Platform Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

The Microsoft 365 Platform Manager owns the definition, evolution, and architectural integrity of UL Solutions' Microsoft 365 platform while leading and developing the M365 team. This role is accountable for ensuring Microsoft 365 operates as a coherent, secure, and value driven ecosystem-spanning collaboration, content, automation, and AI-rather than a collection of disconnected tools.
This is a player/coach role. The successful candidate will set architectural direction, establish standards and guardrails, coach a team of M365 professionals, and provide governance and escalated operational decision making. Day to day administration and operational execution remain with the existing technical teams and service owners.
The role partners closely with Digital Workplace leadership, Cyber Security, Automation (Power Platform), Digital Adoption, and other domain owners to ensure intentional, scalable, and responsible use of Microsoft 365 capabilities, including Copilot.
Responsibilities
Platform Architecture & Roadmap

• Own the definition and ongoing evolution of UL Solutions' enterprise Microsoft 365 architecture, including Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive, Power Platform (architectural integration), and Copilot.
• Define and maintain target-state architecture, reference architectures, and design principles for Microsoft 365.
• Establish and communicate a multi-year architectural roadmap aligned to business priorities and employee experience outcomes.

Standards, Guardrails & Design Authority

• Define and own architectural standards, guardrails, and design patterns for Microsoft 365 workloads.
• Act as the design authority for cross-platform M365 decisions, ensuring consistency, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
• Review and approve significant platform changes from an architectural perspective, including exceptions to standards and high-impact design choices.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop the Microsoft 365 team (currently 4 direct reports), setting priorities, expectations, performance objectives, and growth plans.
• Coach and mentor team members to operate as technical leaders, improving platform maturity, documentation quality, and execution consistency against standards and roadmap.
• Establish a team operating rhythm (planning, architectural review, prioritization, skills development/certifications) that sustains delivery while protecting architectural integrity.

Governance-Level Platform Ownership & Escalated Operational Decision-Making

• Provide governance-level oversight for Microsoft 365, focused on decision-making rather than execution.
• Serve as escalation point for complex, high-impact operational issues requiring architectural or cross-domain decisions (e.g., risk tradeoffs, major design direction, non-standard requests).
• Shape platform demand intake and prioritization through an architectural lens; ensure decisions align with target-state architecture and established standards.

Copilot & AI-Enabled Experiences

• Provide architectural leadership for Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI-enabled workplace experiences.
• Ensure Copilot adoption aligns with information architecture and collaboration patterns, security/privacy/compliance requirements, and adoption readiness/user experience considerations.
• Partner with stakeholders to integrate AI intentionally into the flow of work.

Cross-Domain Collaboration & Alignment

• Partner closely with Digital Adoption / Change & Enablement teams to align platform design with adoption strategy and readiness.
• Collaborate with Automation and Power Platform domain owners to define architectural boundaries, governance models, and integration patterns (delivery owned elsewhere).
• Work in close alignment with Cyber Security and Information Protection teams to ensure Microsoft 365 architecture supports enterprise security, identity, data protection, and compliance standards.
• Engage with Microsoft and strategic vendors to stay current on platform capabilities and architectural best practices.

In Scope

• Enterprise M365 architecture, target state, and roadmap.
• Architectural standards, guardrails, design patterns, and cross-workload design authority.
• People leadership and technical coaching of the M365 team.
• Governance-level oversight and escalated operational decision-making that protects platform integrity.
• Strategic alignment across Digital Adoption, Automation (Power Platform), and Cyber Security domains.

Out of Scope
This role does not own or perform routine operational execution, including:

• Day-to-day Microsoft 365 administration.
• Routine incident management or operational escalation ownership.
• Ticket queues, backlog execution, or release deployment.
• SLA ownership or operational reporting.

These responsibilities remain with platform managers, service owners, and delivery teams; this role engages by exception for high-impact decisions.
Qualifications
Required

• Deep expertise across Microsoft 365 workloads, with strong architectural experience spanning collaboration, content, and productivity platforms.
• Demonstrated experience defining enterprise platform architecture, standards, and governance models.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience (direct management), with a coaching mindset and ability to lead through influence in a matrixed environment.
• Experience operating in complex, regulated, or global enterprise environments.
• Proven ability to translate business needs into scalable technical architecture.

Preferred

• Microsoft certifications aligned to M365 / Solution Architecture.
• Experience supporting or architecting AI-enabled workplace solutions.
• Familiarity with enterprise security, compliance, and information protection concepts.

What you'll experience working for ULS
UL Solutions has been pioneering change since 1894 and we're still leading the way. From day one, we've blazed a trail protecting the planet and everyone on it. Our teams have influenced billions of products, plus services, software offerings and more. We break things, burn things and blow things up. All in the name of safety science.
That's where you come in - because none of it could happen without you. It takes passion to protect people, problem-solving to safeguard personal data and conviction to make the world a more sustainable place. It takes bold ideas and brilliant minds to build a better world for future generations across the globe.
This is more than a job. It's a calling. A passion to use our expertise and play our part in creating a more secure, sustainable world today - and tomorrow. As a member of our safety science community, you'll use your ideas, your energy and your ambition to innovate, challenge and ultimately, help create a safer world.
Everyone here is unique. But we're also a global community, working together to help create a safer world. Join UL Solutions and you can connect with the brightest minds in the business, all bringing their distinct perspectives and diverse backgrounds together to deliver real change.
Empowering our customers to keep the world safe means thinking ahead. It means investing in training and empowering our people to learn and innovate. At UL Solutions, we help build a better future - one where everyone benefits.
Join UL Solutions to be at the center of safety. To learn more about us and the work we do, visit UL.com
Total Rewards: We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. The estimated salary range for this position is $150,000 to $170,000 and is based on multiple factors, including job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, as well as other factors. This position is eligible for annual bonus compensation with a target payout of 20% of the base salary. This position also provides health benefits such as medical, dental and vision; wellness benefits such as mental and financial health; and retirement savings (401K) commensurate with the standard rewards offered in each individual location or country. We also provide full-time employees with paid time off including vacation (15 days), holiday including floating holidays (12 days) and sick time off (72 hours).
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About Us
A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers' product innovation and business growth. The UL Mark serves as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers' products and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.
About the Team
As we're supporting some of the most innovative companies in the world, high-performing IT is vital. Deeply focused on technology innovation and practically applying new and emerging technologies to meet the evolving needs of our customers, we operate as strategic partners to the wider organization, developing and delivering best-in-class IT solutions. We also use our expertise day-to-day to offer our colleagues a seamless technology experience, providing them with the tools to help customers all over the world deliver safer, more sustainable solutions. Join our team and connect, support and empower colleagues across our global community.