Senior Microsoft 365 & Network Engineer - USA based, long term

Summary We are looking for a U.S.-based Senior IT Infrastructure, Microsoft 365 & Network Engineer for ongoing project work. We need someone who can be given a difficult problem and figure it out. You should be comfortable entering an unfamiliar client environment, investigating what previous IT providers may have left undocumented, identifying the root cause, developing a solution, explaining your recommendation, and implementing it carefully. This is not an entry-level help-desk position. We need someone with strong hands-on troubleshooting ability and good technical judgment. Hands-on experience with several of the following is important: Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune and Defender Windows Server, Active Directory and file servers NinjaOne RMM Bitdefender GravityZone Tenable Nessus Professional Sherweb cloud services and backup Microsoft 365 backup and disaster recovery SharePoint and OneDrive VPN troubleshooting and site-to-site VPNs SonicWall and other business firewalls Ubiquiti UniFi / Dream Machine Network switches, DNS, DHCP and routing Vulnerability assessment and remediation Server migrations and infrastructure modernization You must be able to communicate professionally and patiently, explain technical issues in business language, participate confidently in client meetings, ask the right questions before making changes, provide clear recommendations, document your work, and collaborate with our other senior engineers. We prefer 8–10+ years of strong hands-on infrastructure experience. Certifications are helpful, but actual technical ability, troubleshooting skills and judgment are more important.This is hourly project-based work. It is not a guaranteed-hours or monthly-retainer position. We are looking for someone interested in developing a long-term working relationship as our client base grows. IMPORTANT — Please Answer These Questions Please do not submit a generic proposal. Answer each question: How many years of senior-level IT infrastructure experience do you have? Are you currently based in the United States? What city and state? Describe one difficult Microsoft 365, Azure or Windows Server problem you personally diagnosed and solved. What hands-on experience do you have with Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune and Defender? Have you personally administered NinjaOne? If not, which RMM platforms have you extensively used? What hands-on experience do you have with Bitdefender GravityZone or comparable endpoint security platforms? Have you personally used Tenable Nessus/Nessus Professional? How do you analyze scan results and decide which vulnerabilities should be remediated first? What backup platforms have you personally configured and managed? Have you worked with Sherweb or Microsoft 365 cloud backup? What experience do you have troubleshooting VPNs, SonicWall firewalls, Ubiquiti UniFi/Dream Machine, switches and multi-location networks? Describe a difficult technical problem where the cause was not obvious. How did you determine the root cause?Are you comfortable speaking directly with business owners and employees and explaining technical risks in nontechnical language? Are you comfortable with project-based hourly work where hours may vary from week to week?