IAM DIRECTOR

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

2d•$180,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state, and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. By being deeply invested in our work, showing compassion in our interactions, and embodying the spirit of a team player, each member contributes to a thriving community. UW is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff; your experiences, perspectives, and unique identities will be honored at the University of Washington. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. The University of Washington is at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge technologies to transform education, research and healthcare. UW Information Technology (UW-IT) is the central IT organization for the University of Washington, collaborating with partners across the University community to advance teaching, learning, innovation and discovery. UW-IT delivers critical IT services and support to all three campuses, UW medical centers and global research operations. Innovation and discovery are at the heart of what UW-IT does and drive the work in advancing the University of Washington’s role and mission. We are seeking an innovative and experienced Director of Identity and Access Management (IAM) to lead the development and execution of a comprehensive IAM strategy across the University. This role serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and leads the team responsible for all engineering and operational aspects of identity and access management, including authentication and authorization, access control, and identity governance stewardship, ensuring secure and seamless access to systems, data, and applications. This position reports to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Associate Vice President of Information Security (IS) division and will work closely with other IT leadership and teams across three campuses and UW Medicine, as well as vendors such as Microsoft, Workday, ServiceNow etc. to design and operate an identity and access solution that supports the University’s mission. This position requires extensive and deep expertise in IAM technologies and the ability to lead strategic initiatives to modernize and strengthen identity and access technologies and practices. A broad understanding of complex and diverse University privacy and identity needs is required to assess, design, build, deliver and support IAM services that ensure the security, compliance, and user experience are optimized while mitigating risks associated with unauthorized access and identity theft. This position must stay informed of new technologies and respond to vulnerabilities in a constantly evolving landscape. The individual in this position must be a knowledgeable, articulate, and a persuasive leader who can communicate information technology, security- and privacy-related concepts and issues to a broad range of technical and non-technical staff, including the senior management team and executives. The nature of this position may require the Director to quickly escalate issues to management or leadership to protect critical university information. This person will handle matters of utmost sensitivity with regards to potential incidents that may impact UW campuses and UW Medicine, as well as Human Resources actions into misconduct that require absolute confidentiality and integrity. This position will apply a business customer perspective to work with constituents to negotiate best approaches and priorities and lead complex technology innovation efforts involving multiple organizations, end user groups, and technical teams. This position exercises substantial discretion, independent judgment, and decision-making authority in applying the responsibilities called for. Responsibilities are to be carried out at a high level of technical expertise, collaborating with senior leadership, stakeholders, and technical and business operations teams to successfully develop, implement, and manage within areas of responsibility. This position may provide access to restricted or confidential information including: employee and patient information, financial information or other sensitive information. The incumbent should access and use this sensitive information to perform job responsibilities and duties and only for authorized purposes. IAM is at the very core of the University activities and is a critical component for FERPA, HIPAA, and numerous other administrative functions, such as human resources, facilities, purchasing, research grants, contracts and legal affairs. As more technological 'solutions' become available in the marketplace, this person needs to ensure that the University's interests with respect to identity and access are properly vetted before new solutions are deployed. For each member of the UW community, there are layers of authorization depending on that member's relationship with the University (faculty, student, staff, clinical worker, doctor, collaborator, vendor etc.), their responsibilities, and the tools they must use to participate in their UW role. These needs are managed through the IAM Business Service. As such, this Director is responsible not only for UWIT's delivery of IAM services but also for advising many University divisions (e.g., Student Service, Graduate School, Purchasing, College of Arts and Sciences, etc.) on an appropriate, robust IAM solution that will meet the University's diverse functional needs in an increasingly expanding and complex technological environment. This position is also responsible for driving UW's IAM interests in the national Research & Education environment to help UW retain its leadership and collaborative role in research, teaching and learning, healthcare, and community service. While this Director operates within the UWIT division, they are also expected to be a leader and manage relationships with multiple campus departments, UW Medicine, within forums of their national peers, and with UW's varied strategic partners.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or a related field.
At least 6 years of progressive technology, security, and professional services experience with the design, implementation, and management of identity and access systems inclusive of 5+ years in a leadership or strategic role with experience of managing, coaching, and developing high performing teams of security/technology/business professionals in complex environments to meet operations, enterprise, and strategic objectives.
Expertise in IAM tools and platforms, such as SailPoint, Okta, Ping Identity, Microsoft Entra ID, CyberArk, Twilio etc. or comparable systems.
Strong understanding of IAM concepts such as Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and Zero Trust.
Strong experience with Identity Lifecycle Management (provisioning, de-provisioning, JML flows), including both event-based and state-based identity architectures.
Extensive experience and background with on-premise and cloud technology, operating systems, and applications, preferably including academic institutions and large healthcare systems.
Good understanding of distributed systems, APIs, and automation workflows.
Familiarity with major technology vendors and their products commonly used in academic institutions and large healthcare systems.
Experience with identity governance, role-based access control (RBAC), and automated provisioning/de-provisioning processes.
Knowledge of regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements related to identity and data access, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX.
Relevant certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Identity and Access Manager (CIAM), or Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) preferred.
Extensive experience with project and program management in technical environments with diverse stakeholder groups.
Ability to design and implement long-term strategies that align with University business objectives.
Proven ability to lead teams and drive strategic initiatives in a complex environment.
Proven ability to make administrative/procedural decisions and provide guidance and leadership to staff.
Excellent ability to communicate complex technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred
15+ years of progressive technology, security, and professional services experience with the design, implementation, and management of identity and access systems inclusive of 5+ years in a leadership or strategic role with experience of managing, coaching, and developing high performing teams of security/technology/business professionals in complex environments to meet operations, enterprise, and strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead the University’s IAM strategy to modernize and strengthen identity and access practices, ensuring it aligns with business goals, security requirements, and emerging technologies.
Facilitate the development and execution of strategic roadmaps and distributed IAM architecture to support critical services, updating priorities, and identifying resource requirements.
Participate in groups and committees to represent IAM both as an enterprise shared service and critical partner for other enterprise initiatives, projects, and business stakeholders.
Act as an expert resource for engineers and analysts working on complex technical issues spanning all information technologies for the university.
Embed Zero Trust principles into the University’s IAM strategy, ensuring continuous verification of users and devices.
Oversee the architecture and deployment of scalable, secure, and flexible identity solutions that support cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, and ensure that identity and access management tools and practices are aligned with overall security architecture.
Lead initiatives to integrate security-by-design principles into identity systems and processes, ensuring that security is considered at every stage of development.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate identity and access management (IAM) systems with other cybersecurity and business systems to enhance user experience and security.
Conduct reporting to ensure visibility for leadership, institutional affiliates, stakeholders, and customers.
Regularly review and evaluate data to provide awareness, analysis, planning, set service expectations, and improve performance.
Lead the end-to-end management of the IAM program, including identity lifecycle management, authentication, authorization, and access control mechanisms.
Ensure effective identity governance through role-based access controls (RBAC), least privilege principles, and just-in-time (JIT) access strategies.
Manage and optimize the University’s IAM tools and platforms, such as Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA).
Implement, manage and optimize the Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions to control, monitor, and audit access to sensitive systems by privileged users.
Develop, implement, and enforce access management policies, standards, and procedures to ensure secure and compliant access to systems, applications, and data.
Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOX) related to identity management and data access.
Lead periodic audits of access controls and identity management processes, ensuring adherence to internal policies and external regulations.
Lead the development and implementation of automated user provisioning and de-provisioning processes to manage user identities and access across all systems.
Ensure that identity governance policies are in place for monitoring and controlling user entitlements and certifications.
Drive the adoption of self-service access request and management tools to enhance user efficiency and reduce administrative overhead.
Ensure that identity and access management solutions are designed with user experience in mind, balancing security and ease of use.
Lead training and awareness efforts to ensure that employees understand and comply with access management policies and best practices.
Collaborate with the security operations team to monitor and detect identity-based threats, such as credential theft, account takeovers, and insider threats.
Oversee the implementation of identity analytics and behavior monitoring tools to detect anomalous access patterns and potential threats in real time.
Drive incident response efforts related to identity breaches and unauthorized access, ensuring rapid containment and remediation.
Manage relationships with IAM solution providers, ensuring that third-party tools and services are aligned with University security and performance requirements.
Conduct due diligence on identity-related vendors and third-party access to minimize risks associated with external partners.
Oversee the procurement and evaluation of new IAM technologies and solutions that align with the University’s strategic goals.
Be a fully present member of the Information Security (IS) leadership team and drive the embodiment of UWIT core values (Invested, Compassionate, Team Player).
Recruit, train, coach, motivate, and manage performance of permanent and temporary staff, providing guidance on skill and career development.
Ensure that the team is equipped with the necessary tools and training to manage the evolving identity and access management landscape.
Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement.
Work closely with IT teams and business units to ensure that identity and access management solutions meet their needs while adhering to security best practices.
Partner with cloud and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration of identity solutions with cloud services (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and SaaS applications.
Engage with HR, legal, and compliance teams to support identity management aspects of employee onboarding, offboarding, and role changes.
Manage operational, capital, and project budgets including FTE, software licensing, vendor contracts, and other expenditures.
Participate in and provide advice for annual budget development process and major financial planning and strategy.
Routinely monitor actual expenditures against budgets to ensure alignment with IT Services financial standards.