SME Systems Engineer (Entra)

About the Role

GovCIO is hiring a highly experienced Subject Matter Expert (SME) Systems Engineer specializing in Identity Management (IdM) with a primary focus on the Microsoft Entra product area. This technical role supports critical Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) modernization activities for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The position focuses on designing, engineering, and executing secure, identity-centric access control frameworks across legacy and modern enterprise architectures. This is a hybrid position located in Alexandria, VA.

Responsibilities

• Lead modernization of legacy access controls into robust, secure ICAM solutions.
• Manage enterprise directories, federation, authentication, authorization, and SSO protocols.
• Architect identity lifecycles, user provisioning workflows, and privilege management controls.
• Design and deploy strict Zero Trust identity principles (NIST SP 800-207) across network hubs.
• Configure and manage enterprise-grade PKI systems, credentials, and authenticators.
• Implement logical and physical access control systems, including MFA, SSO, and Privileged Access Management (PAM).
• Build federated identity services to enable secure interoperability with mission partners.
• Conduct technical root cause analysis, privilege audits, and system performance tuning.
• Develop custom technical interfaces, architectures, data flows, and compliance documentation.
• Serve as the definitive technical owner for the Microsoft Entra tenant and its associated services.
• Architect, manage, and serve as the final escalation point for the Entra Connect Sync identity synchronization service.
• Own the overall design of the Entra tenant, including security policies, conditional access architecture, and integration strategies.
• Engineer and architect the technical implementation of Entra ID Governance, specifically Privileged Identity Management (PIM) and Access Reviews.

Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent with 10+ years of relevant experience (or commensurate experience).
• Active Secret clearance.
• DoD 8570 IAT Level II or higher certification (e.g., Security+ CE, CySA+, or vendor-specific identity certifications).
• Deep technical understanding of federated identity concepts, including SAML, OAuth, OIDC, and Active Directory / LDAP architecture.
• Hands-on engineering experience managing Smart Card / Common Access Card (CAC) authentication and PKI certificate validation.
• Proven experience designing and applying federal Zero Trust identity guidelines (NIST SP 800-207) within enterprise networks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identity management programs.
• Familiarity with integrating data governance frameworks with ICAM solutions to enforce data-level access controls.
• Direct experience with enterprise identity tools such as SailPoint, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Ping Identity, DigiCert, or Power BI.
• Advanced knowledge of RESTful API authorization protocols, secure gateways, and data schema security standards.

Pay

USD $135,000.00 - USD $172,000.00 per year.