Cyber Security Engineer

Aquent is thrilled to partner with a pioneering financial services organization, a leader in innovation dedicated to securing the digital future for millions. This is your unparalleled opportunity to make a profound impact, driving the adoption of cutting-edge security principles and safeguarding critical systems against an ever-evolving threat landscape. Your expertise will directly influence the security posture of a vast enterprise, ensuring seamless, secure access for all while championing a Zero Trust future.

About the Role

Step into a pivotal role at the forefront of innovation! We are seeking a visionary engineer to shape the very foundation of identity and access management. In this dynamic position, you will lead transformative initiatives, designing, implementing, and maintaining robust Identity & Access Management (IAM) architectures. You will be instrumental in establishing a long-term identity strategy that aligns with critical business objectives, stringent security mandates, and complex regulatory requirements. This is an exciting opportunity to innovate with cutting-edge hybrid identity models, integrate advanced security controls seamlessly across diverse cloud platforms and agile development pipelines, and inspire peers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement in a fast-paced, impactful environment.

What You'll Do

• Architect, implement, and maintain comprehensive Identity & Access Management solutions leveraging Microsoft Entra ID and Active Directory.
• Develop and execute a forward-thinking identity strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals, security mandates, and regulatory compliance.
• Design and secure hybrid identity models, integrating Entra Connect, advanced cloud sync strategies, and automated identity lifecycle processes.
• Champion and drive the adoption of Zero Trust identity principles, focusing on continuous evaluation and enforcement of least-privilege access.
• Lead the design and optimization of Conditional Access policies, authentication flows, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), passwordless strategies (FIDO2, Windows Hello Business), and robust identity protection measures.
• Architect, standardize, and provide governance oversight for Entra ID Governance capabilities, including Privileged Identity Management (PIM), access reviews, entitlement management, custom roles, and segregation of duties.
• Oversee the configuration of Entra applications, service principals, federations, SCIM provisioning, and Single Sign-On (SSO) integrations (SAML/OIDC/OAuth2).
• Design secure, resilient, and scalable Active Directory forests, domains, Group Policy Object (GPO) structures, and privileged access boundaries.
• Lead initiatives to modernize Active Directory security posture, including tiered administration models, privileged access isolation, delegated administration, and secure baselines.
• Implement Active Directory hardening, lifecycle management, group governance, and remediation of legacy dependencies.
• Develop and enforce identity standards, patterns, security baselines, and comprehensive governance frameworks.
• Ensure strict adherence to regulatory requirements such as SOX, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, and internal audit controls.
• Provide expert guidance for Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)/Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) models, identity lifecycle management, privileged access governance, and application onboarding.
• Design identity controls that are inherently auditable, measurable, and automatable, directly supporting internal risk assessments and regulatory compliance efforts.
• Collaborate extensively with cloud platform and DevSecOps teams to seamlessly integrate identity controls into cloud landing zones, CI/CD pipelines, and broader enterprise architectures.
• Partner strategically with security operations to integrate identity telemetry, significantly enhancing threat detection capabilities and streamlining incident response workflows.
• Provide critical architectural direction for acquisition integrations, cloud migrations, and modernization projects.
• Produce high-quality architecture diagrams, strategic roadmaps, comprehensive threat models, and detailed solution documentation.
• Drive Identity and Access Management (IAM) as a shared enterprise platform, meticulously balancing security, user experience, and operational resiliency.
• Stay at the forefront of the latest identity trends, Entra roadmap updates, and emerging threats to inform and guide strategic decisions.
• Recommend and implement continuous improvement opportunities across authentication, authorization, and identity governance domains.
• Mentor fellow engineers, fostering growth and guiding best practices in identity design and operations.

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years of dedicated experience in Identity & Access Management, spanning architecture or engineering roles.
• Deep, hands-on expertise in:
  
  
  
  • Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Conditional Access, Identity Protection, and Entra Governance.
  • Active Directory design, replication, DNS, GPO, PKI, and robust delegation models.
  • SSO protocols including OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, and WS-Fed.
  • Identity lifecycle automation and provisioning.
  • Zero Trust architecture principles.
  
  
  
  
• Strong knowledge of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), passwordless authentication, risk-based policies, and complex authentication flows.
• Proven experience securing sophisticated hybrid identity environments using Entra Connect, federation services, and cloud-only patterns.
• Expertise in building Terraform Infrastructure as Code (IaC) resources and guardrails for identity services through reusable modules and automated CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficiency with PowerShell or other robust automation frameworks.
• Strong understanding of IAM risk management, audit requirements, and global regulatory standards.
• Exceptional communication and leadership capabilities, with the ability to articulate complex concepts clearly.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across organizational boundaries with diverse technical and executive stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving, strategic decision-making, and analytical thinking skills.
• Ability to simplify complex identity concepts into clear, actionable guidance for various audiences.

Stand Out With These Qualifications

• Microsoft certifications such as SC-300, SC-100, AZ-305, or equivalent industry-recognized certifications.
• Experience with:
  
  
  
  • Privileged Access Workstations (PAW).
  • Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) or other advanced Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM) solutions.
  • Advanced Conditional Access configurations and automation strategies.
  • Enterprise-scale identity consolidation and complex domain migration projects.
  • Modern IAM stacks including SailPoint, CyberArk, or Okta.
  
  
  
  
• A background in security architecture, threat modeling, or penetration testing specifically focused on identity systems.