Principal Authentication Services Engineer

3M Company; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

3M is seeking a Principal Authentication Services Engineer to lead the architecture, engineering, and lifecycle of enterprise authentication platforms across a global environment. You will influence IAM strategy, standards, and how authentication evolves with the company’s Zero Trust security approach.

You will own design and operational health of authentication platforms, including Entra ID, AD, and MFA policies, while guiding incidents, governance, and cross-team collaboration.

Qualifications

• Eight years designing, deploying, and managing enterprise IAM solutions.
• Five years with modern authentication protocols (SAML, OAuth 2.0, OIDC, FIDO2).
• Five years leading architecture initiatives and Zero Trust programs.

Responsibilities

• Own design, implementation, and health of authentication platforms across a global environment.
• Maintain SSO integrations (SAML, OIDC, OAuth 2.0) across SaaS and on-prem systems.
• Define authentication standards and reference architectures; keep documentation current.

Skills

IAM architecture

Enterprise authentication

Zero Trust

MFA/Passwordless

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Job description

Job Description:

Principal Authentication Services Engineer

Collaborate with Innovative 3Mers Around the World

Choosing where to start and grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the company that you choose to work at, and its leaders, will support and guide you. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.

Your Skills and Expertise

The Principal Authentication Services Engineer is a senior technical leader and subject matter expert within the Identity & Access Management organization. This role owns the architecture, engineering, and lifecycle management of enterprise authentication platforms across a complex global environment — and plays a meaningful role in shaping the IAM authentication roadmap, org-wide standards, and how authentication capabilities evolve alongside the broader Zero Trust security strategy.

Authentication Platform Engineering & Architecture

• Own the engineering design, implementation, and operational health of Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory, and federated identity services across the enterprise


• Architect and maintain SSO integrations (SAML, OIDC, OAuth 2.0) across SaaS, on-prem, and hybrid application portfolios


• Engineer and manage MFA policies, authentication method configurations, and phishing-resistant credential adoption (FIDO2, Windows Hello for Business, certificate-based auth)


• Lead Conditional Access policy development, testing, and lifecycle governance


• Define authentication standards, patterns, and reference architectures for new and existing applications — and own keeping them current


• Evaluate emerging authentication technologies and drive proof-of-concept efforts that inform roadmap decisions


• Maintain technical documentation including architecture diagrams, decision records, and runbooks

Security & Compliance

• Partner with Security Architecture to align authentication controls with Zero Trust principles and enterprise security policy


• Support audit and compliance activities by providing technical evidence, control narratives, and remediation guidance


• Identify gaps in authentication posture and lead engineering remediation efforts

Collaboration & Leadership

• Serve as escalation point for complex authentication incidents and engineering challenges


• Mentor and uplift mid-level engineers on the Authentication Services team


• Engage with application teams, infrastructure engineering, and security operations as a trusted IAM authority.

Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)


• Eight (8) years of experience designing, deploying, and managing enterprise Identity and Access Management (IAM) authentication solutions (e.g., Entra ID, Ping Identity, Active Directory) in a private, public, government or military environment


• Five (5) years of experience working with modern authentication protocols, including SAML, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and FIDO2 in a private, public, government or military environment


• Five (5) years of experience leading complex architectural initiatives, conditional access hardening, or Zero Trust security programs in a private, public, government or military environment

Location

• Maplewood, MN or Austin, TX (Hybrid — at least 3 days per week onsite)

Travel

May include up to 10%

Relocation Assistance

May be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in the country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B)

Supporting Your Well-being

3M offers many programs to help you live your best life — both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

Applicable to US Applicants Only: The expected compensation range for this position is $164,612 – $201,193, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.

All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.

Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.

Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.

Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.

Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/

3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.