Active Directory & Azure Specialist

Job Description

Active Directory Specialist – Job Specification

Active Directory Support Specialist

Client Site (Aldermaston) – Onsite 5 days per week (occasional WFH possible)

DV or willing to undergo DV vetting

The Active Directory Specialist plays a pivotal role in supporting, maintaining, and enhancing a complex hybrid identity services environment that spans both On‑Prem Active Directory and Entra (Azure Active Directory). Operating within a high‑security, fast‑paced public‑sector setting, the role requires delivering expert 2nd/3rd line technical support while also contributing to long‑term service transformation, infrastructure modernisation, and operational automation initiatives.

You will work at the centre of enterprise identity and access management, ensuring stability, security, and performance across critical directory services including AD DS, Group Policy, ADFS, AD Connect, PKI, and a broad range of supporting technologies. This includes managing domain controllers, maintaining DNS/DHCP integrity, overseeing Group Policy design and deployment (including AGPM), and supporting authentication and federation services across tightly controlled environments.

The role is highly technical and demands rigorous troubleshooting skills, deep protocol-level understanding, and the ability to diagnose complex issues across interconnected systems and multi‑layered identity architectures.

In addition to BAU service delivery, the Active Directory Specialist contributes significantly to project work, including design and installation of new systems, obsolescence remediation, configuration enhancements, and security‑driven platform improvements. You will collaborate closely with architects, service leads, and project managers to define, document, and implement scalable solutions using industry best practices, Microsoft security models, and modern automation approaches. The role supports both Agile and ITIL Continuous Service Improvement principles, ensuring that new workflows, processes, and service models are structured, resilient, and aligned to evolving business and security requirements.

A major element of the role is maintaining a strong customer‑focused mindset. You will be expected to work directly with customer representatives, internal DXC teams, and senior IT leadership to communicate technical challenges, propose solutions, and build trust‑driven relationships. This demands excellent communication skills, documentation capabilities, and the confidence to work independently without direct supervision. You will use enterprise knowledge tools, share expertise within the engineering community, and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

The position requires adaptability, initiative, and a willingness to innovate—identifying opportunities to automate, optimise, and modernise identity services to ensure long‑term platform stability and compliance. The Active Directory Specialist must also be committed to maintaining the highest security standards, particularly within environments requiring DV‑level clearance, where meticulous attention to detail and adherence to strict operational controls are fundamental.

Overall, this is a strategically significant role that blends deep technical expertise with collaborative delivery, solution design, and continuous improvement—ensuring the organisation’s hybrid identity ecosystem remains secure, modern, and highly available.

• Administer and maintain hybrid identity infrastructures across on prem Active Directory and Azure Active Directory (Entra ), ensuring secure, reliable authentication and directory services.
• Troubleshoot and optimise identity platforms including AD, ADFS, Azure AD Connect/Sync, Entra , and LDAP, resolving complex federation, synchronisation, and authentication issues.
• Lead Group Policy lifecycle management, including design, implementation, and controlled deployment using AGPM to ensure consistent and secure configuration baselines.
• Manage core AD infrastructure components such as Domain Controllers, FSMO roles, DNS, DHCP, Sites & Services, ensuring…