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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Identity Architect

💰 $150,000 - $220,000

Information TechnologyCybersecurityArchitecture

🎯 Role Definition

As our Identity Architect, you will be the ultimate authority on all things identity. You will craft the strategic roadmap, design cutting-edge solutions, and champion security best practices across the organization. Your work will directly impact our security posture, operational efficiency, and user experience, making you a key driver of our digital transformation journey. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role for a technical leader passionate about building secure, scalable, and resilient identity ecosystems in a complex, hybrid-cloud world.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior IAM Engineer
  • Security Architect
  • Cloud Security Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Principal Architect / Distinguished Engineer
  • Director of Identity and Access Management
  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Lateral Moves:

  • Enterprise Architect
  • Cloud Security Architect

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, own, and maintain the multi-year, enterprise-wide Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategic roadmap, ensuring its alignment with overarching business objectives and cybersecurity frameworks.
  • Architect and design complex, resilient, and highly scalable IAM solutions that encompass both on-premise infrastructure and multi-cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP).
  • Lead the design, implementation, and governance of modern authentication standards, including SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect (OIDC), to facilitate secure and seamless application integrations.
  • Define and enforce robust identity lifecycle management processes (Joiner, Mover, Leaver), architecting integrations between HR systems (as the authoritative source) and downstream identity stores and applications.
  • Engineer and govern Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solutions, focusing on delivering a secure, low-friction user experience for external customers, consumers, and business partners.
  • Establish and mature the organization's Privileged Access Management (PAM) strategy and solutions, defining controls for vaulting, session management, credential rotation, and just-in-time (JIT) access.
  • Serve as the foremost subject matter expert on all aspects of identity, providing expert technical guidance, thought leadership, and mentorship to engineering teams, security analysts, and project managers.
  • Drive the practical adoption of Zero Trust architecture principles across the enterprise, with a specific focus on strong identity verification, conditional access, device posture, and least privilege access enforcement.
  • Create, refine, and maintain comprehensive architectural artifacts, including high-level and low-level designs, data flow diagrams, security patterns, and standard operating procedures for IAM services.
  • Continuously evaluate, pilot, and recommend new IAM technologies, vendors, and products to enhance the company's security posture, improve operational efficiency, and support innovation.
  • Design and oversee the implementation of comprehensive Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) solutions to manage access certifications, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and Segregation of Duties (SoD) policies.
  • Lead technical deep-dive sessions and collaborative workshops with business stakeholders and application owners to meticulously gather requirements and translate them into secure, scalable identity solutions.
  • Architect identity federation patterns for B2B and B2E scenarios, managing complex trust relationships with partners and ensuring secure, compliant access for contractors and third-party vendors.
  • Ensure all designed and implemented IAM solutions are compliant with relevant regulatory and data privacy standards such as SOX, GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
  • Design and implement advanced Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) strategies, promoting the use of phishing-resistant methods like FIDO2/WebAuthn to elevate authentication assurance levels.
  • Champion the automation of IAM processes and workflows using scripting languages (e.g., PowerShell, Python) and APIs to reduce manual overhead, minimize errors, and improve response times.
  • Act as the highest point of technical escalation for complex and critical identity-related security incidents, performing in-depth root cause analysis and architecting long-term preventative measures.
  • Collaborate closely with the Security Operations Center (SOC) and threat intelligence teams to integrate IAM platforms with SIEM solutions, enabling advanced threat detection and automated response capabilities.
  • Govern the architecture, configuration, and health of core identity platforms such as Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), Okta, Ping Identity, and on-premise Active Directory Domain Services.
  • Design secure and scalable directory services architecture, including schema management, domain/forest trusts, replication topologies, and disaster recovery plans for large-scale enterprise environments.
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive API security strategy for identity services, ensuring proper authentication and fine-grained authorization for all programmatic access.
  • Lead complex identity migration projects, such as moving from legacy on-premise IAM systems (e.g., ADFS, SiteMinder) to modern cloud-native identity providers with minimal disruption to business operations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support internal and external audit teams by providing evidence, documentation, and expert testimony on the effectiveness of IAM controls.
  • Contribute thought leadership to the organization's broader cybersecurity strategy, threat modeling exercises, and technology roadmap planning.
  • Mentor and develop the skills of junior engineers and analysts on IAM principles, architectural patterns, and security best practices.
  • Participate in the organization's incident response team as a subject matter expert for identity-related security events and breaches.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expertise in Identity Providers (IdP): Deep, hands-on architectural experience with leading platforms such as Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Okta, Ping Identity, or ForgeRock.
  • Modern Authentication Protocols: Mastery of SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect (OIDC) and their practical application in enterprise and consumer-facing scenarios.
  • Legacy & Federation Protocols: Proficiency with federation standards and legacy authentication methods including Kerberos, LDAP, and RADIUS.
  • Identity Governance & Administration (IGA): Proven experience designing and implementing IGA solutions (e.g., SailPoint, Saviynt, Omada) for access governance and compliance.
  • Privileged Access Management (PAM): Hands-on experience architecting and deploying PAM platforms (e.g., CyberArk, Delinea, BeyondTrust) to secure privileged credentials and sessions.
  • Directory Services: Strong architectural knowledge of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), Microsoft Entra ID, and other LDAP-compliant directories.
  • Scripting & Automation: Proficiency in scripting languages such as PowerShell or Python and experience leveraging REST APIs for IAM automation and integration.
  • Cloud Security Principles: Strong understanding of IAM services and security models within major cloud platforms (AWS IAM, Azure IAM, Google Cloud IAM).
  • Identity Synchronization: Knowledge of identity provisioning and synchronization standards like SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management).
  • Zero Trust Architecture: Deep understanding of Zero Trust security principles and experience designing solutions based on this model.
  • CIAM Concepts: Experience with Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) platforms and the unique challenges of managing external identities at scale.

Soft Skills

  • Strategic Thinking & Vision: Ability to see the big picture, create long-term roadmaps, and align technology with business strategy.
  • Exceptional Communication & Presentation Skills: Capable of conveying complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, from engineers to C-level executives.
  • Stakeholder Management & Influence: Adept at building relationships, managing expectations, and influencing decision-making across various departments.
  • Leadership & Mentorship: A natural leader who can guide technical teams, mentor junior members, and foster a culture of security and excellence.
  • Complex Problem-Solving: Superior analytical skills with a talent for dissecting complex problems and designing elegant, effective solutions.
  • Business Acumen: Understanding of business processes and the ability to translate business needs into technical requirements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in a relevant field.
  • Relevant industry certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, vendor-specific architect certifications like Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Security
  • Information Technology
  • Cybersecurity

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 8-12+ years in IT, with at least 5-7 years in a senior role focused specifically on Identity and Access Management.

Preferred:

  • Proven track record of architecting and delivering large-scale IAM solutions in a complex, global enterprise environment.
  • Demonstrable experience leading significant IAM transformation projects, such as cloud migrations or IGA/PAM implementations.
  • Hands-on experience in a hybrid environment with both on-premise and cloud-based identity systems.
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