Senior Principal Engineer / Technical & Operations Leader (MSP)

Company Description

Benchmark Network Solutions has been the trusted managed IT and cybersecurity partner for businesses across the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area since 1992. Serving industries like healthcare, local government, engineering, and professional services, we specialize in delivering reliable and proactive solutions. With over 30 years of experience, we pride ourselves on minimizing downtime through 24/7 monitoring, fast response times, and tailored IT strategies. As a Durham-based Microsoft Partner and cybersecurity-certified team, our services range from managed IT to cloud solutions, network infrastructure, VoIP systems, and IT consulting. At Benchmark, we don’t just fix issues; we prevent them while delivering exceptional client support.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Principal Engineer / Technical & Operations Leader to serve as the technical authority and operational backbone of our Managed Services organization. This role blends deep hands-on technical expertise, strong people leadership, and operational discipline, including ownership of SOPs, documentation, and service standards.

The ideal candidate is a proven MSP leader who not only understands complex Microsoft-centric environments, but also knows how to build repeatable processes, scale service delivery, mentor engineers, and align technology execution with business outcomes.

Core Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

Serve as the senior technical authority and escalation point across all client environments.

Architect, standardize, and continuously improve:

• Microsoft Azure environments
• Microsoft 365 (Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams)
• Active Directory (on-prem, hybrid, and cloud-native)

Lead scripting and automation initiatives using PowerShell and Bash to improve efficiency, reliability, and consistency.

Stay current on emerging technologies, evaluating and implementing solutions that improve service quality and security.

Operational Excellence & SOP Ownership

Own, create, maintain, and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for:

• Service delivery
• Incident and problem management
• Change management
• Security and compliance processes

Ensure documentation is accurate, current, and actionable for engineers at all levels.

Define and enforce technical standards, best practices, and operational consistency across the MSP.

Establish and refine:

• Monitoring systems
• SLAs and response policies
• Automated alerting and remediation workflows

Leadership & Team Development

Lead, mentor, and develop the technical team, fostering a high-performance, accountable, and collaborative culture.

Inspire and motivate engineers through clear direction, coaching, and career development guidance.

Delegate effectively, balance workloads, and ensure the team operates efficiently and sustainably.

Encourage continuous learning, certifications, and professional growth.

Systems, Network & Infrastructure

Design, implement, and optimize:

• WAN, LAN, and SAN architectures
• Firewalls, routers, switches, wireless, and load balancers
• Virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V)
• Storage, backup, and disaster recovery solutions

Install, configure, upgrade, and maintain network and server equipment, including firmware lifecycle management.

Proactively optimize customer environments for performance, stability, and security.

Cybersecurity, Compliance & Risk Management

Strengthen cybersecurity posture across internal and client environments.

Apply security best practices aligned with frameworks and regulatory requirements, including:

• HIPAA
• PCI-DSS
• CJIS

Ensure protection of client data, confidentiality, and trust through ethical and professional conduct.

Project Management & Client Engagement

Lead complex projects including:

• Microsoft 365 and email migrations
• Cloud migrations (Azure / AWS)
• Active Directory consolidations and upgrades

Manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring delivery on time, within scope, and within budget.

Provide accurate technical scoping, hardware/labor estimates, and risk assessments during the sales cycle.

Translate business requirements into clear technical solutions for non-technical stakeholders.

Maintain strong relationships with clients, acting as a trusted technical advisor.

Essential Qualities & Leadership Traits

Technical Expertise

Deep knowledge of MSP core technologies including:

• Microsoft Azure, Active Directory, Microsoft 365
• PowerShell and automation
• Networking, virtualization, storage, and cybersecurity

Ability to evaluate and implement innovative solutions aligned with business goals.

Leadership & Collaboration

Ability to inspire, guide, and unify technical teams.

Strong collaborator who promotes knowledge sharing and open communication.

Skilled in conflict resolution and relationship management with both team members and clients.

Problem Solving & Adaptability

Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills for complex technical challenges.

Creative, resilient, and adaptable in rapidly changing environments.

Client-Focused & Professional

Strong commitment to customer satisfaction and service excellence.

Ability to communicate complex technical topics in clear, business-friendly language.

Upholds the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and confidentiality.

Visionary & Strategic Thinking

Ability to envision the future of technology within an MSP environment.

Aligns technical strategy, team capabilities, and operational processes with long-term business goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7 years in a senior technical leadership role within an MSP or IT services organization.
• Proven experience guiding junior engineers in a multi-client environment.
• Strong technical documentation and network assessment writing skills.
• Experience with Cisco, Meraki, and Fortinet technologies strongly preferred.
• Ability to track and bill time accurately for internal and client-facing work.

Why This Role Matters

This is not just a senior engineer role. It is a technical leadership and operational ownership position. You will help define how services are delivered, how teams operate, and how technology supports long-term business growth.