Active Directory Lead/Manager
Revel IT
Get more replies from employers
Send a job-specific resume in minutes.
Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Qualifications
- 7+ years of hands-on experience with on-premises Active Directory.
- Experience with hybrid AD environments for at least 2 years.
- Proficiency in troubleshooting complex AD issues.
Responsibilities
- Lead Active Directory operations and optimizations.
- Oversee domain migrations from legacy to modern structures.
- Mentor team members without formal managerial authority.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
This range is provided by Revel IT. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range: $120,000.00/yr - $150,000.00/yr
6 months Contract to Hire with conversion salary $120-150k
Job Title: Active Directory Technical Manager/Lead
About the Role
We are seeking a highly skilled Active Directory Technical Manager to join our 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. This position reports to the Sr. Director of Cloud and involves leading a small team of AD specialists, while contributing directly to complex projects.
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 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 managerial authority.
- 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.
- Bachelor\'s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical 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 long-established environments.
- 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.
- 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. Experience in ITSM environments 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.
- 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!
- Mid-Senior level
- Full-time
- Information Technology
- Food and Beverage Manufacturing and IT Services and IT Consulting
We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article.
'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M101.744%2012.4726L102.894%2016.1947L99.0021%2013.2201L101.744%2012.4726ZM105.3%208.40937H100.488L99.0026%203.59473L97.5116%208.41047L92.7%208.40385L96.5965%2011.3834L95.1055%2016.1942L99.0021%2013.2196L101.408%2011.3834L105.3%208.40992V8.40937Z'%20fill='white'/%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient%20id='paint0_linear_5593_1381'%20x1='90'%20y1='9.44471'%20x2='99'%20y2='9.44471'%20gradientUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%3e%3cstop%20stop-color='%2300AD70'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='0.998594'%20stop-color='%2300B67A'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='1'%20stop-color='%23DCDCE6'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e){kind=small}
