Lead/Principal Microsoft Purview Implementation Associate

Lead/Principal Microsoft Purview Implementation Associate

Fully Remote | Data Governance & Compliance

About the Role

We're hiring a Lead/Principal-level Associate to own our Microsoft Purview program end-to-end from current-state assessment through classification, DLP, retention, and governance. This is a build-and-own role: you'll design the systems, defend the decisions to legal and compliance, and stay accountable through hypercare and ongoing maintenance. You'll work directly with data owners, security, and compliance leadership to turn an unclassified data estate into a governed, audit-ready one.

What You'll Own

• Assessment & Inventory — Assess existing Purview configuration, identify gaps across discovery, classification, DLP, retention, and reporting. Build a full repository inventory (SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange, Teams, file shares, databases, cloud apps, endpoints) with named business owners and regulatory relevance.
• Governance Design — Map regulatory and internal policy requirements to enforceable Purview controls. Define ownership, approval, exception, and escalation processes that hold up under audit.
• Classification & Labeling — Design an organization-wide classification taxonomy and label behavior. Build custom Sensitive Information Types, keyword dictionaries, and Exact Data Match rules for data types beyond Microsoft's defaults. Validate automated labeling in simulation/audit-only mode before enforcement.
• DLP Configuration — Design and tune DLP policies across email, collaboration, endpoint, and cloud channels — balancing real risk reduction against business disruption.
• Retention & Records Management — Define retention labels, disposition rules, and record classifications in partnership with legal and compliance.
• Risk & Posture Management — Identify shadow data, oversharing, risky permissions, and classification drift; risk-rate findings and drive remediation through governance forums.
• Testing & Reporting — Run pilots and UAT, tune policies based on false positive/negative analysis, and build dashboards and KPIs/KRIs that leadership actually uses to make decisions.
• Enablement & Documentation — Train data owners, stewards, and end users. Deliver complete documentation (taxonomy, policy registers, catalogues, SOPs) and lead knowledge transfer.

What You Bring

• 10+ years in data governance, information security, or compliance, with hands-on Microsoft Purview implementation experience across classification, DLP, retention, and risk management — not just one module
• Demonstrated experience building custom classifiers or Exact Data Match rules for non-standard data types
• A track record of navigating data-owner and cross-functional stakeholder alignment, not just technical configuration
• Experience running pilot/UAT cycles and tuning policies based on real user feedback and false-positive/negative analysis
• SC-400 and/or SC-401 certification (required)
• Strong documentation discipline — you build for handover, not just for yourself

Nice to Have

• Experience in a regulated industry (financial services, healthcare, government)
• Experience presenting governance findings to an executive or board-level committee