Infrastructure Engineer (Active Directory, PKI, Enterprise Authentication) - Manchester or Inverness

Infrastructure Engineer (Active Directory, PKI, Enterprise Authentication) - Manchester or Inverness - 7 months+/RATE: £500 per day inside IR35

One of our Blue Chip Clients is urgently looking for an Infrastructure Engineer (Active Directory, PKI, Enterprise Authentication)

Please find some details below:

CONTRACTOR MUST BE ELIGIBLE FOR BPSS

Location: Manchester or Inverness, 5 days onsite

MUST BE PAYE THROUGH UMBRELLA

Role Description:

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Identity Infrastructure Engineer to support and maintain the core identity infrastructure platforms that underpin the organisation's Identity and Access Management (IDAM) services.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the administration, support, security, and continuous improvement of the Active Directory, PKI, DNS, Group Policy, and authentication infrastructure. They will work closely with the wider IDAM team, supporting critical identity services and providing L2/L3 operational support across the identity estate where required.

This role requires a highly capable infrastructure engineer with deep expertise in Microsoft Active Directory and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), combined with a strong understanding of enterprise identity technologies and authentication services.

The position is based within secure facilities in either Inverness or Manchester, working closely with security, engineering, and IDAM teams to ensure the availability, resilience, and security of critical identity platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Active Directory Infrastructure

• Administer and maintain enterprise Active Directory forests, domains, and domain controllers.
• Manage Active Directory Sites and Services, replication topology, trusts, and directory services infrastructure.
• Administer AD-integrated DNS and support authentication services across the enterprise.
• Manage and maintain Group Policy architecture, including policy design, implementation, troubleshooting, and life cycle management.
• Support Active Directory backup, recovery, disaster recovery, and business continuity processes.
• Monitor platform health, performance, security, and replication.
• Support Active Directory upgrades, migrations, consolidation projects, and infrastructure improvements.
• Implement and maintain Active Directory security hardening standards and privileged access controls.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

• Administer and support Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS).
• Manage Certificate Authorities, certificate templates, certificate enrolment, and certificate life cycle processes.
• Support Offline Root CA and Issuing CA infrastructure.
• Administer Certificate Revocation Lists (CRL), Authority Information Access (AIA), and certificate distribution services.
• Monitor certificate compliance, renewals, revocations, and expiration management.
• Maintain PKI operational documentation, recovery procedures, and security standards.
• Support cryptographic and certificate-related troubleshooting across infrastructure and security platforms.

Identity Infrastructure & Authentication Services

• Support Microsoft Entra Connect and hybrid identity infrastructure.
• Maintain LDAP, LDAPS, Kerberos, and NTLM authentication services.
• Support integrations between Active Directory and enterprise identity platforms including MIM, Entra ID, Okta, and BeyondTrust.
• Assist with identity-related service improvements and platform optimisation initiatives.
• Support authentication, directory, and identity infrastructure incidents through to resolution.
• Work collaboratively with the IDAM engineering team to support critical identity life cycle services.

IDAM Support Activities

• Provide L2/L3 support for identity-related incidents and service requests.
• Assist with troubleshooting user provisioning, synchronisation, and authentication issues.
• Support MIM, Entra ID, Okta, and BeyondTrust integrations where infrastructure expertise is required.
• Collaborate with IDAM engineers to investigate root causes and implement long-term solutions.
• Support operational activities across the wider identity ecosystem during periods of increased demand.

Automation & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain PowerShell automation for identity infrastructure administration.
• Drive service improvements, platform optimisation, and operational efficiencies.
• Contribute to security improvement initiatives, vulnerability remediation, and infrastructure modernisation.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, and support runbooks.

Essential Skills & Experience

Active Directory

• Extensive hands-on experience administering enterprise Active Directory environments.
• Strong knowledge of:
• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Active Directory Sites and Services
• Forest and Domain Administration
• DNS
• Group Policy
• LDAP/LDAPS
• Kerberos Authentication
• Trusts and Replication
• AD Backup and Recovery
• Experience troubleshooting complex authentication and directory service issues.

PKI

• Strong experience administering Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS).
• Experience managing:
• Certificate Authorities
• Certificate Templates
• CRL and AIA Infrastructure
• Certificate Lifecycle Management
• Certificate Enrolment Services
• Key Recovery and Archival
• Experience supporting enterprise PKI environments.

Infrastructure Platforms

• Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 administration.
• PowerShell Scripting and automation.
• Security hardening and privileged administration.
• High Availability and Disaster Recovery planning.
• Infrastructure monitoring and operational support.

Identity Technologies

Working knowledge of:

• Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft Entra Connect/Cloud Sync
• Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM)
• Okta
• BeyondTrust

Understanding of:

• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Joiner, Mover, Leaver Processes
• Identity Lifecycle Management
• Authentication and Authorisation
• Access Governance
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Desirable Skills

• Experience supporting Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM).
• Experience supporting hybrid identity architectures.
• Experience with Okta administration and integration.
• Knowledge of BeyondTrust PAM or Endpoint Privilege Management.
• Experience with Tier 0 administration and privileged access models.
• Familiarity with CrowdStrike, Zscaler, and security platform integrations.
• Experience supporting highly regulated or secure environments.
• Knowledge of ITIL-based operational support models.
• Experience supporting large-scale enterprise identity programmes.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a senior infrastructure engineer with deep technical expertise across Active Directory, PKI, and enterprise authentication services. They will be comfortable operating in a complex, security-focused environment and capable of troubleshooting critical identity infrastructure issues independently.

In addition to infrastructure ownership, the successful candidate will work closely with the wider IDAM team, providing support across the broader identity estate and contributing to identity service improvements. They will possess a strong understanding of modern identity technologies and be willing to engage in hands-on IDAM support activities where required.

Candidates must be willing to work from secure facilities in either Inverness or Manchester and collaborate closely with operational, security, and engineering teams to maintain the resilience and security of the organisation's critical identity services.

Please send CV for full details and immediate interviews. We are a preferred supplier to the client.