Job Title: Microsoft Purview Data Governance Consultant
Location: United Kingdom (Remote Working)
Salary/Rate: £500-£550 per day (Inside IR35)
Start Date: 29th of October
Job Type: Short term contract
An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Microsoft Purview Data Governance Consultant to support an enterprise data governance and information lifecycle management project within a complex Microsoft 365 environment.
The role will focus on assessing existing data retention and records management practices, identifying compliance gaps and designing practical governance controls using Microsoft Purview. You will play a key role in establishing a defensible approach to information lifecycle management, including retention policies, records declaration, disposition reviews and secure data disposal.
You will work closely with information governance, legal, IT, records management and business stakeholders to understand existing arrangements, define requirements and deliver a practical solution. This is a hands-on consultancy assignment requiring strong technical knowledge of Microsoft Purview alongside a solid understanding of enterprise information governance, regulatory retention requirements and defensible disposal.
The contract will be delivered remotely across a defined 18-day schedule, covering discovery, design, configuration, testing, pilot implementation and project closure.
Job Responsibilities/Objectives
Plan and facilitate discovery workshops with information governance, legal, IT, application owners and relevant business stakeholders.
Assess up to 20 enterprise applications against retention schedules, including personal data holdings, retention obligations, deletion capabilities, disposal evidence and integration options.
Review existing data asset registers, records retention schedules, Microsoft 365 retention and labelling configurations, legal holds, Exchange MRM and backup arrangements.
Produce a current-state assessment, gap analysis and prioritised risk register, identifying areas of non-compliance and opportunities for improvement.
Design an information lifecycle operating model covering governance responsibilities, decision rights, disposition reviews, exceptions, legal holds and disposal suspension.
Develop a file plan aligned with approved retention schedules and records management requirements.
Produce a Microsoft Purview high-level design covering retention labels and policies, auto-labelling, adaptive scopes, event-based retention, record declaration, disposition review, preservation lock, monitoring and reporting.
Configure and validate a controlled pilot across up to two business areas and 20-30 users, using simulation mode before enforcement.
Lead functional validation and document end-to-end disposal processes, including evidence capture and auditability.
Assess third-party applications and backup platforms to identify retention and disposal control gaps, recommending appropriate technical, integrated or procedural solutions.
Evaluate interactions between Microsoft 365 retention, eDiscovery, legal holds and existing information governance controls.
Document configuration decisions, testing outcomes, risks, assumptions and implementation recommendations.
Deliver knowledge transfer for administrators and reviewers, ensuring the solution can be supported and maintained effectively.
Produce a roadmap for wider implementation across the enterprise estate and present findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Required Skills/Experience
The ideal candidate will have the following:
A proven track record delivering Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management and Records Management solutions within enterprise Microsoft 365 environments.
Hands-on expertise in Microsoft Purview retention labels, label policies, auto-labelling, adaptive scopes, event-based retention and records declaration.
Experience with disposition reviews, regulatory records, preservation lock and the operational…