M365 Intelligent Service Lead

Job Profile Summary

Reporting to the Head of Engineering, this senior role leads the operational management, service design, governance and delivery of Chaucer’s Cloud Microsoft 365 intelligent services function. It shapes the overall direction and evolution of M365 services and is accountable for the Power Platform estate, Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, the company Standard Operating Environment (SOE), and the reliable delivery and continuous improvement of M365 platform services.

The role requires a service-focused technology leader who combines M365 platform ownership, service design, operational control, engineering oversight and stakeholder engagement. It leads the development of M365 intelligent services, standards, patterns [DC1.1][SC1.2]and roadmaps within the M365 platform domain, working in partnership with the Architecture team to ensure alignment with enterprise direction. The role ensures M365 services are secure, resilient, compliant, supportable and aligned to business priorities while enabling responsible automation, low-code development and AI-assisted ways of working.

The role leads internal and third-party resources and provides senior M365 platform design leadership. It works closely with the Architecture team for enterprise design assurance and with the M365 Collaboration & Productivity team, responsible for SharePoint and core M365 productivity tools, to ensure shared standards, service boundaries, roadmaps and dependent changes deliver a coherent end-to-end M365 experience. It also works closely with the Integration, Data and Azure Cloud Operations teams where M365 services depend on enterprise APIs, orchestration services, data platforms or Azure AI capabilities.

Job Description

- Own the M365 service architecture, M365 cloud operations roadmap and service plan, aligning platform direction and priorities to business demand, agreed enterprise architecture, security requirements, technology strategy and the wider CTG operating model.
- Provide end-to-end service ownership for the Power Platform estate, including Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages and Dataverse, covering governance, administration, environment strategy, lifecycle management, support and operational assurance.
- Own the operational platform and service management [DC2.1][SC2.2]of Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio, including readiness, controlled adoption, licence and capacity oversight, support, monitoring and continuous improvement.
- Lead the delivery, transition and operational acceptance of new or changed M365 cloud services, ensuring requirements, controls, support models, documentation and ownership are established before go-live.
- Lead M365 platform design and establish service patterns, guardrails, standards and decision frameworks[DC3.1][SC3.2], seeking Architecture team assurance for material or cross-enterprise decisions.
- Define the Power Platform environment, data, connector, solution and application lifecycle management approach, including appropriate separation of development, test and production services.
- Ensure Copilot and low-code capabilities are introduced responsibly, with controls for identity, data access, privacy, information protection, records management, auditability and human oversight.
- Provide operational leadership as an escalation point for incidents, problems[DC4.1][SC4.2], service risks, capacity constraints, platform health and technical debt across the owned services.
- Drive automation, standardisation and self-service where these improve employee experience, operational efficiency and control effectiveness.
- Act as the senior platform adviser and escalation point for M365 services, shaping service design and bringing material architecture decisions through the appropriate assurance forums.
- Attend change, risk, service and technology governance forums [DC5.1][SC5.2]as required to provide assurance on service health, delivery, adoption, risk and business value.
- Shape the M365-side integration and orchestration approach for business processes that span Power Platform, Copilot, enterprise applications and shared data services, working with the Integration and Architecture teams on cross-enterprise patterns and assurance.
- Coordinate the use of Azure AI capabilities that extend M365 and Copilot services, ensuring clear ownership, support boundaries, security controls and operational readiness with the Azure, Data and AI platform teams.

Leadership and Strategy

- Demonstrates a high level of self-awareness through a commitment to continuous personal improvement and learning.

- Translates organisational vision into clear M365 service designs, platform choices, roadmaps, measurable goals and delivery priorities.

- Provides leadership and direction to M365 cloud operations, M365 platform configuration, [DC6.1][SC6.2]administration and support resources, including third parties.

- Creates an inclusive, accountable and service-oriented culture focused on reliable delivery, engineering discipline, customer experience and continuous improvement.

- Anticipates changes across the Microsoft cloud roadmap and assesses their implications for service design, security, operations, licensing, adoption, skills and business value.

- Balances pace of adoption with resilience, cost, risk, supportability and platform sustainability.

- Builds strong partnerships across Security, Architecture, Data, Service Management, End User Computing, Product, TMO/Change[DC7.1][SC7.2] and business teams.

- Motivates the team to deliver high-quality services and takes accountability for operational outcomes and decisions.

M365 Service Design and Architecture

- Define and maintain the M365 service architecture, reference patterns and strategic roadmap, working with the Architecture team to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, security, data and integration strategies.
- Provide senior platform design leadership across the M365 service landscape, including services owned by this role and dependencies with SharePoint and core productivity tools.
- Shape the future M365 service portfolio by assessing Microsoft roadmap developments, business demand and emerging capabilities, and translating them into investment choices and sequenced roadmaps.
- Lead M365 service design decisions and coordinate design assurance for material changes, working through the Architecture team and relevant governance forums where decisions have enterprise or cross-domain impact.
- Define M365-specific design principles and patterns for identity, information protection, data, integration, automation, extensibility, endpoint management and AI-enabled services, within agreed enterprise architecture guardrails.
- Advise senior technology and business stakeholders on M365 service options, trade-offs, risks, opportunities and recommended direction.
- Work with the M365 Collaboration & Productivity Lead to establish a joined-up M365 service design and roadmap while retaining clear operational accountability.
- Define how Power Platform, Copilot Studio and M365 services consume enterprise APIs, events, data services and orchestration capabilities, favouring approved reusable services over point-to-point integrations.
- Work with Azure, Data and AI platform owners to assess where Azure AI services are required to complement Microsoft Copilot or Copilot Studio, and to establish appropriate design, lifecycle, monitoring and support arrangements.

