Microsoft Cybersecurity Operations Lead (Hybrid)

DEFEND; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3.5% KiwiSaver on top of base salary

Southern Cross Health Insurance

Mobile and Broadband discounts

Flexible, hybrid work environment

Home office setup allowance

EAP services

Job summary

DEFEND in New Zealand is seeking an experienced Operations Lead to oversee Microsoft Cybersecurity for our managed services customers. You will configure and optimise Microsoft security platforms, drive governance and incident readiness, and lead continuous improvement across the security stack.

You will collaborate with engineering, detection, and response teams, translate security objectives into concrete controls, and champion best practices in identity security, device management, and Zero

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of Microsoft security products.
• Deep understanding of identity security, device management and Zero Trust.
• Experience designing and implementing Conditional Access and Intune policies.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Proven ability to balance operational support with strategic platform improvement.
• Strong documentation, reporting and governance capabilities.
• Commitment to continuous learning and platform optimisation.

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 and best practices.
• Drive continuous improvement of our products and services that we deliver to our customers.
• Monitor platform health, performance, and effectiveness, proactively identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate with customer stakeholders to understand security objectives and translate them into practical Microsoft security controls.
• Analyse emerging platform capabilities and recommend enhancements that improve security outcomes.
• Support incident response activities by providing platform expertise and security control insights.
• Coordinate with engineering, detection, and response teams to ensure security controls operate effectively across customer environments.

Skills

Microsoft security

Identity security

Zero Trust

Conditional Access

Intune policy

Stakeholder engagement

Documentation

Continuous learning

Job description

DEFEND in New Zealand is seeking an experienced Operations Lead to oversee Microsoft Cybersecurity for our managed services customers. You will configure and optimise Microsoft security platforms, drive governance and incident readiness, and lead continuous improvement across the security stack.

You will collaborate with engineering, detection, and response teams, translate security objectives into concrete controls, and champion best practices in identity security, device management, and Zero