Principal Authentication Services Engineer
3MAbout the role
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.
Chat with Max
For assistance with searching through our current job openings or for more information about all things 3M, visit Max, our virtual recruiting assistant on 3M.com/careers.
Applicable to US Applicants Only:The expected compensation range for this position is $145,676 - $178,049,Apply for this role
Generate a tailored application kit with a matched cover letter, interview prep, and CV highlights — in under 60 seconds.
Apply Now →Generate Application KitFree account required — sign up in 30s