Sr Active Directory Engineer

**Will not accept candidates that are not listed as local to Houston on their profile/resume

Contract to Hire

We are seeking a highly skilled Active Directory Technical Manager/Lead to join the Cloud Infrastructure team. This is a pivotal role for an experienced technical lead ready to step into a more formal management position while remaining hands-on. You will oversee the day-to-day operations, migrations, and optimizations of our extensive on-premises

Active Directory environment, which is over 20 years old and includes legacy domains from multiple migration and M&A activities. With 80% of our setup being hybrid (on-prem AD integrated with Entra ID for cloud connectivity), you'll bridge traditional infrastructure with modern cloud capabilities.

**Hybrid 3 days onsite in Houston TX (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)

This position reports to the Sr. Director of Cloud and involves leading a small team of AD specialists, while contributing directly to complex projects.

Key Responsibilities

As someone with lead experience but not yet in a full managerial role, you’ll act as a player-coach: guiding team members, driving technical decisions, and diving into troubleshooting when needed. If you thrive in environments with high complexity—such as multi-domain forests, trust relationships, and large-scale workstation/server migrations, this is your opportunity to make a significant impact.

• Lead the planning, execution, and optimization of Active Directory operations, with a strong emphasis on on-premises domain management, including domain controllers, forests, sites, services, and Group Policy Objects (GPOs).
• Oversee ongoing domain migrations, including workstation (35,000+ endpoints), server, and application transitions from legacy domains to a consolidated, modern structure; address stalled initiatives by implementing automation and best practices.
• Manage hybrid AD configurations, ensuring seamless synchronization between on-prem AD and Entra ID using tools like Azure AD Connect; handle identity federation, conditional access policies, and cloud integration for 20% of our cloud-native workloads.
• Provide technical leadership to a team of 5-10 AD engineers: mentor juniors, conduct code/script reviews, assign tasks, and foster a collaborative environment without formal HR management duties.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex AD issues, such as replication failures, schema extensions, security vulnerabilities (e.g., Kerberos, LDAP hardening), and integration with legacy M&A domains.
• Develop and maintain documentation, scripts (PowerShell preferred), and automation for AD health monitoring, backup/recovery, and compliance (e.g., with tools like ADDS, DataDog, or third-party solutions).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (security, applications, networking) to assess dependencies, mitigate risks during migrations, and ensure minimal downtime in critical operations.
• Stay ahead of AD best practices, including security enhancements (e.g., Privileged Access Management) and evaluate emerging tools for hybrid environments.
• Contribute to project planning, such as creating roadmaps for domain consolidation and hybrid expansion, while providing regular updates to senior leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of hands-on experience with on-premises Active Directory, including:
• Deep expertise in AD architecture: Designing, deploying, and managing multi-domain/forest environments, trusts, and schema modifications.
• Proven track record in AD migrations: Using tools like ADMT, Quest Migration Manager, or PowerShell for large-scale user/object migrations, SID history preservation, and domain consolidation.
• Extensive troubleshooting of on-prem AD issues: Replication (DFS-R/SYSVOL), DNS integration, certificate services (AD PKI), and performance optimization in environments with 20+ years of legacy buildup.
• Experience with Group Policy management, including inheritance, filtering, and troubleshooting in complex setups.
• 3+ years of lead or senior engineer experience: Guiding teams on technical projects, mentoring peers and influencing decisions without direct managerial authority.
• Solid understanding of hybrid AD environments: 2+ years working with Entra ID (Azure AD) for synchronization, single sign-on (SSO), and cloud identity management.
• Familiarity with Azure AD Connect, Pass-through Authentication, and Entra ID governance features.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation: PowerShell for AD administration, querying (e.g., Get-ADUser, Get-ADComputer), and bulk operations.
• Strong knowledge of AD security: Implementing least privilege, auditing, and compliance with standards like NIST or CIS benchmarks.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to handle high-pressure situations in large-scale, mission-critical infrastructures.

Preferred Skills

• Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate, or equivalent (e.g., MCSE: Productivity).
• Experience with related technologies: Windows Server (2016+), Azure infrastructure, Intune for endpoint management, or third-party AD tools (e.g., SolarWinds, ManageEngine).
• Familiarity with agile methodologies for IT projects, including tools like Jira or Azure DevOps. But used to working in an ITSM environment with Incidents, Requests, Changes in a tool like ServiceNow.
• Background in M&A integrations or failed migration recoveries, with a focus on minimizing business disruption.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.

• Opportunities for professional growth, including transitioning to full management roles.

• A dynamic environment where your technical expertise directly influences enterprise-scale transformations.

• Flexible work options, including hybrid remote/on-site.

If you’re passionate about taming complex AD environments and ready to lead the charge in our hybrid cloud journey, apply today!