Senior IT Systems Engineer - Secure Access & Microsoft 365 Platforms

About Appen

Appen has been a leader in AI training data for over 25 years, providing high-quality, diverse datasets that power the world's leading AI models. Our end-to-end platform, deep expertise, and scalable human-in-the-loop services enable AI innovators to build and optimize cutting-edge models.

We specialize in creating bespoke, human-generated data to train, fine-tune, and evaluate AI models across multiple domains, including generative AI, large language models (LLMs), computer vision, speech recognition, and more. Our solutions support critical AI functions such as supervised fine-tuning, reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), model evaluation, and bias mitigation.

Our advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform, combined with a global crowd of more than 1M contributors in over 200 countries, ensures the delivery of accurate and diverse datasets. Our commitment to quality, scalability, and ethical AI practices makes Appen a trusted partner for enterprises aiming to develop and deploy effective AI solutions.

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior IT Systems Engineer to join our global Technology Operations team, based in Cavite. This highly technical role will focus on the administration, security, and optimization of enterprise collaboration platforms, identity and access services, and secure remote connectivity. The ideal candidate will bring deep experience with Microsoft 365 ecosystems, strong understanding of access and endpoint security, and a track record of automating system administration tasks.

This role is essential to ensuring our global teams are supported by scalable, secure, and high-performing collaboration and access tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Microsoft 365 & Collaboration Platform Administration
• Manage and optimize enterprise collaboration platforms, including email, cloud storage, calendaring systems, chat, and productivity suites.
• Administer cloud-based directory services and identity federation for users and groups.
• Configure and enforce policies for services such as mail flow, shared mailboxes, resource calendars, and collaboration access controls.
• Automate provisioning, license management, and platform configurations through scripting and policy-based tools.
• Endpoint & Identity Management
• Implement and maintain identity security controls including Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Conditional Access, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
• Manage device compliance policies, ensuring secure enrollment, encryption, and patching for Windows and macOS endpoints.
• Integrate collaboration platforms with endpoint and mobile device management tools for centralized policy enforcement.
• Secure Remote Access & Network Integration
• Design, deploy, and maintain secure remote access solutions such as IPsec VPNs, site-to-site tunnels, and Zero Trust architectures.
• Partner with Security and Infrastructure teams to define and enforce access segmentation and identity-aware routing policies.
• Monitor remote access activity and contribute to incident response efforts involving anomalous access patterns.
• Automation, Monitoring & Operational Support
• Create and maintain automation scripts and pipelines (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python) for system administration, reporting, and provisioning tasks.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex issues from the Service Desk, especially those involving Microsoft 365, identity systems, or device management.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date technical documentation, including SOPs, runbooks, and operational standards.

Qualifications

• Over 7 years of hands-on experience in IT systems engineering, cloud collaboration platforms, or managing enterprise endpoint environments.
• Deep expertise in administering Microsoft 365 services—including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Intune—or equivalent collaboration platforms.
• Strong understanding of identity and access management technologies such as Azure AD (or similar), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), and conditional access policies.
• Solid knowledge of email security protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), authentication standards (SAML, OIDC, LDAP), and device trust enforcement mechanisms.
• Proven experience managing and securing endpoints in both Windows and macOS environments.
• Proficient in automation, scripting, and command-line tools, with a preference for PowerShell.

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting a globally distributed workforce, ensuring seamless IT operations across multiple locations.
• Exposure to compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2 within IT operations and security practices.
• Familiarity with productivity integrations, including workflow automation, chatbots, and security orchestration tools.

Why join us

At Appen, we foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence. We value curiosity, accountability, and a commitment to delivering the highest-quality AI solutions. We support work-life balance with flexible work arrangements and a dynamic, results-driven environment. Employees have access to competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for continuous learning and career growth.

Our team works closely with the world’s top technology companies and enterprises, tackling exciting challenges and shaping the future of artificial intelligence.