Security, Identity & Cloud Expert

Real Staffing Group; Taunton; On-site; GBP 83,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Real Staffing Group is seeking an experienced Security, Identity & Cloud Expert to join a busy IT team in a Higher Education environment on an interim basis. The role provides hands-on support to the Identity team across identity and access management technologies, helping to maintain core identity services.

The contractor will work with senior specialists to support day-to-day operations, including AD and Entra ID, user lifecycle management, troubleshooting, and contributing to documentation

Qualifications

• Experience supporting Microsoft Active Directory and Entra ID environments.
• Good understanding of Identity and Access Management (IAM) principles.
• Experience managing user accounts, security groups, permissions, and authentication services.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365 and cloud identity technologies.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience working in complex enterprise environments.
• Excellent communication and ability to work with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational support for AD and Entra ID environments.
• Assist with user lifecycle management (joiners, movers, leavers).
• Support IAM activities ensuring secure user access.
• Troubleshoot identity-related incidents and service requests.
• Maintain group memberships, permissions, and access controls.
• Support cloud-based identity and authentication services.
• Collaborate with Identity and Infrastructure teams to ensure service continuity.
• Contribute to documentation, processes, and knowledge sharing.
• Assist with security tasks and policy compliance.

Skills

Active Directory

Entra ID / Azure AD

IAM principles

User management

Microsoft 365

Troubleshooting

Stakeholder comms

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Security, Identity & Cloud Expert to join a busy IT team within a Higher Education environment on an interim basis. This role will provide hands-on support to the Identity team, assisting with day-to-day operational activities across identity and access management technologies.

The successful contractor will help maintain and support core identity services, allowing senior technical specialists to focus on ongoing project delivery and strategic change initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide operational support for Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID environments.
• Assist with user lifecycle management, including joiners, movers, and leavers processes.
• Support identity and access management activities, ensuring secure and efficient user access.
• Troubleshoot and resolve identity-related incidents and service requests.
• Maintain group memberships, permissions, and access controls.
• Support administration of cloud-based identity and authentication services.
• Work closely with the wider Identity and Infrastructure teams to ensure service continuity.
• Contribute to documentation, process improvements, and knowledge sharing within the team.
• Assist with security-related tasks and compliance with organisational policies and standards.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong experience supporting Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) environments.
• Good understanding of Identity and Access Management (IAM) principles.
• Experience managing user accounts, security groups, permissions, and authentication services.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365 and cloud identity technologies.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working within complex enterprise environments.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience within Higher Education or a large public-sector organisation.
• Knowledge of Azure services and cloud security best practices.
• Experience supporting MFA, Conditional Access, and Single Sign-On (SSO).
• Familiarity with ITIL-based service management environments.