Senior Solutions Specialist

at  Queens University

ABOUT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.
We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.
Come work with us!

A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Are you experienced in designing solutions for the Microsoft 365 platform and eager to bring new technologies to life? The Information Technology Services department at Queen’s University is seeking a dynamic and skilled Senior Solutions Specialist to lead the design, development, implementation, and transition to operations of Microsoft 365 applications and services.
As a Senior Solutions Specialist and member of the Digital Productivity and Collaboration team, you’ll collaborate with a dedicated team of analysts, administrators, and specialists to enable, automate, and maintain a comprehensive suite of Microsoft 365 communications, collaboration, and security and compliance solutions. Your expertise will span across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Teams Voice, Microsoft Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Purview, and other complementary applications and systems.
This position leads the design, planning, development, implementation and operationalization of enterprise software applications, services, and data management systems. This position evaluates new technologies to identify opportunities for the organization as well as to ensure compatibility and functionality with existing application environments. This position designs service changes, plans, oversees, and communicates service changes, and works other staff, external vendors, and end-users to prepare for change. This position creates and coordinates education and awareness programs related to enterprise services. This position also acts as a subject matter expert in identifying and resolving complex application design and maintenance problems. As such, this position may be required to be available after hours for emergency contact and to support the team during any significant incidents, upgrades or project implementation.
In this newly created position, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your project planning, collaboration, and change management skills. As a key member of the Digital Productivity and Collaboration team, you will proactively plan services and vendor releases, including developing service roadmaps and future strategies, manage change processes, maintain systems, and provide robust support. A key aspect of your responsibilities will be managing automation and leveraging your programming skills, including proficiency in PowerShell, Power Automate, automation techniques, and Graph API, to streamline and enhance processes. You will troubleshoot technical issues, offer expert assistance, ensure thorough documentation, and deliver impactful education and awareness programs, fostering a culture of continuous learning. Strong communication skills and a focus on customer service are fundamental to your success. As the key point of contact, you will provide leadership in developing and implementing new features, services, and processes, ensuring that the evolving needs of our diverse University community are met.
If you have a high degree of technical knowledge, a proactive mindset, and a passion for customer service, we invite you to apply and become a key player in driving our Microsoft 365 services forward. Elevate your career and make a meaningful impact—apply today to join our IT Services team as a Senior Solutions Specialist!

REQUIRED EDUCATION

• Four-Year Bachelor Degree or equivalent. In addition, requires trade certification, qualification, or on-going learning to remain ahead of changes in technology or emerging fields.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• More than 5 years of experience.
• Experience with scripting and programming languages (e.g. PowerShell, Microsoft Graph, KQL) is required.
• Experience with designing and implementing solutions leveraging Microsoft 365 applications and services, such as SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Voice, and Power Platform components considered an asset.
• Experience with Microsoft Identity and Access solutions (e.g. Active Directory, Entra ID) considered an asset.
• Experience with Microsoft security and compliance tools (e.g. Microsoft 365 Defender, Purview) considered an asset.
• Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

JOB KNOWLEDGE AND REQUIREMENTS

• Knowledge of concepts and principles in a specialist field that is typically acquired through a combination of advanced professional or academic qualifications and/or significant work experience.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and consultation on highly complex issues and/or where the outcome may be contentious.
• Interaction with others requires highly developed interpersonal skills to effectively persuade, negotiate, counsel, and/or consult.
• Adapt messages to meet the different needs of different audiences.
• Prioritize and distribute work to deliver objectives on time and to the highest standard.
• Identify in advance when the intended results may not be achieved and develops a plan to address the gaps.
• Lead team and project meetings and develop team/unit and departmental project plans.
• Lead procedural or technological change within a unit or across broader university functions.
• Identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of work processes.
• Anticipate complex challenges to ensure activities are completed on time.
• Effectively leverage relevant data as input to making decisions.
• Appropriately assess risks before making a decision.
• Comprehensive understanding of what sexual violence, harassment and discrimination are, and their varying effects on diverse members of the community.
• Question and take appropriate steps to address attitudes, macroaggressions and other behaviours which are discriminatory. Acknowledges and respects diverse cultural traditions, abilities and beliefs.

• Leads the design, planning, development, implementation, and operationalization of enterprise software applications and data management systems.
• Evaluates new technologies to identify opportunity for the organization as well as to ensure compatibility and functionality with existing application environments.
• Establishes and implements enterprise service roadmap plans, and incorporates vendor releases.
• Works with other staff and external vendors to design service changes ensuring that end-users and operations and support groups are prepared for change.
• Defines and manages service changes to improve service planning, implementation, and operationalization.
• Creates and coordinates education and awareness program related to enterprise services.
• Works with the university community to promote service features and encourages the adoption and usage of enterprise services.
• Develops, executes, and maintains testing methodology including detailed test plans for a variety of production services, ensuring proper documentation.
• Acts as a subject matter expert in identifying and resolving complex application design and maintenance problems.
• Develops and maintains system and application utilities when custom software is required.
• Other duties as required in support of the department and/or unit.