Director, Enterprise Identity and Access Management

University of Southern California•Los Angeles, CA

88d•Hybrid

About The Position

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT The University of Southern California (USC) is advancing its cybersecurity posture with a renewed focus on resilience, cyber risk management, and threat-informed defense. As a world-class research institution, USC is building a culture of security that supports its academic and research mission in a rapidly evolving threat landscape. This role sits within a newly restructured cybersecurity organization that’s leading this transformation. You’ll join a team focused on scalable, proactive defense strategies, incident preparedness, and operational excellence—working alongside experts who are deeply committed to service, innovation, and impact. If you’re driven by purpose, thrive in complexity, and want to help shape the future of cybersecurity at a leading university, we invite you to bring your leadership to the table. POSITION SUMMARY As the Director, Enterprise Identity and Access Management you will be an integral leader of the cybersecurity department while also collaborating with stakeholders across the university ecosystem and reporting to the Chief Information Security Officer. This is a full-time exempt position, eligible for all of USC’s fantastic Benefits + Perks. This opportunity is hybrid. The Director, Enterprise Identity and Access Management is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive identity and access management strategy that integrates Zero Trust principles, extends identity governance to both human and non-human actors, and supports the university’s mission of innovation, security and operational excellence. Drives IAM initiatives that safeguard institutional assets, streamline access experiences and enable a secure digital transformation for faculty, staff, students and partners. Works collaboratively across all university departments to ensure that IAM technologies align with academic, research and operational needs while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.

Requirements

10 years in Identity and Access Management
Bachelor’s degree in information science or cyber security or in related field(s) with combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Proven track record of developing and implementing IAM strategies aligned with Zero Trust and modern identity principles.
Expertise in advanced IAM technologies (e.g., AI-driven access controls, adaptive authentication, and seamless integration with multi-cloud and hybrid environments).
Demonstrated experience implementing Zero Trust IAM strategies and advanced access governance.
Strong understanding of regulatory standards and the ability to enforce compliant IAM policies.
Experience in managing the full lifecycle of digital identities (e.g., provisioning, de-provisioning, role-based access control).
Demonstrated success in building metrics and dashboards for assessing IAM performance and program effectiveness.
Possesses excellent leadership and mentorship skills.
Financial acumen.
Demonstrated strong collaboration skills.
A CISSP, GIAC, CISM, etc.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in information science or cyber security or related field(s).
Experience in higher education, research computing or healthcare environments.
Familiarity with non-human identity (NHI) management and secrets lifecycle tools (e.g., HashiCorp, Astrix).
Knowledge of ITDR platforms and integration with SOC/SIEM tooling.
Relevant cybersecurity certifications, such as CISSP, CISM, or similar.
In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, community, well-being, open communication, and accountability.

Responsibilities

Develops and implements a forward-thinking IAM strategy that aligns with the university’s technological and cybersecurity goals.
Drives the adoption of modern IAM principles such as Zero Trust and identity decentralization to secure access across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Leads the university’s IAM program to maturity across CISA’s Zero Trust pillars (i.e., identity, device, network, application, data).
Maintains professional currency. Advocates for innovative solutions. Participates in industry forums, conferences, and professional publications.
Serves as an advisor to senior leadership on IAM trends and innovations, threat mitigation strategies related to access control, and ensuring alignment with institutional goals.
Leads the deployment of advanced IAM technologies (e.g., AI-driven access controls, adaptive authentication solutions,) while ensuring seamless integration with cloud-native, mobile, IoT, and multi-cloud platforms.
Ensures IAM systems enable digital transformation initiatives, secure collaboration with external partners, and support academic, research, and administrative resource access.
Oversees the lifecycle of digital identities (e.g., provisioning, de-provisioning, role-based access control) for joiners, movers, leavers (JML) and non-human identities across systems, ensuring accurate and secure access management.
Develops metrics and dashboards to monitor IAM performance, assess program effectiveness, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
Develops and enforces IAM policies that comply with regulatory standards (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR). Conducts risk assessments and establishes incident response protocols for IAM-related vulnerabilities.
Partners with academic and operational units to identify IAM needs, deliver tailored solutions, and represent the university on internal and external committees.
Leads and mentors IAM professionals. Oversees workforce planning. Ensures the recruitment, training, and professional development of staff.
Manages the IAM budget. Oversees vendor relationships, contracts, and SLAs to deliver high-quality IAM solutions.
Accountable for all aspects of staff management, (e.g., hiring, coaching, training, performance reviews, pay actions, and promotions within the Enterprise Identity and Access Management organization).
Provides technical leadership and mentorship to ensure a high-performing Enterprise Identity and Access Management team.
Encourages a workplace culture where all employees are valued, value others and have the opportunity to contribute through their ideas, words and actions, in accordance with the USC Code of Ethics.

Benefits

To support the well-being of our faculty and staff, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of perks to help protect their and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package. You can learn more about USC’s comprehensive benefits here.

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