Director of Authentication Engineering

Onward Search is a specialized staffing and talent solutions company that helps professionals find top jobs with the nation’s leading brands. We’re looking to hire a Director of Authentication Engineering for a client in the financial space. You’ll join the engineering team to lead the delivery and operational excellence of the enterprise Authentication Platform for workforce and customer identities. • Rate: $70-89/hr • Location: Hybrid in Indianapolis, IN OR Newark, DE OR Reston, VA • Duration: Early Sept to March 2026 -- potential to extend or convert to full time Responsibilities: • Serve as the accountable leader for Authentication Engineering, ensuring that the Enterprise Authentication Platforms meet business, security, and compliance objectives. • Drive modernization from legacy Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID and scale PingOne CIAM for customer authentication. • Act as product owner for day-to-day backlog and delivery within the roadmap set by the Senior Director. Align priorities with stakeholders, and deliver against quarterly OKRs and SLOs. • Provide design authority by issuing reference architectures and guardrails for Entra ID (Conditional Access, MFA/passwordless, Identity Protection, PIM) and federation patterns. • Partner with Security IAM to implement authentication policies under governance, ensuring alignment with Zero Trust principles and regulatory frameworks (CJIS, PCI, HIPAA). Requirements: • 10+ years in authentication/identity services with 3+ years leading engineering teams. • Proven leadership in hybrid identity environments (Active Directory + Microsoft Entra ID) and large?scale migrations. • Experience with PingOne CIAM and standards?based federation (OIDC/SAML). • Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks (CJIS, PCI, HIPAA) and Zero Trust principles. • Demonstrated ability to manage stakeholders, vendors, and delivery governance. • Proficiency in PowerShell and Microsoft Graph; familiarity with CI/CD and infrastructure as code. Perks & Benefits: • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance • Life Insurance • 401k Program • Commuter Benefit • eLearning • Education Reimbursement • Ongoing Training & Development To qualify for our benefits package, you must work over 30 hours per week and the length of assignment must be a minimum of 10 weeks. To learn more about this opportunity, apply now. Our recruitment team will be in touch, guide you through the interview process, and advocate on your behalf.