Microsoft Cybersecurity Operations Lead (Hybrid)

DEFEND Limited; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Kiwisaver 3.5% on top of base salary

Southern Cross Health Insurance

Mobile and Broadband discounts

Flexible, hybrid work environment

Home office setup allowance

Access to EAP services

Annual leave & wellbeing support

Job summary

DEFEND is seeking a Microsoft Cybersecurity Operations Lead to oversee the configuration, governance, and performance of Microsoft security ecosystems for Managed Services customers. You’ll drive strategic platform improvements while maintaining a robust security posture.

You’ll lead administration, collaborate with teams, and translate security objectives into practical controls, ensuring continuous improvement and effective incident response across customer environments.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft cybersecurity products and how they fit within enterprise security.
• Deep understanding of identity security, device management, and Zero Trust principles.
• Experience designing and implementing Conditional Access and Intune policy.
• Proven ability to balance operational support with platform improvement and governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the administration, configuration, and optimisation of Microsoft security platforms and related technologies.
• Develop and maintain security baselines, policies, and standards aligned to industry frameworks.
• Drive continuous product and service improvements delivered to customers.
• Monitor platform health, performance, and effectiveness, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate with customer stakeholders to translate security objectives into practical Microsoft controls.
• Analyse emerging capabilities and recommend enhancements to improve security outcomes.
• Support incident response with platform expertise and security control insights.
• Coordinate with engineering, detection, and response teams to ensure controls operate effectively across environments.

Skills

Microsoft security products

Identity security

Zero Trust

Intune policy design

Stakeholder engagement

Governance & documentation

Platform improvement

Tools

Microsoft security platforms

Intune

Conditional Access

Job description

DEFEND is seeking a Microsoft Cybersecurity Operations Lead to oversee the configuration, governance, and performance of Microsoft security ecosystems for Managed Services customers. You’ll drive strategic platform improvements while maintaining a robust security posture.

You’ll lead administration, collaborate with teams, and translate security objectives into practical controls, ensuring continuous improvement and effective incident response across customer environments.