IAM Strategist

A high-level role that requires leading and driving strategic identity and access management initiatives for a major UK bank. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in IAM, MFA, security architecture, and stakeholder management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement comprehensive IAM strategies to ensure secure and compliant access control across large-scale enterprise environments.
• Thought Leadership: Provide vision and expertise to identify security gaps, recommend innovative solutions, and define best practices for IAM, MFA, Zero Trust, and related security domains.
• Stakeholder Management: Collaborate closely with C-level executives, business leaders, and technical teams to align IAM solutions with organizational objectives and regulatory requirements.
• End-to-End IAM Governance: Oversee the entire IAM lifecycle management process, including user provisioning, access governance, authentication frameworks, and privileged access management.
• Team Development: Mentor and guide technical teams to build world-class IAM practices, fostering innovation and best practices.
• Technology Innovation: Evaluate, integrate, and implement modern IAM tools, MFA solutions, and Zero Trust security frameworks to maintain cutting-edge security posture.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Ensure all IAM solutions meet stringent compliance standards, risk management protocols, and regulatory requirements specific to financial services.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive knowledge-sharing initiatives, establish best practices, and lead continuous improvements within enterprise IAM programs.

Requirements:

• Experience: 15+ years of progressive experience in IT with minimum 10+ years in IAM leadership roles within enterprise environments.
• Platform Expertise: Proven mastery of IAM, MFA, SSO, and federation technologies, including Ping Identity, Okta, Azure AD, SailPoint, CyberArk, ForgeRock, and similar enterprise solutions.
• Security Architecture: Strong foundation in security architecture, risk management, compliance frameworks, and cybersecurity best practices.
• Leadership Excellence: Demonstrated experience leading large global teams and managing complex, enterprise-level IAM transformation projects.
• Strategic Problem-Solving: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities with proven ability to architect and implement robust IAM solutions.
• Communication Skills: Outstanding communication and stakeholder management abilities, with experience presenting to senior leadership and technical audiences.
• Industry Recognition: Thought leadership through published work, conference participation, or recognized expertise in IAM/cybersecurity domains preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications: CISSP, CISM, CCSP, Azure Security Engineer, Ping Identity, or equivalent cybersecurity certifications.
• Domain Expertise: Extensive experience in banking, financial services, or highly regulated industries.
• Global Exposure: Prior experience working with UK, European, or international clients and regulatory environments.
• Advanced Qualifications: Master's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related technical discipline.