Copilot Studio Technical Lead

1026 Avanade Inc. Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) plan

Bonus opportunities

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Avanade is seeking a Copilot Studio Technical Lead to guide enterprise clients through strategy, design, architecture, governance, implementation, and adoption of Copilot Studio solutions across Microsoft 365, Azure, and Power Platform.

You will lead end-to-end implementation, client workshops, responsible AI practices, security and compliance, and delivery leadership, mentoring juniors and advancing Microsoft's enterprise AI initiatives in Chicago.

Qualifications

• Strong technical foundation in Copilot Studio, Power Platform, and enterprise AI solution design.
• Ability to lead complex client discussions with senior stakeholders and drive governance.
• Microsoft certifications including AI-102, PL-600, and AZ-305 preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end architecture of Copilot Studio solutions including copilots, plugins, connectors, data sources, and governance frameworks.
• Configure Copilot Studio environments, connectors, authentication, and integration endpoints.
• Build and deploy plugins, custom connectors, and automation using Power Automate, Azure Functions, Logic Apps, and API Management.
• Establish CI/CD pipelines, ALM processes, and environment governance for Copilot solutions.
• Support production readiness by defining testing approach, monitoring needs, escalation paths, and documentation.
• Facilitate workshops, discovery sessions, and roadmap planning with business and technical stakeholders.
• Advise clients on AI adoption, responsible AI practices, and enterprise governance models.
• Lead delivery teams, manage workstreams, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to executive audiences with clarity and confidence.
• Partner with client security, compliance, legal, platform, and business stakeholders to ensure solutions are approved and scalable.
• Help clients define what copilots should and should not do, including boundaries for autonomous actions and human-in-the-loop reviews.
• Define enterprise Copilot Studio operating models, including intake, triage, approval workflows, and lifecycle management.
• Implement identity, access, and data governance using Entra ID, Dataverse, and Microsoft 365.
• Define adoption measures, usage reporting, feedback loops, and continuous improvement processes.

Skills

Copilot Studio

Prompt Engineering

Power Platform

Azure Functions

Logic Apps

API Management

Dataverse

Microsoft 365 integration

Security governance

Enterprise architecture

Change management

Executive communication

Tools

Azure Services

Job description

Introduction The Copilot Studio Technical Lead is responsible for leading enterprise clients through the strategy, design, architecture, governance, implementation, and adoption of Microsoft Copilot Studio solutions, serving as a trusted advisor who bridges technical expertise with strategic business outcomes. This role combines deep AI and Power Platform knowledge with consulting leadership to help organizations responsibly integrate intelligent copilots across their Microsoft 365, Azure, and enterprise digital ecosystems.

Come Join Us Join Avanade's AI Workforce practice and be at the forefront of enterprise AI transformation — architecting the next generation of intelligent Copilot solutions on Microsoft's most cutting‑edge technologies. This is your opportunity to shape how global organizations adopt AI at scale, working alongside world‑class practitioners on engagements that truly matter.

What you'll do

1. Solution Architecture & Design

Lead end‑to‑end architecture of Copilot Studio solutions including copilots, plugins, connectors, data sources, and governance frameworks.

Translate business requirements into scalable, secure, and compliant architectures using Copilot Studio, Power Platform, Azure services, and Microsoft 365.

Lead AI use case assessment and platform fit analysis across Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, Power Platform, and related enterprise tools.

Design conversational flows, orchestration logic, and integration patterns for enterprise copilots.

Define data models, lifecycle policies, and environment strategies using Dataverse and Azure resources.

Establish architecture patterns that balance business value, technical feasibility, security, compliance, and operational readiness.

2. Deployment & Implementation

Lead technical implementation across development, testing, deployment, and operationalization.

Configure Copilot Studio environments, connectors, authentication, and integration endpoints.

Build and deploy plugins, custom connectors, and automation using Power Automate, Azure Functions, Logic Apps, and API Management.

Establish CI/CD pipelines, ALM processes, and environment governance for Copilot solutions.

Support production readiness by defining testing approach, monitoring needs, escalation paths, and documentation.

3. Client Engagement & Leadership

Facilitate workshops, discovery sessions, and roadmap planning with business and technical stakeholders.

Advise clients on AI adoption, responsible AI practices, and enterprise governance models.

Lead delivery teams, manage workstreams, and ensure high‑quality deliverables.

Communicate complex technical concepts to executive audiences with clarity and confidence.

Serve as the bridge between business users, IT, security, data owners, platform teams, and engineering teams to move ideas from concept to approved implementation.

4. Security, Compliance & Responsible AI

Define enterprise Copilot Studio operating models, including intake, triage, approval workflows, environment strategy, connector governance, DLP alignment, lifecycle management, and production readiness criteria.

Implement identity, access, and data governance controls using Entra ID, Dataverse, and Microsoft 365.

Ensure copilots adhere to responsible AI, privacy, and compliance requirements.

