diff --git a/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/defaults.go b/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/defaults.go
index e2752790..5f6aad18 100644
--- a/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/defaults.go
+++ b/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/defaults.go
@@ -79,6 +79,19 @@ func SetDefaults_ServerConfiguration(serverConfig *ServerConfiguration) {
 		serverConfig.Webhooks.ServerCertDir = defaultWebhookServerTLSServerCertDir
 	}
 
+	if serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement == nil {
+		serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement = &WebhookCertManagement{}
+	}
+	if serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement.AutoProvision == nil {
+		serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement.AutoProvision = ptr.To(true)
+	}
+	if serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement.SecretName == "" {
+		serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement.SecretName = "grove-webhook-server-cert"
+	}
+	if serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement.CertManagerEnabled == nil {
+		serverConfig.Webhooks.CertManagement.CertManagerEnabled = ptr.To(false)
+	}
+
 	if serverConfig.HealthProbes == nil {
 		serverConfig.HealthProbes = &Server{}
 	}
diff --git a/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/types.go b/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/types.go
index 2c2c8df0..870859e0 100644
--- a/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/types.go
+++ b/operator/api/config/v1alpha1/types.go
@@ -135,6 +135,27 @@ type WebhookServer struct {
 	Server `json:",inline"`
 	// ServerCertDir is the directory containing the server certificate and key.
 	ServerCertDir string `json:"serverCertDir"`
+	// CertManagement defines the certificate management configuration.
+	// +optional
+	CertManagement *WebhookCertManagement `json:"certManagement,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// WebhookCertManagement defines how webhook certificates are managed.
+type WebhookCertManagement struct {
+	// AutoProvision enables automatic certificate generation and rotation.
+	// If set to false, you must provide your own certificates via Secret.
+	// Default: true
+	// +optional
+	AutoProvision *bool `json:"autoProvision,omitempty"`
+	// SecretName is the name of the secret containing the webhook server certificate.
+	// Default: grove-webhook-server-cert
+	// +optional
+	SecretName string `json:"secretName,omitempty"`
+	// CertManagerEnabled indicates whether to annotate webhook configurations for cert-manager CA injection.
+	// This requires cert-manager to be installed in the cluster.
+	// Default: false
+	// +optional
+	CertManagerEnabled *bool `json:"certManagerEnabled,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // Server contains information for HTTP(S) server configuration.
diff --git a/operator/charts/templates/_helpers.tpl b/operator/charts/templates/_helpers.tpl
index 8d7dc59f..1e0912d0 100644
--- a/operator/charts/templates/_helpers.tpl
+++ b/operator/charts/templates/_helpers.tpl
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ config.yaml: |
   server:
     webhooks:
       port: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.port }}
+      serverCertDir: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certDir }}
+      certManagement:
+        autoProvision: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.autoProvision }}
+        secretName: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName }}
+        certManagerEnabled: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.certManagerEnabled }}
     healthProbes:
       port: {{ .Values.config.server.healthProbes.port }}
     metrics:
diff --git a/operator/charts/templates/authorizer-webhook-config.yaml b/operator/charts/templates/authorizer-webhook-config.yaml
index db325a6e..e8f4c221 100644
--- a/operator/charts/templates/authorizer-webhook-config.yaml
+++ b/operator/charts/templates/authorizer-webhook-config.yaml
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ kind: ValidatingWebhookConfiguration
 metadata:
   name: authorizer-webhook
   namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  {{- if .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.certManagerEnabled }}
+  annotations:
+    cert-manager.io/inject-ca-from: {{ .Release.Namespace }}/{{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName }}
+  {{- end }}
   labels:
 {{- include "operator.authorizer.webhook.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 webhooks:
diff --git a/operator/charts/templates/deployment.yaml b/operator/charts/templates/deployment.yaml
index 9508b970..1ea9c3af 100644
--- a/operator/charts/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/operator/charts/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ spec:
               mountPath: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount
