Identity Lead

Identity Lead - OUTSIDE IR35

About the Role
The Senior Identity Security Engineer within the Cyber Engineering & Architecture function, will be responsible for the lifecycle, performance, and strategic direction of the organisation's identity security and identity and access management (IAM) platforms and services, including Privileged Access, to ensure digital identities (employees, contractors, machines) are properly managed, secured, and governed and access to company systems are appropriate protected. This role will have ownership of identity security policies, standards, architectures and technologies to deliver identity services, including oversight of the management and operations of Identity platforms and critical infrastructure (Active Directory & MS Entra).
Context
Reporting to the Head of Cyber Engineering & Architecture, this role will develop and manage centralised identity controls and services for the organisation, delivering a simple, frictionless and self-service end user experience, while enabling robust controls that protect company digital identities. Automation in identity management will be key, standardising IAM processes, reducing human error and accesses needed for manual activities in AD / Entra, limiting exposure to identity compromises. This role will be a key contributor and collaborator with the overall IT & Cyber teams, to ensure identity controls are part of an integrated strategy, protecting our applications and data, and enabling effective incident detection and response.
Initial Success Factors
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Build Identity security zero trust reference architecture and standards for fundamental compliance, defensive, preventive and responsive controls
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Deliver automation improvements for joiners/movers/leavers and access governance workflows, reducing manual tasks, misconfigurations and admin accesses by support staff
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Establish baseline of the current identity security posture, identifying opportunities for quick wins addressing critical risks, control or process gaps.
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Implement initial identity security posture improvements e.g. AD & Entra configuration hardening, privileged access hygiene, high risk non-compliance metrics
Principal Accountabilities
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Own identity security policies, standards and architecture patterns across AD, Entra, PAM, and IAM/IGA services.
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Lead program of continuous improvements of identity security controls, PAM and IAM lifecycle processes, enabling self-service and scalable services through automation
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Own security posture management for Active Directory and Entra configurations and infrastructure, treating identity as a critical enterprise asset.
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Lead design and governance of identity lifecycle management processes and controls for employees, contractors, third parties and non‑human identities.
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Own privileged access management requirements and secure patterns as part of identity services (privileged access lifecycle, role design, access reviews).
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Lead the engineering and governance of IAM workflows via SailPoint (access requests, provisioning/deprovisioning, certifications/access reviews, RBAC/role models).
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Provide SME support during incidents relating to identity compromise, privileged access misuse or access control failures, and drive root‑cause remediation.
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Ensure alignment with compliance requirements & regulations
Additional Accountabilities / Responsibilities
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Stay informed of threats facing the organization to proactively drive ongoing improvements in our overall identity risk posture
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Partner with technology teams to embed secure-by-design identity patterns into applications and platforms (authentication, authorisation, SSO patterns).
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Collaborate with Cyber Defence to ensure identity telemetry and signals support detection and response use cases.
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Maintain identity security blueprints, standards and documentation to support consistent implementation and audit readiness.
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Provide direction and oversight to third party providers that are supporting and operating identity services and platforms
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Collaborate with IT and support teams, to continually identify opportunities to automate identity or access related tasks, removing the needs for privileged access into AD
Qualifications, Competencies and Experience
Essential Qualifications / Experience
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Minimum of 12 years' industry experience with at least 8 years in identity hands-on roles.
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Proven technical experience with Active Directory and Entra (Azure AD) in enterprise environments and maintaining secure configuration and posture of same.
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Hands‑on experience designing, implementing and governing identity lifecycle and access lifecycle processes using an IGA platform
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Experience designing & implementing privileged access management controls and processes
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Experience implementing zero trust patterns and controls
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Relevant certifications e.g., Microsoft identity/security, CISSP/CISM/CIAM/CRISC
Essential Competencies / Skills
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Strong understanding of IAM principles including least privilege, RBAC, access reviews/certifications, segregation of duties concepts and lifecycle governance.
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Ability to define secure identity architecture patterns and translate them into practical standards and blueprints.
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Strong automation mindset with scripting/workflow capability (e.g., PowerShell or equivalent) to reduce manual processes and improve control reliability.
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Strong stakeholder management skills across HR, IT, application and security teams.
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Engineering experience with Identity Protection, IAM, and governance e.g. SailPoint, CyberArk, BeyondTrust, MS Defender for Identity, Crowdstrike Identity, SilverFort
Desirable Criteria
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Experience with identity threat detection concepts and integration with SOC monitoring.
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Experience with non‑human identity governance patterns and modern authentication protocols