M365 Service Delivery Management

- Own service performance and operational delivery for the in-scope cloud M365 intelligent services, ensuring agreed service levels, controls and support outcomes are achieved.
- Establish clear service definitions, ownership, support models, operational documentation, runbooks, escalation paths and service acceptance criteria.
- Act as an escalation path for M365 incident, problem, [DC8.1][SC8.2]change, release, request, knowledge, capacity and continuity processes for the owned M365 platforms.
- Manage demand and delivery priorities across platform operations, engineering improvements, business enablement, risk reduction and mandatory change.
- Coordinate service communications, release readiness and user-impacting change with the owner of SharePoint and core M365 productivity services.

Technical Oversight

- Provide technical oversight of tenant configuration and administration for the owned M365 services, ensuring configuration is controlled, documented and aligned to approved architecture and security standards.
- Ensure Power Platform environments, connectors, gateways, data policies, managed solutions and lifecycle controls are consistently governed.
- Ensure Copilot Studio agents, actions, knowledge sources, connectors and publishing routes are subject to proportionate design, security, testing and release controls.
- Oversee the SOE across managed endpoints, including policy baselines, device configuration, application deployment, patching and update rings.
- Embed monitoring, telemetry, audit logging, recovery, continuity and operational resilience across the owned services.
- Maintain technical currency and reduce unsupported configurations, duplication, operational debt and avoidable complexity.
- Partner with the Architecture, Security and Data teams to ensure M365 designs align with Chaucer’s enterprise direction and required controls are embedded.
- Oversee the operational dependencies between M365 services and enterprise integration, orchestration and Azure AI components, ensuring monitoring, incident ownership, change coordination and recovery responsibilities are clear.
- Ensure connectors, APIs, custom actions, agent integrations and automated workflows are governed, documented and managed through appropriate testing, release and lifecycle controls.

Vendor and Commercial Management

- Manage the operational performance of Microsoft and relevant delivery or support partners against contractual commitments and service expectations.
- Contribute to supplier selection, due diligence, onboarding and service reviews for M365, Power Platform, Copilot and end-user computing capabilities.
- Oversee licence, capacity and consumption information for the owned services, identifying opportunities to improve utilisation and control cost.
- Hold third parties accountable for delivery quality, knowledge transfer, documentation, security and sustainable operational outcomes.

Stakeholder Engagement

- Collaborate with senior management, business stakeholders and delivery teams to understand needs, shape demand and agree priorities.

- Explain platform choices, constraints, risks and opportunities in clear language for technical and non-technical audiences.

- Build effective communities of practice for Power Platform makers, Copilot users, administrators and support teams.

- Promote responsible adoption through targeted guidance, communications, training and reusable patterns.

Risk Management

- Identify, assess and mitigate operational, security, compliance, resilience, data, licensing and supplier risks across the owned services.
- Design and embed robust controls for privileged access, environment management, data loss prevention, connectors, agent publishing, change and service operation.
- Ensure evidence is available to demonstrate control operation, auditability and compliance with company policies and applicable regulatory obligations.
- Maintain service risks, exceptions and remediation plans, escalating material concerns through the appropriate governance forums.

Performance Monitoring

- Establish and monitor KPIs and service measures covering M365 intelligent service availability, platform health, adoption, user experience, delivery throughput and cost.
- Measure the value and effectiveness of Power Platform and Copilot services through business outcomes and value. Such as time saved, process improvement, reuse, risk reduction and user satisfaction.
- Monitor platform growth, licence utilisation, capacity, technical debt and support demand to inform investment and prioritisation.
- Provide clear, evidence-based service reporting and improvement plans to CTG leadership and relevant governance forums.

Skills and Competencies

- Creates an inclusive environment that values individual differences and leverages diversity.
- Relevant experience leading Microsoft 365 cloud operations, M365 platform engineering or intelligent service delivery in a complex organisation, ideally within insurance or another regulated financial services environment.
- Demonstrable knowledge of Power Platform governance and administration, including environments, Dataverse, connectors, data policies, solution lifecycle management and operational support.
- Practical understanding of Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio service design, enablement, governance, administration, support and responsible adoption.
- Strong knowledge of modern endpoint management and SOE disciplines, including device configuration, policy management, application deployment, patching and release management.
- Good understanding of identity, access management, information protection, security, compliance, audit and operational resilience in the Microsoft cloud.
- Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary internal and third-party teams and to manage service performance, priorities, suppliers and budgets.
- Strategic problem-solving and service design capability, with the ability to assess options, shape future states, make evidence-based trade-offs and translate them into practical roadmaps and delivery plans.

ABOUT US

Chaucer is a leading insurance group at Lloyd’s, the world’s specialist insurance market. We help protect industries around the world from the risks they face. Our customers include major airlines, energy companies, shipping groups, global manufacturers and property groups.

Our headquarters are in London, and we have international offices in Bermuda, Copenhagen, Dubai and Singapore to be closer to our clients across the world. To learn more about us please visit our website.

Chaucer is committed to diversity, actively values difference and respects people regardless of the protected characteristics which are outlined in the Equality Act 2010 (UK legislation) as a result of the Equal Treatment Directive 2006 (EU legislation).

A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are core to our success as a business and integral to our winning strategy and culture. We recruit from the widest available pool of talent, and our hiring, assessment and selection process is fair, free from bias and one which ensures we select the right person for the job, based on merit. We are committed to promoting a culture that actively values difference, and recognises that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their employment.

We are open to considering flexible working arrangements for all roles and encourage you to outline your needs during the interview process.