IAM Authentication Engineer

Smithfield Foods • Smithfield, VA

45d

About The Position

As the IAM Authentication Engineer, you will serve as a highly motivated and experienced professional supporting various programs and strategic initiatives across the organization. You will lead efforts to architect and implement modern authentication protocols and platforms that secure networks, IT assets, applications, cloud environments, and third-party services. You will collaborate across multiple levels of the cybersecurity team, evaluate risk in relation to business operations, and apply your proven expertise in cybersecurity and access management to support the needs of a rapidly growing enterprise.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in IT, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or related field and 5+ years’ relevant experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
• Demonstrate deep experience implementing MFA, Federation, Managing Active Directory, Provisioning, and SSO solutions using Okta.
• Proficient in PowerShell and Unix Shell scripting for automation and system management.
• Apply “defense-in-depth” and “defense-in-breadth” strategies to strengthen security posture.
• Understand and apply cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST CSF, NIST SP 800-53, and ISO 27001.
• Bring experience working in multinational environments with complex, integrated IT systems.
• Possess broad and deep knowledge across business, IT, and cybersecurity technologies.
• Leverage industry best practices while remaining creative and innovative in problem-solving.
• Proven ability to work independently in remote settings and collaboratively within diverse engineering teams.
• Exhibit advanced documentation, prioritization, and analytical capabilities.
• Handle proprietary and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Efficiently manage multiple tasks using tools and processes to ensure timely and accurate delivery.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in MS Azure/AWS security and protection technologies.
• Familiarity with Windows and Linux internals.
• Experience with PKI, Certificate Management and VPN.
• Familiarity with OWASP TOP 10 vulnerabilities, SANS 25, MITRE and CWEs.
• Familiarity with relational databases and SQL.
• CISSP, CISM or equivalent security certification preferred.
• 5+ years of Active Directory management and security preferred.
• Experience in Operations Technology (OT) is desired.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key advisor to the Sr. Director of IAM, regularly reviewing and recommending best practices in directory, authentication, authorization, federation, and SSO.
• Partner with application teams to implement MFA, Federation, Provisioning, and SSO solutions that enhance security and user experience.
• Collaborate with business units, IT infrastructure, and partners to define and implement authentication requirements for securing access to critical assets.
• Administer and support authentication platforms, including Active Directory (AD), Azure AD, Okta, SailPoint, and Centrify.
• Apply a threat-based, intelligence-led approach to assess current capabilities and identify future needs for authentication services.
• Work closely with cybersecurity engineers and analysts across IT and OT to manage threats and strengthen response capabilities.
• Coordinate with HR to support onboarding/offboarding processes and maintain authoritative identity sources.
• Manage multiple AD domains and forests, collaborating with infrastructure teams to ensure stability and scalability.
• Develop and enforce authentication policies, standards, and procedures to meet business, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead authentication projects, defining objectives, managing timelines, and ensuring successful implementation.
• Maintain deep knowledge of authentication technologies, including SAML, OAuth, OIDC, Kerberos, MFA, PAM, and password vaulting.
• Monitor KPIs/KRIs, manage vendor relationships, and adapt strategies to evolving authentication risks and technologies.

Benefits

• Smithfield is proud to offer robust, flexible and affordable benefit plans and programs to support our team members and their loved ones, and with out-of-pocket costs, on average, 20 percent less than plans offered by other employers.
• Beyond our medical plans, our Be Well programs offer tools and resources to enhance your quality of life, at no additional cost.
• These programs are uniquely tailored to our Smithfield team and provide support for elective surgeries, weight loss, mental health, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, smoking cessation, asthma, maternity management and more.
• Our company invests in your future. We offer comprehensive training and professional development programs designed to help you reach your full potential.
• Our partnership with GUILD supports your continuing education with tuition assistance covering English language learning and various certificate programs, while our leadership development initiatives nurture high-potential talent.
• For those looking to build specialized skills, we offer apprenticeship programs that combine hands-on experience with focused learning.
• We also offer unique benefits like our Smithfield Scholarship Program for employees’ children.
• Smithfield’s Education Reimbursement Program provides financial reimbursement to team members who want to further their formal education by obtaining a GED/High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma or by pursuing an academic degree at an accredited college or university that is not a Guild learning partner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level