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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for an Identity Analyst

💰 $85,000 - $125,000

ITCybersecurityIdentity and Access Management

🎯 Role Definition

An Identity Analyst serves as the gatekeeper for our digital ecosystem, standing at the critical intersection of cybersecurity, IT operations, and business enablement. This role is fundamentally about ensuring the right individuals have the right level of access to the right resources at the right time, and for the right reasons. You'll be the go-to expert for managing the entire identity lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding, while meticulously enforcing the principle of least privilege. As an Identity Analyst, you are on the front lines of mitigating insider threats, preventing unauthorized access, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enabling seamless, secure productivity for the entire organization. Your work directly impacts our security posture and operational efficiency.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • IT Help Desk / Service Desk Analyst
  • Junior Systems Administrator
  • Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst Tier 1

Advancement To:

  • Senior Identity Analyst
  • Identity Engineer / IAM Engineer
  • IAM Architect

Lateral Moves:

  • Cybersecurity Analyst (specializing in another domain like threat intelligence or vulnerability management)
  • Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Analyst
  • IT Auditor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Execute the complete user identity lifecycle management process, including the timely provisioning, modification, and de-provisioning of accounts and access rights across a diverse portfolio of enterprise applications, platforms, and infrastructure.
  • Process, validate, and fulfill complex access requests from various business units, ensuring all requests are properly authorized and align with established role-based access control (RBAC) models.
  • Conduct and coordinate regular user access reviews and certification campaigns, working with business managers and application owners to verify that existing access rights remain appropriate and necessary.
  • Act as a primary point of contact for troubleshooting and resolving user access-related incidents and service requests, meticulously diagnosing issues related to authentication, authorization, and single sign-on (SSO).
  • Analyze, define, and maintain access control roles and entitlements within our Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform to support and refine the organization's RBAC framework.
  • Manage and monitor privileged access accounts (e.g., administrator, service accounts) using Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions, ensuring they are securely vaulted, rotated, and monitored.
  • Administer and maintain the health of core IAM technologies, including Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) platforms (like SailPoint or Saviynt) and Access Management tools (like Okta or Azure AD).
  • Generate and analyze audit logs and access reports to monitor for anomalous activity, support internal and external audit requests, and demonstrate compliance with frameworks like SOX, GDPR, and HIPAA.
  • Diligently enforce the principle of least privilege by regularly reviewing and remediating excessive or unnecessary permissions granted to user and system accounts.
  • Collaborate closely with the Human Resources department to automate and streamline identity processes tied to employee onboarding, job transfers, name changes, and termination events.
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation for all IAM processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), workflows, and system configurations to ensure consistency and knowledge sharing.
  • Assist senior engineers in the integration of new applications into the IAM ecosystem, including configuring connectors for user provisioning (SCIM) and single sign-on (SAML/OIDC).
  • Investigate and formally respond to security alerts related to potential unauthorized access, account compromise, or policy violations, providing detailed analysis and remediation steps.
  • Perform daily administration tasks within directory services such as Microsoft Active Directory and Azure Active Directory, including group management, OU structure maintenance, and GPO review.
  • Support and troubleshoot Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) solutions, assisting end-users with enrollment issues and ensuring policies are effectively applied across the user base.
  • Identify and champion opportunities for process automation and operational improvement within the identity management function, proposing solutions to enhance efficiency and security.
  • Participate actively in projects related to IAM system upgrades, migrations, and the deployment of new identity security capabilities.
  • Provide subject matter expertise and guidance to business stakeholders and IT partners on best practices for access control and identity security.
    across various enterprise applications.
  • Create and manage application and system service accounts, ensuring they are properly documented, secured, and adhere to their designated purpose and lifespan.
  • Analyze identity data to identify discrepancies, ensure data quality, and work with source system owners (like HRIS) to correct inconsistencies.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to identity and access patterns.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader cybersecurity strategy and IAM technology roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate their access management needs into technical engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies within the cybersecurity team.
  • Assist in the evaluation and proof-of-concept testing of new IAM technologies or platform features.
  • Provide second-level support for complex identity-related service desk tickets that require deeper investigation.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • IAM Platform Proficiency: Hands-on experience administering major Identity and Access Management (IAM/IGA) platforms such as SailPoint, Okta, Saviynt, Ping Identity, or similar.
  • Directory Services Expertise: Strong, practical knowledge of managing Microsoft Active Directory (AD) and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), including users, groups, OUs, and group policies.
  • Authentication Protocols: Solid understanding of modern authentication and authorization standards like SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and federation concepts.
    semantically.
  • Privileged Access Management (PAM): Familiarity with PAM principles and experience with tools like CyberArk, Delinea (Thycotic), or BeyondTrust.
  • Scripting for Automation: Proven ability to use scripting languages, especially PowerShell, to automate repetitive identity management tasks and reporting.
  • RBAC Implementation: Practical experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) models.
  • ITSM Tooling: Proficiency in using IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms like ServiceNow, Jira, or Cherwell for managing access request tickets and incident workflows.
  • Compliance Knowledge: Awareness of key regulatory and compliance frameworks such as SOX, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS and their impact on access controls.
  • Data Analysis: Ability to query, correlate, and analyze data from various sources (e.g., using SQL or Excel) to support audits and investigations.
  • Security Fundamentals: A strong foundational understanding of IT security principles, including networking, operating systems, and endpoint security.

Soft Skills

  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: An unwavering focus on accuracy is critical when provisioning access to sensitive systems.
  • Analytical & Problem-Solving Mindset: The ability to systematically investigate complex access issues, identify the root cause, and implement effective solutions.
  • Clear & Concise Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact effectively with technical peers, business managers, and non-technical end-users.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: A cooperative spirit and the ability to work effectively within a team and across different departments like HR, IT, and legal.
  • Customer Service Orientation: A patient and helpful demeanor when assisting users with access problems or explaining security policies.
  • Adaptability: The capacity to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adapt to evolving technologies and security threats.
  • Integrity & Discretion: A high level of personal integrity and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent combination of practical work experience and professional certifications.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or Computer Science.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Systems
  • Cybersecurity
  • Information Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-5 years of direct experience in an Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or dedicated Identity and Access Management role.

Preferred: Experience working within a large enterprise or a regulated industry (e.g., finance, healthcare, or government) is highly advantageous. Professional certifications such as CompTIA Security+, (ISC)² SSCP, or vendor-specific IAM credentials (e.g., Okta Certified Professional, SailPoint Certified IdentityNow Professional) are a strong plus.

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