Microsoft Data Protection Architect

Job Title: Microsoft Data Protection Architect

Location: London / Manchester / Leeds / Birmingham

Salary: Competitive Salary depending on experience

Career Level: Manager

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. With our thought leadership and culture of innovation, we apply industry expertise, diverse skill sets and next-generation technology to each business challenge.

We believe in inclusion and diversity and supporting the whole person. Our core values comprise of Stewardship, Best People, Client Value Creation, One Global Network, Respect for the Individual and Integrity. Year after year, Accenture is recognized worldwide not just for business performance but for inclusion and diversity too.

“Across the globe, one thing is universally true of the people of Accenture: We care deeply about what we do and the impact we have with our clients and with the communities in which we work and live. It is personal to all of us.” – Julie Sweet, Accenture CEO

The Accenture Microsoft Business Group (AMBG) is a global team of 80,000+ professionals, recognised 19 times as Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year. We’re leaders in AI and Business Applications, helping clients achieve end-to-end transformation—from strategy to delivery and managed services.

Role Purpose: As a Microsoft Data Protection Architect, you will lead the design and delivery of data protection solutions across Microsoft 365, Azure, and hybrid environments. You will be instrumental in helping clients secure their data estates, especially in AI-enabled environments, using Microsoft’s full security stack and Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) capabilities.

This is a client-facing, delivery-focused role with opportunities to contribute to pre-sales, solution shaping, and thought leadership across Accenture engagements.

Key Responsibilities:

Delivery Leadership (approx. 80%) –

• Architect Microsoft Purview solutions for Information Protection, DLP, Insider Risk Management, Records Management, and Data Lifecycle Management.

• Design and implement DSPM for AI using Microsoft Purview’s AI-specific controls to secure generative AI platforms (e.g. Copilot, Fabric, OpenAI integrations).

• Lead AI data risk assessments, including oversharing analysis, data classification, and adaptive protection enforcement.

• Integrate Microsoft Defender suite (Defender for Cloud, Endpoint, Identity, Office 365, XDR) to protect against threats like data poisoning, jailbreaks, and credential theft. 

• Establish compliance frameworks aligned to GDPR, EU AI Act, ISO 42001, and NIST AI RMF.

• Support pre-sales and solution shaping, including workshops, assessments, and roadmap development.

• Mentor junior architects and consultants, and contribute to AMBG capability building and innovation.

• Support client workshops and steer solution evolution during delivery.

Pre-sales & Solutioning (approx. 20%)

• Contribute to shaping opportunities and technical solutioning for pursuits;

• Support RFx responses with architecture inputs and delivery approach;

• Develop reusable assets and share best practices across the team.