Microsoft Specialist

Penta Consulting; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Penta Consulting is seeking a Senior Microsoft Security Specialist to own and drive a large-scale Microsoft security ecosystem across cloud and hybrid environments in Johannesburg. You will lead security architecture, incident response, governance, and operational security while mentoring junior teammates and acting as escalation point for complex issues.

The role focuses on strengthening Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, Entra ID, and related technologies, with a strong emphasis on Zero Trust, risk

Qualifications

• 8+ years IT infrastructure and cybersecurity experience.
• 5+ years dedicated to Microsoft security.
• Experience managing Microsoft E5 Security environments at large enterprises.
• Hands-on with Microsoft Sentinel and Defender technologies.
• Experience securing hybrid cloud environments (Azure & Microsoft 365).
• Mentoring junior security professionals and leading incidents.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive Microsoft security across cloud and hybrid environments.
• Define security standards, policies, baselines, and governance.
• Develop Microsoft security roadmaps aligned to objectives.
• Lead threat hunting and implement advanced protection controls.
• Manage Defender suite, Sentinel dashboards, rules, and playbooks.
• Lead incident response, investigations, and remediation planning.
• Mentor security and operations teams; promote security best practices.

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT / Cybersecurity / Computer Science

Security leadership

Threat hunting

Incident response

Governance & compliance

Tools

Microsoft Defender

Microsoft Sentinel

Microsoft Entra ID

Azure Security

Intune / SCCM/MECM

Job description

Contract: 6 Months (Extendable)

We are seeking an experienced Senior Microsoft Security Specialist to take ownership of and drive the continuous improvement of a large-scale Microsoft security ecosystem. This role will serve as the senior technical authority across Microsoft 365, Azure, Intune, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, Entra ID, and hybrid infrastructure environments, ensuring the organisation maintains a strong security posture while enabling business growth.

The successful candidate will lead strategic security initiatives, enhance cyber resilience, improve Microsoft Secure Score, and provide expert leadership on security architecture, incident response, governance, and operational security. This position will also act as the highest escalation point for complex Microsoft security issues while mentoring and guiding junior security professionals.

Key Responsibilities:

Microsoft Security Leadership & Governance:

• Own and manage the organisation’s Microsoft security landscape across cloud and hybrid environments.
• Define and implement security standards, policies, baselines, and governance frameworks.
• Develop and execute Microsoft security roadmaps aligned to business and cybersecurity objectives.
• Drive continuous improvements across the Microsoft E5 Security stack.
• Administer, optimise, and enhance the Microsoft Defender suite, including: o Defender for Endpoint
• Lead threat hunting activities and implement advanced threat protection controls.
• Analyse threat intelligence and strengthen detection and response capabilities.

Microsoft Sentinel & Security Operations:

• Own and continuously improve the Microsoft Sentinel platform.
• Develop detection rules, analytics, playbooks, automation workflows, dashboards, and threat-hunting capabilities.
• Collaborate closely with SOC teams to improve incident detection, investigation, and response effectiveness.
• Integrate Microsoft and third-party security data sources into Sentinel.

Identity & Access Management

• Lead the security and administration of Microsoft Entra ID.
• Implement and manage:
• Conditional Access
• Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
• Identity Protection
• Passwordless Authentication
• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Drive Zero Trust security initiatives and privileged access governance.

Azure Security & Cloud Governance

• Design and implement security controls across Azure environments.
• Manage Azure governance frameworks including Azure Policy, Landing Zones, and subscription governance.
• Conduct cloud security assessments and review security controls for new projects and cloud solutions.
• Manage and optimise Microsoft Intune and SCCM/MECM environments.
• Oversee endpoint security, compliance, patch management, MDM, MAM, and software deployment.
• Ensure secure and compliant endpoint management across the organisation.

Incident Response & Security Posture

• Act as the senior escalation point for critical security incidents.
• Lead investigations involving identity compromise, endpoint threats, cloud security incidents, insider threats, and advanced cyber-attacks.
• Conduct security assessments, vulnerability reviews, gap analyses, and control effectiveness reviews.
• Deliver actionable recommendations and remediation plans to improve security maturity.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to security and operational teams. Establish best practices, operational procedures, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Promote a security-first culture across the technology organisation.

Required Experience

• 8+ years of IT Infrastructure and Cybersecurity experience.
• 5+ years of dedicated Microsoft Security experience.
• Proven experience managing Microsoft E5 Security environments within large enterprise organisations.
• Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender technologies.
• Experience securing hybrid cloud environments across Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365.
• Expertise with Intune and SCCM/MECM co-management environments.
• Experience leading major security incidents, investigations, and remediation activities.
• Previous experience mentoring technical teams and acting as a senior escalation point.

Required Technical Skills:

Microsoft Security

• Microsoft Sentinel
• Microsoft Purview
• Microsoft Secure Score

Identity & Access Management

• Conditional Access
• MFA
• SSO
• PIM
• RBAC

Identity Protection Endpoint Management

• SCCM / MECM
• Patch Management
• Application Packaging & Deployment

Cloud & Security Operations

Governance & Compliance

• Threat Hunting
• SIEM & SOAR
• Vulnerability Management

Qualifications & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Engineering or a related field.

Highly desirable certifications include:

• Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100)
• Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200)
• Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300)
• Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate (SC-400)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
• CISSP
• CISM
• CCSP
• CompTIA Security+

What Success Looks Like

• Improved Microsoft Secure Score and overall security maturity.
• Enhanced threat detection and response effectiveness across Microsoft Sentinel.
• Reduced vulnerabilities and security exposure risks.
• Strong endpoint compliance and patch management performance.
• Successful delivery of Microsoft security roadmap initiatives.
• Effective incident response and recovery outcomes.
• Increased adoption of governance, compliance, and security best practices.

If you are a senior Microsoft security professional passionate about securing complex enterprise environments and driving strategic cybersecurity initiatives, we would like to hear from you.