AD / Azure Operations Engineer (L2)

A Day in Your Life at MKS:
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As an [Insert Job Title] at [Insert Business Name], you will partner with [Insert Group Name] (ex. Engineering, Internal Teams, Sales, Customers, etc.) to [Insert Main Job Duty] (ex. develop, support, execute, sell, design, contribute, etc.). In this role, you will report to the [Insert Reporting Manager's Title].

You Will Make an Impact By:
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• Responsibility 1

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• Responsibility 4

• Responsibility 5

• Responsibility 6

• Travel Requirements: Up to [Please Insert] % of Travel is required.

We are seeking an experienced AD / Azure Operations Engineer (L2) to manage, monitor, and maintain our on-premises and cloud-based directory services and related infrastructure. The role requires strong expertise in Active Directory (AD), Azure Active Directory (Entra ID), Group Policies, DNS, WSUS, SCOM, and AOVPN, with responsibility for delivering a stable, secure, and well-maintained environment.

The candidate will perform L2 operations, troubleshooting, proactive monitoring, maintenance, and audit support, while collaborating with other IT teams to resolve issues and improve efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Operations & Support

• Perform L2 operations (incidents, requests, and changes) for Active Directory (AD), Azure AD (Entra ID), WSUS, SCOM, and AOVPN.

• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to authentication, authorization, identity lifecycle, and directory synchronization.

• Manage Group Policies (GPOs) – creation, modification, testing, troubleshooting, and deployment.

• Provide DNS management and troubleshooting to support AD and related services.

• Handle WSUS patch deployment cycles, approvals, and troubleshooting failed updates.

• Maintain and support AOVPN infrastructure for secure remote connectivity.

• Monitoring & Proactive Maintenance

• Proactive monitoring of services using SCOM and native tools (AAD/Entra monitoring).

• Perform health checks and sanity validation across AD, AAD, and related systems.

• Apply proactive maintenance to ensure platform stability, security, and compliance.

• Audit & Reporting

• Work with the Audit and Compliance teams to generate and validate audit reports.

• Ensure adherence to security standards, policies, and best practices.

• Collaboration

• Escalate complex issues to L3 or engineering teams while maintaining ownership until resolution.

• Collaborate with Infrastructure, Security, and Networking teams to deliver end-to-end support.

• Contribute to documentation, knowledge base, and runbooks for operational efficiency.
Primary Skills Required

• Technical Skills

• Strong L2-level expertise in Active Directory (AD) administration (user/group management, OU management, FSMO roles, AD replication, AD Sites & Services).

• Experience with Azure Active Directory / Entra ID – identity lifecycle, synchronization, MFA, Conditional Access, SSO.

• Proficiency in Group Policy Object (GPO) management.

• Knowledge of DNS, DHCP, and certificates as they relate to AD and Entra.

• Hands-on with WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) for patching and update management.

• Experience with SCOM for monitoring and alert handling.

• Familiarity with Always On VPN (AOVPN) setup, troubleshooting, and support.

• Basic PowerShell scripting for automation and troubleshooting.

• Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting mindset.

• Effective communication skills (verbal & written) for global collaboration.

• Ability to document processes and contribute to knowledge sharing.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent work experience).

• 3–5 years of hands-on experience in AD/AAD operations and infrastructure support.

• Relevant certifications (preferred but not mandatory):

• Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate

• Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate

• ITIL Foundation (good to have).

Nice to Have

• Exposure to M365 identity integration with AAD..

• Knowledge of PKI, Certificate Authorities, and Kerberos/NTLM authentication.

• Experience in cloud-hybrid identity solutions and Azure AD Connect.

• Familiarity with automation tools (PowerShell).
 

Globally, our policy is to recruit individuals from wide and diverse backgrounds. However, certain positions require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to various export control regulations.  Applicants for these positions may be limited (by, for example, their countries of citizenship, country of origin, or immigration status) where required by law or governmental contact, and/or employment made contingent upon the issuance of appropriate governmental licensing.

MKS Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries ("MKS") is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer: diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. We win as a team and are committed to recruiting and hiring qualified applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), religion, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability or handicap, marital status, membership in the uniformed services, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law. Hiring decisions are based on merit, qualifications and business needs. We conduct background checks and drug screens, in accordance with applicable law and company policies.  MKS is generally only hiring candidates who reside in states where we are registered to do business.

MKS is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process due to a disability, please contact us at:  .

If applying for a specific job, please include the requisition number (ex: RXXXX), the title and location of the role