               readOnly: true
             - name: grove-webhook-server-cert
-              mountPath: /etc/grove-operator/webhook-certs
+              mountPath: {{ .Values.webhookServerCert.mountPath }}
               readOnly: true
           env:
             - name: GROVE_OPERATOR_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME
@@ -91,6 +91,10 @@ spec:
           configMap:
             name: {{ include "operator.config.name" . }}
         - name: grove-webhook-server-cert
+          {{- if .Values.webhookServerCert.volume }}
+          {{- toYaml .Values.webhookServerCert.volume | nindent 10 }}
+          {{- else }}
           secret:
-            secretName: grove-webhook-server-cert
+            secretName: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName }}
             defaultMode: 420
+          {{- end }}
diff --git a/operator/charts/templates/pcs-defaulting-webhook-config.yaml b/operator/charts/templates/pcs-defaulting-webhook-config.yaml
index 993320e3..bfd99e2f 100644
--- a/operator/charts/templates/pcs-defaulting-webhook-config.yaml
+++ b/operator/charts/templates/pcs-defaulting-webhook-config.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ kind: MutatingWebhookConfiguration
 metadata:
   name: podcliqueset-defaulting-webhook
   namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  {{- if .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.certManagerEnabled }}
+  annotations:
+    cert-manager.io/inject-ca-from: {{ .Release.Namespace }}/{{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName }}
+  {{- end }}
   labels:
 {{- include "operator.pcs.defaulting.webhook.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 webhooks:
diff --git a/operator/charts/templates/pcs-validating-webhook-config.yaml b/operator/charts/templates/pcs-validating-webhook-config.yaml
index 244976e7..e1c95e84 100644
--- a/operator/charts/templates/pcs-validating-webhook-config.yaml
+++ b/operator/charts/templates/pcs-validating-webhook-config.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ kind: ValidatingWebhookConfiguration
 metadata:
   name: podcliqueset-validating-webhook
   namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  {{- if .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.certManagerEnabled }}
+  annotations:
+    cert-manager.io/inject-ca-from: {{ .Release.Namespace }}/{{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName }}
+  {{- end }}
   labels:
 {{- include "operator.pcs.validating.webhook.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 webhooks:
diff --git a/operator/charts/templates/webhook-server-cert-secret.yaml b/operator/charts/templates/webhook-server-cert-secret.yaml
index 7c906471..b9a7ad71 100644
--- a/operator/charts/templates/webhook-server-cert-secret.yaml
+++ b/operator/charts/templates/webhook-server-cert-secret.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
+{{- if .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.autoProvision }}
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: Secret
 metadata:
-  name: grove-webhook-server-cert
+  name: {{ .Values.config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName }}
   namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
   labels:
 {{- include "operator.server.secret.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
@@ -9,3 +10,4 @@ type: kubernetes.io/tls
 data:
   tls.crt: ""
   tls.key: ""
+{{- end }}
diff --git a/operator/charts/values.yaml b/operator/charts/values.yaml
index deed7719..37d04a25 100644
--- a/operator/charts/values.yaml
+++ b/operator/charts/values.yaml
@@ -46,6 +46,19 @@ config:
   server:
     webhooks:
       port: 9443
+      # certDir is the directory path where certificate files are located.
+      # The operator will look for tls.crt and tls.key in this directory.
+      # Default: /etc/grove-operator/webhook-certs
+      certDir: /etc/grove-operator/webhook-certs
+      certManagement:
+        # autoProvision enables automatic certificate generation and rotation.
+        # Set to false to use external certificates (e.g., cert-manager).
+        autoProvision: true
+        # secretName is the name of the secret containing the webhook certificate.
+        secretName: grove-webhook-server-cert
+        # certManagerEnabled adds cert-manager.io/inject-ca-from annotation to webhook configs.
+        # Requires cert-manager to be installed in the cluster.
+        certManagerEnabled: false
     healthProbes:
       enable: false
       port: 9444
@@ -134,6 +147,40 @@ webhookServerSecret:
     app.kubernetes.io/name: grove-webhook-server-secret
     app.kubernetes.io/part-of: grove
 
+# Webhook server certificate volume configuration
+webhookServerCert:
+  # mountPath is where the certificate volume will be mounted in the container.
+  # This should typically match config.server.webhooks.certDir
+  mountPath: /etc/grove-operator/webhook-certs
+  
+  # volume defines the volume source for certificates.
