Senior Architect - Microsoft Exchange Online

Job Description: At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection. We do this by driving Responsible Growth and delivering for our clients, teammates, communities and shareholders every day. Being a Great Place to Work and providing a culture of caring is core to how we drive Responsible Growth. We are intentional about fostering an inclusive workplace where every teammate has the opportunity to succeed, build a career and contribute to our shared success. This includes attracting and developing exceptional talent, recognizing and rewarding performance, and supporting our teammates’ physical, emotional, and financial wellness through affordable, competitive and flexible benefits. We value the unique perspectives individuals bring from all backgrounds and career paths - whether shaped by military service, community college education, or a wide range of work and life experiences. These journeys foster resilience, leadership and innovation, strengthening our workforce and positively impact the communities we serve. Bank of America is committed to an in-office culture that supports collaboration, engagement, and career development. Our approach includes clear in-office expectations, while providing an appropriate level of flexibility based on role-specific responsibilities and business needs. At Bank of America, you can build a successful career with opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact. Join us! Job Description: This job is responsible for defining an architectural vision and solution that supports the strategic outcomes of the Business' Products and Services. Key responsibilities include defining the target operating environment, designing for client resiliency, assisting with solution design, and defining non-functional requirements. Job expectations include working with stakeholders and service providers aligned to the Business' strategic objectives, evaluating the impact of strategic design decisions, and contributing to the architecture roadmap. Position Overview: Collaboration and Productivity is seeking a Microsoft Exchange Online Senior Architect to lead end-to-end architecture, migration, and operational design of enterprise messaging platforms using Exchange Online within Microsoft 365. This role serves as the technical authority for email, calendaring, and messaging services, owning solution design across hybrid, multi-geo, high-availability, and regulated environments, while ensuring security, compliance, performance, and service resilience. The ideal candidate has deep experience with Exchange Server (on-premises) and Exchange Online, large-scale migrations, complex coexistence, and close alignment with identity, security, compliance, and network teams. Responsibilities: Works across the business, operations and technology to create the solution intent and architectural vision for complex solutions and prioritize functional and non-functional requirements into a technology backlog to enable the technology roadmap and functionality to support evolving capabilities and servicesContributes to the creation of the architecture roadmap of defined domains (Business, Application, Data, and Technology) in support of the product roadmap and the development of best practices including standardized templatesClarifies the architecture, assists with system design to support implementation, and provides solution options to resolve any architectural impedimentsFacilitates solution driven discussions, leads the design of complex architectures, and finds creative solutions through knowledge of domain, practical experiments, and proof of concepts while ensuring architecture is flexible, modular, and adaptableEducates team members on the technology practices, standardization strategies, and best practices to create innovative solutionsSupports the team as needed to select the technology stack required for solutions and helps select preferred technology productsPerforms design and code reviews to ensure all non-functional requirements are sufficiently met (for example, security, performance, maintainability, scalability, usability, and reliability) Architecture and Solution Design: Design and own Exchange Online architectures, including:Hybrid Exchange (Exchange 2016/2019 → Exchange Online)Coexistence and staged migration modelsMulti-geo tenant design and mailbox placement strategiesHigh availability, disaster recovery, and service resilienceDefine standards for:Mailbox sizing and quotasShared mailboxes, resource mailboxes, and service accountsSMTP relay and application integrationsTransport rules and mail flow architecture Migration and Modernization: Lead large-scale Exchange migrations, including:On-premises Exchange to Exchange OnlineCross-forest or tenant-to-tenant migrationsPublic folder modernization or replacementDesign and execution:Migration throughput and throttling strategiesCutover, staged, and hybrid migration plansRollback and business continuity strategiesPartner with desktop, identity, and network teams to ensure seamless end-user experience Security, Compliance and Governance: Architect secure messaging solutions aligned to enterprise standards:Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)Anti-spam, anti-phishing, and malware protectionSecure mail flow and transport encryptionIntegrate Exchange Online with:Microsoft Purview (retention, eDiscovery, DLP)Microsoft Defender for Office 365Microsoft Entra ID Conditional AccessSupport regulatory requirements such as:Legal hold and litigation workflowsJournaling, retention, and supervisionData residency and cross-border considerations Operations and Service Excellence: Define operational models for Exchange Online:Monitoring, alerting, and incident responseChange and release managementCapacity planning and service health governanceTroubleshoot complex issues involving:Mail flow and transport delaysClient connectivity (Outlook, mobile, ActiveSync)Hybrid configuration and directory synchronizationDrive continuous improvement of service reliability and performance Required Qualifications: 8+ years in enterprise messaging or collaboration architecture4+ years hands-on experience with Exchange OnlineDeep expertise in:Exchange Server 2016/2019 (hybrid and coexistence)Exchange Online mail flow and transportExchange Edge servicesAutodiscover, DNS, and SMTP architectureEmail hygiene systems (DLP, Malware, Spoofing, Phishing, Tagging)Strong understanding of:Microsoft 365 identity integrationHybrid connectivity and network dependenciesClient protocols (MAPI, REST, ActiveSync)Proven experience delivering large-scale migrations (10k+ mailboxes preferred)Strong understanding of:Throttling, concurrency, and migration optimizationEnd-user impact management and communications Desired Qualifications: Strong architectural and analytical thinkingExcellent documentation and communication skillsAbility to explain complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholdersComfortable operating at both deep technical and executive levels Preferred Qualifications: Microsoft certifications such as:MS-100 / MS-101Messaging or Microsoft 365 certificationsExperience in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, government)Exposure to:Microsoft Purview (eDiscovery, retention, DLP)Microsoft Defender for Office 365Tenant-to-tenant or divestiture migrationsMicrosoft Outlook on MobileFamiliarity with:Multi-geo Microsoft 365 deploymentsZero Trust messaging principles Skills: Analytical ThinkingArchitectureResult OrientationSolution DesignTechnical Strategy DevelopmentApplication DevelopmentCollaborationData ManagementDevOps PracticesRisk ManagementAgile PracticesAutomationInfluenceSolution Delivery ProcessTest Engineering Shift: 1st shift (United States of America) Hours Per Week: 40