Lead Systems Administrator

Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them.

Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time, including CPT/OPT.

The Lead Systems Administrator will serve as the technical lead for the enterprise Microsoft 365 Messaging platform, Exchange Online, and enterprise email security services as part of the Empower Technology Infrastructure team. This role is responsible for the architecture, administration, governance, security, and operational excellence of the organization's messaging infrastructure, with a strong focus on Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, Proofpoint Email Protection, advanced email routing, and secure mail flow. The Lead Systems Administrator will lead the design, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of enterprise messaging and email security solutions to support high availability, compliance, resiliency, and protection against phishing, malware, business email compromise, and other emerging threats.

What you will do:

• Serve as the technical lead and subject matter expert for Microsoft 365 Messaging technologies, including Exchange Online and related Microsoft services.
• Lead administration and engineering of Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft 365 messaging services, and hybrid mail environments.
• Design, implement, and maintain enterprise email security solutions using Proofpoint Email Protection, Targeted Attack Protection, Email Fraud Defense, and related Proofpoint technologies.
• Design and support complex enterprise mail flow and advanced email routing, including SMTP routing, secure connectors, hybrid Exchange routing, third-party integrations, domain management, transport rules, and mail relay services.
• Manage email authentication technologies, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, to improve email security and reduce spoofing.
• Design and maintain policies supporting phishing protection, malware prevention, data loss prevention, encryption, and email compliance.
• Partner with Cybersecurity teams to investigate messaging threats, email incidents, and security events.
• Develop standards, operational procedures, and self-service documentation for messaging technologies.
• Automate administrative functions using PowerShell, Microsoft Graph API, Azure Automation, or related scripting technologies.
• Monitor messaging health, service availability, mail flow, queue performance, routing efficiency, and security metrics.
• Lead operational support for Microsoft 365 messaging platforms while participating in incident response and problem management activities.
• Collaborate with Identity and Access Management teams on authentication, Conditional Access, and secure administrative access.
• Work closely with Microsoft, Proofpoint, and other technology vendors to resolve complex issues and implement strategic improvements.
• Evaluate emerging Microsoft 365 and messaging technologies and provide architectural recommendations.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and knowledge transfer to other infrastructure engineers and operational support teams.
• Partner with Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Identity, Networking, Compliance, and Application teams to deliver secure, scalable, and highly available messaging services while driving automation, operational excellence, and strategic modernization initiatives.

What you will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

What will set you apart:

• Microsoft and/or Proofpoint certifications.
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration with emphasis on Exchange Online.
• Extensive experience supporting enterprise messaging environments serving large organizations.
• Strong experience