Johannesburg: Senior Active Directory Specialist (Architect)

Job Description The Senior Active Directory Specialist is responsible for the Global design of the OT Active Directory (AD) environment for a 6 months contract period, ensuring optimal performance, security, and availability. This role plays a critical part in designing appropriate identity and access, enforcing security best practices, and supporting enterprise-wide authentication and directory services. Key Responsibilities: Active Directory Administration Design the AD infrastructure, including domain controllers, DNS, DHCP, and Group Policy Suggest processes to Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize AD to ensure stability and performance Identity & Access Management (IAM) Develop IAM policies, procedures, and controls Design mechanisms and suggest procedures for user provisioning, de-provisioning, and access control in alignment with security policies (Design) Security & Compliance Design AD security best practices, inline with current practices including MFA, security baselines, and privileged access management Suggest processes to conduct security audits, patching, and vulnerability assessments. Disaster Recovery & Backup Design AD disaster recovery and business continuity plans Design backup and recovery tests to ensure data integrity and availability Scripting & Automation Suggest PowerShell scripts to automate AD tasks such as account management and reporting Suggest automated monitoring and alerting solutions for AD performance and security Collaboration & Support Work with IT teams to plan integration of AD with cloud services (e.g., Azure AD, Office 365) Provide expert-level support for AD-related incidents and service requests Documentation & Reporting Maintain detailed documentation of AD architecture, policies, and procedures Required Skills and Qualifications: Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field 10 years of experience managing and administering Active Directory in enterprise environments Expertise in Windows Server, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, and PowerShell scripting Experience with Azure AD, ADFS, and identity federation Strong understanding of AD security hardening, MFA, PKI, and LDAP Familiarity with IAM tools such as Okta, CyberArk, or similar Excellent troubleshooting, analytical, and communication skills Preferred Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate Microsoft Certified: Server Infrastructure (Must Have) Microsoft Certified: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure (Must Have) Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate CompTIA Security or CISSP (Advantageous) Microsoft Azure Fundamentals or Azure Administrator Associate