Certificate & Key Management Engineer

Certificate & Key Management Engineer 6 months £550 - £600 p/d INSIDE ir35 Hybrid Remote in Dartford, Kent, UK Contract Details Type: Contract - Inside IR35 Duration: Initial 6 months (with strong likelihood of extension) Location: South East (occasional on‑site in Dartford) Working Model: Hybrid / largely remote Rate: Competitive market rate (Inside IR35) Role Overview We are seeking an experienced PKI / Certificate Management Engineer to support the renewal, management, and risk reduction of a large and growing certificate estate. This is a hands‑on, operationally focused role, brought in to stabilise existing certificate processes and manage renewal overheads while a longer‑term Certificate Management Platform (CMP) and improved governance processes are implemented. The successful candidate will take ownership of certificate lifecycle management across cloud and on‑prem environments, ensuring service continuity and reducing the risk of certificate‑related outages. Required Skills & Experience Essential Proven hands‑on experience as a PKI Engineer, Certificate Management Engineer, or similar Strong understanding of X.509 certificates, TLS/SSL, and certificate lifecycle best practices Experience managing certificates across: Azure (App Registrations / Enterprise Applications) Public certificate authorities (e.g. DigiCert or equivalent) Internal PKI / CA environments Experience handling shared secrets and certificate‑based authentication Ability to work independently and take ownership of delivery in a contract role Desirable Experience with Azure Key Vault or similar secret‑management tooling Knowledge of Certificate Management Platforms (CMPs) Exposure to HSMs Experience in regulated or enterprise‑scale environments Personal Attributes Pragmatic and delivery‑focused Comfortable working in environments with technical debt Clear communicator, able to document and explain processes Calm and methodical when managing operational risk