Ben explicitly stated he is looking for candidates who can "hit the ground running" and suggested ~5 years as a practical minimum to demonstrate true proficiency in:
Active Directory (enterprise scale)
Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS)
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS)
These technologies are described as the team's "bread and butter" and are mandatory due to Tier 0 access.
Why this matters:
This is not a learning role. Exxon expects deep operational judgment developed over multiple production environments.
2. PowerShell Automation & Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
• 3-5+ years PowerShell | 2-3+ years Terraform
PowerShell:
Heavy daily usage for automation and operational efficiency
Candidates should be independently building and maintaining scripts
Terraform / IaC:
Ben specified 2-3 years as sufficient, provided the candidate can:
Manage pipelines
Deploy infrastructure via code
The role is approximately 50% automation/engineering and 50% operations.
Why this matters:
Candidates who are "GUI-only AD admins" will not succeed. Exxon is modernizing identity through automation.
3. Tier 0 Security Experience in Large Enterprise Environments
• 5+ years in high-security / regulated enterprise environments
This role includes Tier 0 / Enterprise Administrator access
Requires:
Experience operating under strict security controls
Comfort with audit, compliance, and privileged access models
Ability to pass an enhanced background check (financial, criminal, global, dark web)
Large enterprise experience is strongly preferred, especially environments at Exxon's scale.
