Principal Infrastructure Automation & AI Ops Engineer

What matters most

• Modernizing Infrastructure via Policy-as-Code

  The role requires shifting from manual administration to an automation-first model. You must prioritize designing reusable modules using Terraform, Bicep, and CI/CD pipelines to replace one-off scripts, ensuring all infrastructure changes are version-controlled and auditable.

• Implementing Production-Grade AI Ops

  You are expected to deliver functional AI-assisted capabilities rather than pilots. This involves building anomaly detection, event correlation, and predictive models for IT operations, while ensuring these automated actions have robust security guardrails, logging, and rollback mechanisms.

• Unifying Endpoint and Identity Architecture

  A core priority is the architectural consolidation of Windows endpoints (Intune/Autopilot) and Entra ID identity workflows. You must design self-healing remediation for endpoints and automate complex Joiner/Mover/Leaver processes while maturing Zero Trust and Conditional Access enforcement.

• Technical Leadership and Cross-Team Standardization

  As a Principal engineer, you must define enterprise-wide architecture standards. You will need to mentor engineers and influence stakeholders across Network, Cloud, Security, and Service Desk teams to adopt unified telemetry and automation practices without direct reporting authority.

Likely challenges to think through

• Balancing Innovation with Production Stability

  The role involves acting as 'customer zero' for internal security products. The challenge is integrating experimental AI-assisted data security workflows into critical production infrastructure without disrupting existing operations. Prepare by discussing how you manage risk in high-stakes environments and implement 'human-in-the-loop' gates for automated remediation.

• Navigating Complex Legacy and Modern Integration

  You must unify disparate systems like Intune, CrowdStrike, Freshservice, and AWS into a single telemetry architecture. The difficulty lies in creating consistent API-driven integrations across platforms with varying maturity levels. Prepare by highlighting your experience with REST APIs, webhooks, and building abstraction layers that normalize data from heterogeneous sources.

Topics to prepare

• AI Ops and Predictive Modeling

  Focus on the conceptual framework of moving from reactive to proactive infrastructure management. Review methodologies for event correlation, anomaly detection, and implementing automated remediation with human-in-the-loop security guardrails. This is critical for the role's requirement to deliver production-grade AI-assisted workflows.

• Zero Trust Identity Architecture

  Study the transition of Conditional Access from audit mode to full enforcement and the implementation of least-privilege RBAC. Review how to automate identity lifecycles (Joiner/Mover/Leaver) while integrating with ITSM platforms like Freshservice. This aligns with the role's focus on modernizing identity and access management.

• Policy-as-Code and Infrastructure Standards

  Examine the shift from manual administration to declarative infrastructure management. Focus on defining enterprise standards for Terraform and Bicep, and ensuring configuration drift detection. This is essential for the role's mandate to unify infrastructure across cloud and endpoint environments.

Skills to revise

• Microsoft Graph API and PowerShell Automation

  Practice building scripts that interact with Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and Intune via the Graph API. Focus on automating complex administrative tasks and creating reusable modules. This is a core requirement for managing the M365 platform at scale.

• CI/CD Pipeline Development

  Develop hands-on experience creating pipelines that integrate Git, Terraform, and cloud infrastructure. Ensure your workflows include automated testing, validation, and rollback mechanisms. This is necessary for the role's requirement to deliver infrastructure changes through code.

• Endpoint Lifecycle Automation

  Refine skills in Windows Autopilot, Intune configuration, and self-healing remediation strategies. Practice reconciling endpoint data between Intune and EDR platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon. This directly supports the endpoint engineering responsibilities outlined in the job description.

• Architect an Automation-First Strategy

  Prepare a high-level design document or presentation illustrating how you would unify endpoint, identity, and cloud infrastructure into a single telemetry and automation architecture. Focus on replacing manual tasks with policy-as-code and API-driven workflows using tools like Terraform or Bicep.

• Demonstrate AI Ops and Predictive Modeling

  Prepare a case study or project walkthrough where you implemented production-grade AI-assisted automation. Highlight how you used anomaly detection, event correlation, or predictive models to reduce operational toil, ensuring you address how you managed security guardrails and rollback controls.

• Showcase Identity and Endpoint Lifecycle Expertise

  Prepare a technical summary of your experience automating Joiner/Mover/Leaver workflows and managing Windows endpoints via Intune. Specifically, explain how you have used Microsoft Graph API to enforce Conditional Access or automate remediation for compliance drift.

• Develop Targeted Questions for the Hiring Team

  Formulate questions regarding the current state of their 'customer-zero' engagement with Forcepoint DSE/DLP, the maturity of their CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure, and how they balance rapid automation with enterprise AI governance and security requirements.