership experience and ability to drive accountable delivery.
• Uses service data and feedback to prioritise work and demonstrate outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end strategy and lifecycle for Microsoft 365 and collaboration services.
• Set platform standards, baselines, guardrails and governance across collaboration and security.
• Manage Microsoft evergreen change, dependencies and risks across services.
• Ensure new features are secure, supported, documented and recoverable.
• Maintain evidence for audits and address vulnerabilities and gaps.
• Lead Copilot and AI readiness across security, governance and adoption.
• Use service data to improve platform health and user experience.
• Manage technical debt, capacity, availability and security remediation.
• Maintain continuity and recovery arrangements with tested plans.

Skills

Microsoft leadership

Microsoft 365

Platform architecture

Stakeholder engagement

People leadership

Data-driven prioritisation

Education

Microsoft certifications (or equivalent)

Tools

Microsoft 365

Teams

SharePoint

OneDrive

Purview

Copilot

End-user tooling

Job description

Location/s: Newcastle, UK

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee‑owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

Overview of the role

As Modern Workplace Lead, you will shape how the organisation works, collaborates and innovates. You will own the strategy, governance, maintenance and continuous improvement of Microsoft 365 and collaboration services, including Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, GitHub, Purview, Copilot, endpoint productivity tooling and the wider Microsoft ecosystem—turning a fast-moving technology landscape into simple, secure, resilient and effective experiences for colleagues.

You will be the senior service authority and a trusted adviser to business and technology leaders, working across Architecture, Cyber and Information Security, Digital, IT Operations, Microsoft and strategic partners. You will shape priorities, investment and standards, develop a strong Microsoft team, and ensure platforms remain secure, compliant, supportable and resilient throughout their lifecycle. You will also turn new capabilities, including AI and Copilot, into practical improvements in productivity, collaboration, service performance and user experience

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Own the end-to-end strategy, lifecycle and roadmap for Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Purview, Copilot, workplace endpoint tooling, GitHub and collaboration services—from strategy and design through transition, live operation, maintenance and retirement
• Set and assure platform standards, configuration baselines, guardrails and governance across collaboration, identity, privileged access, information protection, automation, AI and Copilot services
• Manage Microsoft evergreen change and internally initiated configuration, integration, automation and partner-delivered change, ensuring impacts, dependencies and risks are understood
• Ensure new services, features and material changes are secure, supportable, documented and recoverable before release
• Maintain evidence for audits and assurance activities, and ensure vulnerabilities, control exceptions, audit findings and gaps in service ownership are addressed promptly
• Lead Copilot and AI readiness, covering security, information protection, governance, support, user enablement and adoption
• Use service data and feedback to improve platform health, resilience and user experience
• Manage technical debt, capacity, availability, service dependencies, privileged access and security remediation
• Maintain continuity and recovery arrangements, including recovery objectives, service dependencies, supplier commitments and regularly tested recovery plans

Candidate specification

Essential:

• Proven leadership of Microsoft services in a complex enterprise, including roadmap, governance, service improvement and adoption
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange Online, Entra ID, Power Platform, Purview, Viva, Copilot and endpoint tooling
• Strong technical leadership across platform architecture, security, compliance, resilience and operational readiness
• Strong stakeholder engagement, with the ability to explain technical issues and trade-offs in clear business language
• People leadership experience, including setting direction, developing capability and driving accountable delivery
• Uses service data, adoption insight, incidents, problems and feedback to prioritise work and demonstrate outcomes

Desirable:

• Relevant Microsoft certifications or equivalent experience across administration, identity, security, compliance, Power Platform, Purview or Copilot
• Experience managing Microsoft, strategic partners and enterprise support arrangements, including demand planning, supplier performance and value realisation
• Exposure to AI, Copilot, GitHub or comparable collaboration and developer platforms
• Experience operating in a complex, global or matrix organisation

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

AI Usage

At Mott MacDonald, we see the value AI can bring, but we take a people-first approach to hiring. While AI tools can help candidates prepare and build confidence, every application and hiring decision is reviewed by our recruitment and hiring teams. We encourage the responsible use of AI while ensuring we get to know the real person behind the application.

Accessibility

We want you to feel supported and able to perform at your best throughout our recruitment process. If there is anything we can do to make applying or interviewing with us more accessible, please contact us at [e-mail] and we'll be happy to discuss how we can help.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• 10 days additional paid leave for Armed Forces Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• We offer policies and dedicated support to help military families balance service life with career and wellbeing.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and Gold Award holders in the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme, supported by our dedicated internal Armed Forces Network.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.