Microsoft Entra ID Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Microsoft Entra ID Subject Matter Expert to provide technical expertise, administration, security, and advanced operational support for enterprise identity and access management services.The SME will be responsible for the stability, security, and effective management of the Microsoft Entra ID environment and will act as the escalation point for complex identity, authentication, access, and application integration issues.

 Key Responsibilities

Microsoft Entra ID Administration

• Manage and support Microsoft Entra ID tenant configuration.
• Manage users, groups, administrative roles, licenses, and identity-related configurations.
• Maintain appropriate role-based access and administrative privileges.
• Support tenant configuration reviews and identity-related service improvements.

Identity & Access Security

• Design, configure, and maintain Conditional Access policies.
• Manage and troubleshoot Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• Support passwordless authentication and authentication-method policies.
• Configure and manage Privileged Identity Management (PIM).
• Apply least-privilege and Zero Trust principles to identity administration.
• Review privileged accounts and administrative access.

Hybrid Identity

• Support integration between on-premises Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID.
• Administer and troubleshoot Microsoft Entra Connect Sync / Cloud Sync.
• Resolve user, group, password, UPN, and directory synchronization issues.
• Support authentication and identity issues across hybrid environments.

Enterprise Applications & SSO

• Configure and support enterprise applications within Entra ID.
• Implement and troubleshoot Single Sign-On (SSO).
• Support authentication standards including SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect.
• Manage application registrations, service principals, certificates, secrets, permissions, and consent.
• Work with application teams to troubleshoot authentication and authorization issues.

 Identity Governance

• Support access reviews and identity governance processes.
• Assist with Joiner-Mover-Leaver identity lifecycle requirements.
• Support periodic privileged-access and entitlement reviews.
• Work with Security, Compliance, and Application teams on access-control requirements.

 Operational Support & Troubleshooting

•  Act as the L3 / SME escalation point for Entra ID-related incidents.
• Troubleshoot complex issues involving:
• User authentication
• MFA
• Conditional Access
• SSO
• Directory synchronization
• Enterprise applications
• Administrative and privileged access
• Perform root-cause analysis for recurring or major identity incidents.
• Assist operations teams during high-priority identity-related incidents.
• Coordinate with Microsoft Support when vendor escalation is required.

 Security Monitoring & Compliance

•  Review Entra ID sign-in and audit logs.
• Assist Security/SOC teams with identity-related security investigations.
• Support remediation of risky identity configurations and inappropriate access.
• Assist with audits and compliance reviews related to identity and access management.

 Documentation & Knowledge Transfer

• Maintain Entra ID architecture and configuration documentation.
• Develop and maintain operational SOPs, troubleshooting guides, and support procedures.
• Provide knowledge transfer to Service Desk and L1/L2 support teams.
• Document known issues, resolutions, and escalation procedures.

Technical Skills

Must Have

• Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD
• Active Directory
• Conditional Access
• Multi-Factor Authentication
• Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
• Microsoft Entra Connect / Cloud Sync
• Enterprise Applications
• Application Registrations
• Single Sign-On
• SAML, OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
• Microsoft 365 identity integration
• Strong identity and authentication troubleshooting skills
• Understanding of Zero Trust and least-privilege principles

Good to Have

• Microsoft Entra ID Governance
• Microsoft Sentinel / SIEM exposure
• Microsoft Graph knowledge
• PowerShell knowledge
• PKI and certificate management
• Intune integration with Entra ID

Automation should be treated as a supporting skill rather than a core responsibility for this position.

Experience & Qualifications

• 7+ years of overall IT experience, preferably covering Identity, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, or Azure environments.
• 4+ years of hands-on Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD experience preferred.
• Strong experience supporting enterprise identity environments.
• Experience implementing and troubleshooting Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, SSO, and hybrid identity.
• Experience working within Incident, Problem, and Change Management processes.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause-analysis skills.
• Ability to work effectively with Cloud, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Application, Service Desk, and Compliance teams.
• Preferred Certifications
• Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300)
• SC-100 or other Microsoft Security certifications are advantageous.