IAM Strategy Lead

Merck

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. We're at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals.
As the Identity Security Strategy Lead, you will lead the Identity and Access Management TASK FORCE, focusing on assessing, advancing, and governing our company’s enterprise-wide identity strategy improvements. This role spans multiple domains — enterprise, product, operational technology (OT), and customer identity — to ensure security, compliance, and business enablement.
This position can be based in Prague Metropolitan Area, Czech Republic or US East Coast.
Please apply before 6th February. When submitting your application, please share with us a five-bullet point summary of what you’ve accomplished in the IAM space.

Requirements

• You have a Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Proven experience with identity and access management (IAM) systems, including identity governance and administration (IGA).
• You possess strong knowledge of identity lifecycle management, privileged access, and authentication frameworks.
• 7+ years of leadership experience driving identity security or IAM initiatives in global organizations.
• Strong team leadership, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional influence skills.
• Demonstrated ability to drive remediation programs and manage complex organizational change.
• Ability to design and implement enterprise-wide identity strategies that balance security, compliance, and usability.
• Experience aligning identity initiatives with business goals, regulatory demands, and technology strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present identity strategies to senior leadership.
• Strong collaboration skills with a proven ability to align business, IT, and compliance stakeholders.
• Experience managing identity-related programs, budgets, and reporting cycles.
• Skilled in documentation, governance processes, and project portfolio execution.

Nice To Haves

• CISSP certification
• CIAM certification
• CISM certification
• Familiarity with NIST SP 800-63 and ISO 27001 frameworks and standards
• Experience managing identity programs across global enterprises

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive gap assessments across enterprise, product, OT, and customer identity domains to identify risks and opportunities.
• Develop and architect strategic projects that enhance identity security, governance, and lifecycle management capabilities.
• Oversee identity hygiene and cleanup efforts, ensuring issues are systematically resolved and sustainability plans are in place.
• Collaborate actively with IT, Security, Audit, and GRC stakeholders to align identity strategy with enterprise risk priorities and compliance obligations.
• Monitor identity-related risks closely and define effective mitigation strategies and response plans.
• Deliverables will include a governance framework, gap analysis report, and solution roadmap to guide long-term enterprise adoption.
• Serve as a thought leader for identity security, providing valuable guidance on trends, regulatory expectations, and industry best practices.
• Regularly report to leadership on progress of the Task Force.

Benefits

• Opportunities to work on groundbreaking projects that have a global impact.
• A dynamic and inclusive work environment where your ideas are valued.
• Professional development programs to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees