Messaging Engineer – Enterprise Technology Infrastructure in Houston, Texas at Hines

Overview

When you join Hines, you will embark on a career journey fueled by vision and guided by leaders who set the standards of our industry. Our legacy is rooted in innovation and excellence, earning us a spot on Fast Company’s esteemed annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, as well as recognition as one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Companies to Work For in 2024. Discover endless opportunities to grow and make your mark at Hines.

Responsibilities

As a Messaging Engineer - Enterprise Technology Infrastructure with Hines, you will support, modernize, and continuously improve our enterprise email and identity infrastructure of the firm. This role will focus on Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online and Hybrid), secure email gateways such as Cisco IronPort, and identity platforms including Entra ID (Azure AD) and on-premises Active Directory. The ideal candidate brings a strong AI-first mindset, proactively leveraging AI tools and automation to enhance operational efficiency, strengthen security posture, and elevate the end-user experience. This role is not just about maintaining systems—it’s about rethinking how work gets done through intelligent tooling, automation, and continuous optimization. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Email & Messaging Infrastructure
• Administer and optimize Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online) and hybrid Exchange environments
• Manage email routing, hygiene, and security using Cisco IronPort (or similar secure email gateways)
• Troubleshoot complex mail flow issues, delivery failures, and performance bottlenecks
• Configure and maintain email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Manage distribution lists, shared mailboxes, and enterprise email policies
• Support journaling, retention, and compliance requirements
• Security & Compliance
• Monitor, investigate, and respond to email-based threats (phishing, spoofing, malware)
• Implement and continuously improve secure email configurations and policies
• Partner with security teams on incident response, threat mitigation, and proactive risk reduction
• Identity & Access Management
• Administer Entra ID (Azure AD), including user provisioning, SSO, and conditional access policies
• Support and maintain on-premises Active Directory and synchronization (Entra Connect)
• Manage identity lifecycle processes, access governance, and role-based access controls
• Troubleshoot authentication, directory synchronization, and access-related issues
• AI-First Operations & Automation
• Apply an AI-first approach to problem solving, leveraging tools such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and AI-assisted scripting to accelerate analysis and resolution
• Design and implement automation solutions to reduce manual effort and improve reliability (PowerShell, workflows, orchestration tools)
• Use AI to enhance troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and system optimization
• Identify and lead opportunities to embed AI across messaging, identity, and security operations
• Stay current on emerging AI capabilities within Microsoft 365, Azure, and enterprise IT ecosystems, and translate them into practical use cases
• Documentation, Diagramming & Knowledge Management
• Create and maintain clear, structured technical documentation for systems, processes, and configurations
• Develop architecture and process diagrams using tools such as Microsoft Visio (or similar) to illustrate messaging and identity workflows
• Ensure documentation reflects current-state and future-state designs to support scalability and knowledge transfer
• Contribute to internal knowledge bases and operational runbook
• Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
• Work cross-functionally with security, infrastructure, and application teams
• Proactively identify opportunities for system optimization, cost reduction, and performance improvement
• Participate in on-call support rotation as needed

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements include:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution

• Five or more years of experience in enterprise email/messaging environments

• Strong expertise in:

  • Microsoft 365 / Office 365 (Exchange Online)

  • Exchange Server (hybrid experience preferred)

  • Cisco IronPort (or similar email security gateways)

  • Experience with Entra ID (Azure AD) and on-premises Active Directory

• Solid understanding of:

  • Email protocols (SMTP, DNS, MX records)

  • Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

  • Experience with PowerShell scripting for automation and administration

  • Proven ability to troubleshoot complex messaging and identity issues

• Experience implementing or operationalizing AI tools in IT environments

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Copilot or similar AI platforms

• Experience with identity governance and conditional access policies

• Knowledge of compliance frameworks (e.g., eDiscovery, retention policies)

• Relevant certifications (Microsoft 365, Azure, Security, etc.)

Closing

At Hines, we believe the built world is ultimately about people. As one of the world’s largest privately held real assets firms, we bring nearly seven decades of investment, development, and management experience to work that shapes cities and communities around the world.

Our people make that possible. Across 29 countries, more than 4,600 colleagues bring different perspectives and expertise to Hines, with opportunities to take on meaningful responsibility, learn from leaders across the business, and build a career with room to evolve. We support that journey through professional development, competitive rewards, comprehensive benefits, and a culture grounded in trust and high standards.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

No calls or emails from third parties at this time please.

Closing

Hines is a global real estate investment, development and property manager. The firm was founded by Gerald D. Hines in 1957 and now operates in 28 countries. We manage a $92.3B¹ portfolio of high-performing assets across residential, logistics, retail, office and mixed-use strategies. Our local teams serve 634 properties totaling over 225 million square feet globally. We are committed to a net zero carbon target by 2040 without buying offsets. To learn more about Hines, visit www.hines.com and follow @Hines on social media. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization as well as RIA AUM as of June 30, 2022.

Visit www.hines.com for more information.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

No calls or emails from third parties at this time please.

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