Senior IAM / PKI Architect (Freelance/Contract) – Government Organization

Location: Brussels Region, Belgium
Work Model: Hybrid (2–3 days on-site per week)
Contract Duration: Initial 1-year contract with extensions up to 3 years
Start Date: 01/09/2026
Languages: Dutch or French (mandatory) and English
Seniority: Senior / Expert Level

Context

A major governmental organization in the Brussels region is strengthening its cybersecurity posture in response to evolving regulatory and security requirements, including NIS2-related initiatives. We are seeking an experienced Senior IAM / PKI Architect to lead the design, assessment, and implementation of a robust Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Identity & Access Management (IAM) architecture.

The successful candidate will operate autonomously, working closely with internal security teams and PKI subject matter experts to define the future-state architecture, identify security gaps, improve processes, and ensure secure certificate lifecycle management across the organization.

Responsibilities

PKI Architecture & Strategy

• Define and maintain the enterprise PKI architecture roadmap and blueprint.
• Design secure PKI environments covering Root CA, Issuing CA, certificate lifecycle management, revocation mechanisms, and trust models.
• Establish governance, standards, and best practices for certificate management.
• Design and implement certificate issuance, renewal, revocation, blacklisting, and recovery processes.
• Ensure PKI solutions comply with governmental and regulatory security requirements.

Assessment & Gap Analysis

• Perform comprehensive assessments of existing PKI and IAM environments.
• Conduct gap analyses against security standards, best practices, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify architectural weaknesses, operational risks, and security vulnerabilities.
• Provide actionable recommendations and implementation roadmaps.

Security & Compliance

• Support NIS2-related compliance and cybersecurity initiatives.
• Develop secure operational processes and controls.
• Define security policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
• Ensure audit readiness and documentation standards.

Project Delivery

• Lead PKI-related transformation and remediation initiatives.
• Work autonomously to resolve architectural challenges and unblock complex projects.
• Collaborate with security architects, infrastructure teams, and PKI experts.
• Provide technical leadership and knowledge transfer to internal teams.

Required Experience

• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in cybersecurity, IAM, or PKI domains.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise PKI environments.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
  • Certificate lifecycle management
  • Certificate Authorities (CA)
  • Certificate Revocation Lists (CRL)
  • OCSP
  • Digital signatures
  • Encryption and cryptographic standards
  • Identity & Access Management (IAM)
• Experience performing security assessments and gap analyses.
• Experience creating security architectures, governance models, and operational processes.
• Ability to work independently and drive initiatives from assessment through implementation.
• Experience within highly regulated environments is a strong asset.

Technical Skills

• Enterprise PKI platforms
• Microsoft AD CS and/or comparable PKI solutions
• HSMs (Hardware Security Modules)
• IAM technologies and integrations
• Security architecture frameworks
• Risk assessment methodologies
• Certificate automation and lifecycle tools
• Regulatory compliance and security governance

Soft Skills

• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Comfortable working in complex and politically sensitive environments.
• Autonomous, proactive, and results-oriented.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.

Language Requirements

• Fluent Dutch or French (mandatory).
• Professional English (mandatory).