Conduct risk assessments, security reviews, and architectural validation.

Partner with client security, compliance, legal, platform, and business stakeholders to ensure solutions are approved, supportable, and aligned to enterprise AI standards.

Help clients define what copilots should and should not do, including boundaries for autonomous actions, human‑in‑the‑loop review, sensitive data access, and system‑of‑record updates.

5. Operational Readiness & Change Management

Support user adoption, training, and operational readiness activities.

Develop documentation, runbooks, and governance artifacts.

Partner with change management teams to ensure successful rollout and sustained usage.

Define adoption measures, usage reporting, feedback loops, and continuous improvement processes to help clients move beyond pilot/demo efforts into sustainable enterprise adoption.

6. Thought Leadership & Practice Development

Contribute to Avanade's AI and Power Platform communities through reusable assets, accelerators, and best practices.

Mentor junior consultants and support capability development across the practice.

Stay current with Microsoft AI innovations and emerging technologies.

Support internal offering development by contributing lessons learned, delivery patterns, governance templates, and client‑ready accelerators.

Strong technical foundation and hands‑on experience in Microsoft Copilot Studio, Power Platform, and enterprise AI solution design, with the ability to lead complex client conversations with confidence.

Passionate about emerging AI technologies and committed to responsible, ethical AI practices.

Skilled at simplifying complex technical concepts for non‑technical and executive audiences.

Collaborative mindset with an unwavering focus on client success and delivering measurable outcomes.

Proven ability to mentor and develop junior consultants, fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Holds or actively pursuing relevant Microsoft certifications including AI-102, PL-600, and AZ-305, demonstrating a commitment to technical excellence.

Demonstrated track record of delivering AI and Power Platform solutions in complex enterprise environments, from initial strategy through to sustained adoption.

Comfortable operating at the intersection of advisory, architecture, governance, delivery leadership, and hands‑on technical validation.

Skills & Experiences

• Microsoft Copilot Studio (Copilot design, plugin development, orchestration, conversational AI)
• Prompt Engineering (capable of writing instructions, setting agent personas, and defining AI behavior)
• Power Platform design and development: Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse
• Power Platform and Copilot Studio Governance
• Azure services: Azure Functions, Logic Apps, API Management, Cognitive Services (nice to have)
• Microsoft 365 integration
• Custom connector and plugin development
• Understanding of enterprise security, identity, access management, monitoring, logging, and operational support needs for AI‑enabled solutions
• Delivery & Architecture – Scalable and secure enterprise solution architecture
• CI/CD pipelines and ALM processes for Power Platform and Copilot solutions
• Environment governance, lifecycle management, and ALM strategies
• Dataverse data modeling and environment strategy design
• API integration patterns including OAuth 2.0, Entra ID, and enterprise authentication
• Ability to assess when Copilot Studio is the right fit versus Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, Power Automate, Power Apps, or other enterprise platforms
• Consulting & Business Skills – Client engagement, workshop facilitation, and discovery leadership
• Responsible AI advisory and enterprise AI governance
• Agile delivery methodologies and project workstream management
• Change management, user adoption, and organizational readiness
• Executive communication and the ability to translate complex technical concepts for senior stakeholders
• Stakeholder management and consulting leadership across cross‑functional teams

Key Success Metrics

• Number of enterprise Copilot Studio solutions successfully designed and deployed
• Copilot adoption and user engagement rates post‑deployment
• Security and compliance adherence across all delivered solutions
• Client delivery quality and satisfaction scores
• Reusable assets, accelerators, and best practices contributed to the practice

Compensation at Avanade varies depending on a wide array of factors, which may include but are not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. As required by local law, Avanade provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired as set forth below. We anticipate this job posting will be posted on 10/12/26 and open for at least 30 days. Avanade offers a market competitive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, and long‑term disability coverage, a 401(k) plan, bonus opportunities, paid holidays, and paid time off.

See more information on our benefits here: Benefits and Total Rewards | Avanade United States

Role Location Annual Salary Range

• California 155,000- 184,000
• Cleveland 140,000- 165,000
• Colorado 140,000- 165,000
• District of Columbia 155,000- 184,000
• Illinois 150,000- 178,000
• Maryland 155,000- 184,000
• Maine 155,000- 184,000
• Massachusetts 155,000- 184,000
• Minnesota 150,000- 178,000
• New York 165,000- 195,000
• New Jersey 140,000- 165,000
• Virginia 155,000- 184,000
• Washington 155,000- 184,000

At Avanade, we advance the world through the power of people and Microsoft. Join us to shape your skills and the future with bold ideas and innovative solutions. Our partnership with Microsoft and Accenture empowers you to unlock your full potential. Working at Avanade offers the chance to build a career path that suits your skills and interests and the freedom to be your authentic self. We are committed to your growth, well‑being, and success. This is where passion meets opportunity, technology meets humanity, and every challenge is a chance to make a genuine impact on colleagues, clients, and communities. Together, we do what matters.