+  # If not specified, defaults to using the Secret defined in config.server.webhooks.certManagement.secretName
+  # 
+  # Example 1 - Using hostPath (for local certificate files):
+  # volume:
+  #   hostPath:
+  #     path: /host/path/to/certs
+  #     type: Directory
+  #
+  # Example 2 - Using CSI driver (Vault):
+  # volume:
+  #   csi:
+  #     driver: secrets-store.csi.k8s.io
+  #     readOnly: true
+  #     volumeAttributes:
+  #       secretProviderClass: "grove-webhook-certs"
+  #
+  # Example 3 - Using ConfigMap (for testing only):
+  # volume:
+  #   configMap:
+  #     name: grove-webhook-certs
+  #
+  # Example 4 - Using emptyDir (for testing):
+  # volume:
+  #   emptyDir: {}
+  #
+  volume: null
+
 priorityClass:
   enabled: false
   name: grove-operator-priority-critical
diff --git a/operator/cmd/main.go b/operator/cmd/main.go
index d9ec4b87..aae207d8 100644
--- a/operator/cmd/main.go
+++ b/operator/cmd/main.go
@@ -62,8 +62,16 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	webhookCertsReadyCh := make(chan struct{})
-	if err = cert.ManageWebhookCerts(mgr, operatorCfg.Server.Webhooks.ServerCertDir, operatorCfg.Authorizer.Enabled, webhookCertsReadyCh); err != nil {
-		logger.Error(err, "failed to setup cert rotation")
+	certMgmt := operatorCfg.Server.Webhooks.CertManagement
+	if err = cert.ManageWebhookCerts(
+		mgr,
+		operatorCfg.Server.Webhooks.ServerCertDir,
+		certMgmt.SecretName,
+		operatorCfg.Authorizer.Enabled,
+		*certMgmt.AutoProvision,
+		webhookCertsReadyCh,
+	); err != nil {
+		logger.Error(err, "failed to setup certificate management")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
diff --git a/operator/internal/controller/cert/cert.go b/operator/internal/controller/cert/cert.go
index 2cd60b4d..ce3f1007 100644
--- a/operator/internal/controller/cert/cert.go
+++ b/operator/internal/controller/cert/cert.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ai-dynamo/grove/operator/internal/constants"
 	authorizationwebhook "github.com/ai-dynamo/grove/operator/internal/webhook/admission/pcs/authorization"
@@ -39,16 +40,30 @@ const (
 )
 
 // ManageWebhookCerts registers the cert-controller with the manager which will be used to manage
-// webhook certificates.
-func ManageWebhookCerts(mgr ctrl.Manager, certDir string, authorizerEnabled bool, certsReadyCh chan struct{}) error {
+// webhook certificates. If autoProvision is false, it skips automatic certificate management
+// and only ensures that certificates are mounted from the provided Secret.
+func ManageWebhookCerts(mgr ctrl.Manager, certDir string, secretName string, authorizerEnabled bool, autoProvision bool, certsReadyCh chan struct{}) error {
 	namespace, err := getOperatorNamespace()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
+	// If autoProvision is disabled, just verify certs exist and notify readiness
+	if !autoProvision {
+		logger := ctrl.Log.WithName("cert-external")
+		logger.Info("Automatic certificate provisioning is disabled, using external certificates",
+			"secretName", secretName, "certDir", certDir)
+
+		// Start a goroutine to wait for externally managed certificates
+		go waitForExternalCerts(logger, certDir, certsReadyCh)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Auto-provision mode: use cert-controller
 	rotator := &cert.CertRotator{
 		SecretKey: types.NamespacedName{
 			Namespace: namespace,
-			Name:      "grove-webhook-server-cert",
+			Name:      secretName,
 		},
 		CertDir:        certDir,
 		CAName:         certificateAuthorityName,
@@ -109,3 +124,51 @@ func getOperatorNamespace() (string, error) {
 	}
 	return namespace, nil
 }
+
+// waitForExternalCerts waits for externally managed certificates to be available
+// in the specified directory. This is used when autoProvision is disabled.
+func waitForExternalCerts(logger logr.Logger, certDir string, certsReadyCh chan struct{}) {
+	const (
+		maxRetries    = 30
+		retryInterval = 2 * time.Second
+		certFileName  = "tls.crt"
+		keyFileName   = "tls.key"
+	)
+
+	certPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", certDir, certFileName)
+	keyPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", certDir, keyFileName)
+
+	for i := 0; i < maxRetries; i++ {
+		// Check if both certificate and key files exist
+		certExists := fileExists(certPath)
+		keyExists := fileExists(keyPath)
+
+		if certExists && keyExists {
+			logger.Info("External certificates found and ready",
+				"certPath", certPath, "keyPath", keyPath)
+			close(certsReadyCh)
+			return
+		}
+
+		if i < maxRetries-1 {
+			logger.Info("Waiting for external certificates to be mounted",
+				"attempt", i+1, "maxRetries", maxRetries,
+				"certExists", certExists, "keyExists", keyExists)
+			time.Sleep(retryInterval)
+		}
+	}
+
+	logger.Error(fmt.Errorf("timeout waiting for external certificates"),
+		"Failed to find certificates after maximum retries",
+		"certPath", certPath, "keyPath", keyPath)
+	// Don't close the channel - this will cause the readiness check to fail
+}
+
+// fileExists checks if a file exists and is not a directory
+func fileExists(path string) bool {
+	info, err := os.Stat(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return !info.IsDir()
+}