Lead PKI Engineer

ZipRecruiter; Santa Ana (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a seasoned Lead PKI Engineer to spearhead enterprise-level encryption initiatives. In this pivotal role, you will be the expert on public key infrastructure, safeguarding communications and enabling secure access across the organization. Your responsibilities will include managing PKI environments, designing encryption strategies, and collaborating with various teams to implement robust security practices. If you are passionate about encryption and ready to make a significant impact, this opportunity is for you. Join us in shaping the future of data protection and make your mark in the field of cybersecurity.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience with PKI technologies and encryption best practices.
• Ability to mentor and guide teams across technical and non-technical functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the management and modernization of the PKI environment.
• Design and support enterprise encryption strategies.
• Collaborate with developers to implement encryption patterns.

Skills

PKI technologies

encryption

certificate lifecycle management

scripting (PowerShell, Python, Bash)

communication skills

Tools

Venafi

AWS KMS

Azure Key Vault

HashiCorp Vault

Job description

Job Description

Our client is looking for a seasoned Lead PKI Engineer who’s ready to make an impact at scale. In this role, you'll be the go-to expert on public key infrastructure, helping safeguard enterprise communications and enabling secure access across the organization. If you're passionate about encryption, security best practices, and solving complex challenges, this is your opportunity to lead from the front and work on meaningful, enterprise-level solutions.

• Location: Orange County, CA (but open to Remote in Western US w/monthly travel)
• Compensation: This job is expected to pay about $130-160k base plus strong benefits package
• No Visa Sponsorship Available for this role

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the management and modernization of the PKI environment, including certificate lifecycle, CA infrastructure, and encryption key platforms
• Design and support enterprise encryption strategies, including discovery, modeling, and integration of secure key management practices
• Collaborate with developers and security teams to implement encryption patterns and centralize key storage across critical applications
• Partner with vendor technical account managers and internal ops teams to operationalize encryption key management
• Mentor engineers and educate business users through documentation, training sessions, etc.

What Gets You the Job:

• Very strong hands-on experience with PKI technologies and platforms such as Venafi, and strong understanding of certificate lifecycle management
• Demonstrated experience with encryption key management tools like AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault, or comparable technologies
• Solid scripting skills using PowerShell, Python, Bash, or Linux command line utilities
• Familiarity with IAM concepts and integrating PKI solutions across enterprise applications
• Strong communication skills with the ability to train, mentor, and guide teams across technical and non-technical functions

If you're passionate about building secure systems and ready to lead enterprise-level encryption initiatives, we’d love to connect. Apply today and help shape the future of data protection.