Principal Architect — Microsoft Security (Identity / Entra)

Role Summary

• Cambay Solutions is establishing and scaling a Microsoft Security practice focused on SMB and Mid?Market customers. We are seeking a Principal Architect to lead the creation and growth of a consulting and implementation capability (not a 24×7 SOC).
• This role is responsible for pre?sales leadership end-to-end (discovery ? solution design ? scope/estimate ? proposal/SOW ? close support) and for building a repeatable delivery capability.
• Geography: United States and Canada only.

What Success Looks Like

• First 90 Days: Stand up the practice blueprint (packaged offers, playbooks, SOW templates), lead active pre?sales pursuits, and launch a repeatable ‘Security Attach’ motion across Cambay accounts.
• First 12 Months: Launch and sell 6–9 packaged offers; hire/enable core roles; deliver lighthouse engagements with measurable outcomes; produce customer references and case studies.
• 3?Year Vision: Scale a profitable, repeatable Microsoft Security implementation practice that can compete with global partners in SMB/Mid?market bids using packaged offerings, delivery IP, and strong references.

Key Responsibilities

• Pre?Sales Ownership (Primary): Lead security pre?sales from discovery through proposal/SOW. Translate requirements into outcome?based architecture and implementation plans. Partner with Sales/Account teams to improve attach rate and win rate. (No formal bookings quota.)
• Practice Strategy & Offer Portfolio: Define the practice vision and roadmap. Productize offers and bundles across Identity-first Zero Trust (Microsoft Entra), Data Security (Microsoft Purview), Cloud Security (Microsoft Defender for Cloud), and SecOps foundations (Microsoft Defender + Microsoft Sentinel).
• Delivery Excellence & Governance: Establish a standard delivery framework (Discover ? Design ? Implement ? Validate ? Transition) and enforce quality gates (architecture review, RBAC/break?glass, logging standards, test scripts, evidence packs).
• IP & Accelerators: Build reusable artifacts (reference architectures, templates, checklists, runbooks, accelerators, SOW library) to drive repeatability and margin.
• Talent & Enablement: Hire and lead a high?performing team; mentor senior engineers/architects; define certification and skilling plans.
• Practice Operations: Own forecasting and capacity planning for the practice; track delivery health, customer satisfaction, and operational KPIs; build lightweight RFP/proposal response toolkit.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years in cybersecurity and/or cloud security; 5+ years in consulting/services leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success building or scaling a services practice (offer design, delivery IP, enablement, staffing, and governance).
• Deep expertise in Microsoft Entra / Azure AD, including Conditional Access, MFA/Passwordless patterns, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), identity governance (lifecycle/access reviews), and tenant security baseline patterns (RBAC/least privilege, break?glass).
• Strong pre?sales capability: can lead discovery workshops, design solutions, scope/estimate, and write proposals/SOWs; executive presence with CIO/IT leadership and security stakeholders.
• Strong delivery governance: scope control, risk management, stakeholder management, and consistent documentation/hand?off discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft certifications (strongly preferred): SC?300; plus SC?200 / SC?400 / AZ?500 as a bonus.
• Experience delivering packaged, fixed?scope engagements for SMB and mid?market customers.
• Experience integrating identity implementations with Purview, Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, and Microsoft Defender workloads.
• Familiarity with Microsoft partner motions (co?sell readiness, specialization readiness) and creating marketplace-ready services listings is a plus.

Key Competencies

• Executive presence and consultative leadership
• Outcome?based selling and scoping discipline
• Hands?on Microsoft identity-first architecture and implementation leadership
• Practice building mindset: productization, repeatability, enablement
• People leadership: hiring, coaching, performance management
• Operational rigor: quality gates, delivery predictability, customer satisfaction