Security Specialist - Senior

American Electric Power • Columbus, OH

9d • $87,633 - $109,543

About The Position

The Security Specialist - Identity & Access Management (IAM) is responsible for supporting and delivering Identity and Access Management capabilities across the enterprise. This position serves as an IAM Subject Matter Expert (SME) and participates in the analysis, design, implementation, support, governance, and continuous improvement of IAM processes and solutions. The role works closely with business partners, security teams, architects, developers, auditors, and technology teams to ensure secure, compliant, and efficient access management practices are implemented throughout the identity lifecycle. Responsibilities include gathering and documenting requirements, evaluating technical and functional solutions, assessing risks and controls, supporting IAM operations, and contributing to IAM strategy and modernization initiatives. The successful candidate possesses strong communication, analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and relationship management skills. This individual must be capable of translating business requirements into technical solutions while balancing security, usability, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree OR Associates degree with 2 years relevant experience in system administration/help desk/security (cyber or physical) OR High School Diploma/GED with 3 years relevant experience in IT system administration/help desk/security (cyber or physical); OR graduation from an approved Cybersecurity Program; alternatively may have non-degree qualifications (such as hands-on demonstrated ability in a technical interview/assessment).
• 2 or more years of Information Technology related experience; OR 1 or more years of security related experience, which may include military/government work experience in addition to any experience identified above.
• CISSP or other Security certification helpful.

Nice To Haves

• Identity Governance Administration (IGA) platforms (e.g., Saviynt, SailPoint, Entra ID Governance)
• Privileged Access Management solutions (e.g., CyberArk)
• Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD
• Identity Lifecycle Management
• RBAC and Role Engineering
• Service Account and Non-Human Identity Governance
• Directory Services
• Access Certifications and Compliance Programs
• Security Frameworks (NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, CIS Controls)
• Process Mapping and Data Analysis
• SQL, PowerShell, Python, or automation scripting
• Agile methodologies and DevSecOps practices
• Technical writing and executive-level communication

Responsibilities

• Participate in the design, implementation, enhancement, and support of IAM technologies and processes.
• Analyze business and technical requirements and recommend IAM solutions aligned with enterprise security objectives.
• Evaluate functional and technical options, document recommendations, and support strategic decision-making.
• Contribute to IAM modernization initiatives including role-based access control, privileged access governance, identity hygiene, and non-human identity management.
• Assist in developing IAM roadmaps, standards, and best practices.
• Support access requests, approval, provisioning, de-provisioning, and reconciliation processes.
• Assist with access certifications, entitlement reviews, and attestation activities.
• Support role engineering, role mining, and RBAC implementation efforts.
• Validate access models and entitlement structures to ensure least privilege principles are maintained.
• Identify segregation of duties conflicts and access risks.
• Support governance and lifecycle management of privileged accounts and privileged access.
• Participate in onboarding, monitoring, and auditing privileged identities.
• Partner with technology teams to improve privileged access controls and reduce standing privileges.
• Support lifecycle management of service accounts, application accounts, APIs, and other non-human identities.
• Assist in establishing accountability, ownership, certification, and governance requirements.
• Evaluate orphaned or unmanaged identities and recommend remediation actions.
• Support controls related to secrets, certificates, and machine credentials.
• Assist in managing and supporting cloud identity capabilities including Microsoft Entra ID.
• Partner with infrastructure and application teams to integrate cloud and on-premises identity services.
• Elicit, analyze, and document business, functional, technical, and security requirements.
• Develop process flows, data mappings, architecture diagrams, use cases, and operational documentation.
• Analyze business processes and identify opportunities for standardization, automation, and optimization.
• Develop status reports, executive summaries, operational metrics, and project documentation.
• Develop or assist with automation, reporting, scripting, and process improvements where appropriate.
• Collaborate with development teams to ensure IAM requirements are incorporated into solution designs.
• Support audits, assessments, regulatory reviews, and compliance initiatives.
• Participate in the development and maintenance of IAM policies, standards, procedures, and control documentation.
• Evaluate IAM-related risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Assist in gathering control evidence and supporting internal and external audits.
• Assist in troubleshooting identity and access management issues.
• Participate in incident, problem, and root cause analysis activities.
• Develop and maintain operational runbooks and support documentation.
• Identify opportunities to enhance IAM service quality, operational efficiency, and user experience.
• Work closely with business partners, security teams, architects, developers, auditors, and vendors.
• Communicate complex IAM concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor junior team members and share IAM knowledge across teams.
• Foster productive working relationships while advocating for secure, compliant, and scalable IAM solutions.

Benefits

• Base salary
• Annual bonus
• Long-term incentive
• 401(k) match
• AEP Pension
• Comprehensive benefits package designed to support and enhance the overall well-being of employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree