Job SummaryThe Manager, Identity & Access Management (IAM) at Candescent will report directly to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and be responsible for leading the strategy, implementation, operation, and continuous improvement of Candescent's enterprise Identity and Access Management program. This role will oversee identity governance, privileged access management, authentication services, access lifecycle management, and modern identity architectures that support Candescent's workforce, customers, partners, cloud platforms, and business applications.
The ideal candidate will be a strong technical and people leader with deep expertise in IAM technologies, Zero Trust principles, identity governance, privileged access management, cloud identity platforms, regulatory compliance, and security operations. This leader will partner across Information Security, Infrastructure, Cloud Operations, Product Security, Engineering, HR, Risk, Compliance, and Internal Audit teams to ensure secure, compliant, and efficient access management across the enterprise.
Key Responsibilities and DeliverablesStrategic Leadership- Define and execute the enterprise IAM strategy aligned with Candescent's business objectives, cybersecurity strategy, and regulatory obligations.
- Develop and mature IAM capabilities supporting workforce, customer, vendor, partner, and privileged identities.
- Partner with executive leadership to establish identity security roadmaps, priorities, and investment strategies.
- Lead adoption of Zero Trust principles through strong authentication, least privilege access, role-based access controls, and continuous verification.
- Evaluate emerging identity security trends, technologies, threats, and regulatory requirements to continuously improve the IAM program.
- Provide executive reporting on IAM effectiveness, access risks, compliance status, KPIs, and key risk indicators.
IAM Program Development & Execution- Lead the design, implementation, and operation of Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), passwordless authentication, and directory services.
- Establish enterprise processes for user provisioning, deprovisioning, access certification, role management, segregation of duties, and privileged access controls.
- Develop and maintain identity security policies, standards, procedures, and governance frameworks.
- Ensure IAM controls are consistently implemented across cloud, SaaS, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
- Oversee access review campaigns, privileged account reviews, and remediation activities.
- Lead IAM project delivery including technology implementations, integrations, upgrades, and modernization initiatives.
Identity Governance & Compliance- Establish governance processes to ensure appropriate access controls are maintained throughout the identity lifecycle.
- Partner with Compliance, Risk, Legal, HR, and Internal Audit teams to support regulatory and audit requirements.
- Maintain controls supporting SOC 1, SOC 2, FFIEC, PCI DSS, SOX, GDPR, GLBA, and other applicable regulatory frameworks.
- Ensure role-based and risk-based access management controls are documented, measured, and monitored.
- Develop IAM evidence collection, control validation, and audit response procedures.
- Support third-party and customer security reviews involving identity management controls.
Privileged Access & Security Operations- Lead enterprise privileged access management practices for administrators, service accounts, cloud platforms, DevOps environments, and critical business systems.
- Establish monitoring and controls for privileged activities, privileged session management, and administrative access.
- Partner with Security Operations, Cloud Security, Infrastructure, and Product Security teams to investigate identity-related threats and incidents.
- Support incident response efforts involving compromised accounts, credential theft, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access.
- Drive continuous improvement of identity detection, monitoring, and response capabilities.
Collaboration & Team Leadership- Lead and develop a team of IAM engineers, analysts, and administrators.
- Establish performance objectives, development plans, succession planning, and talent growth initiatives.
- Partner closely with Infrastructure, Cloud Engineering, Human Resources, Product Security, Enterprise Architecture, Vendor Management, and Business Application owners.
- Provide consultation and subject matter expertise on identity architecture, authentication, authorization, and access governance.
- Promote a security-first culture through identity awareness, training, and stakeholder engagement.
Qualifications and ExperienceRequired Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
- 8+ years of information security, IAM, directory services, or identity governance experience.
- 3+ years of leadership experience managing IAM teams, programs, or enterprise security initiatives.
- Demonstrated experience implementing and operating IAM platforms including AWS IAM, GCP IAM, Entra ID (Azure AD), Okta, Ping, CyberArk, BeyondTrust, or equivalent solutions.
- Strong understanding of authentication and authorization technologies including SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect, SCIM, LDAP, Active Directory, federation, and MFA.
- Experience supporting cloud-first and SaaS-based environments.
- Strong knowledge of Zero Trust, privileged access management, identity governance, and least privilege principles.
- Experience supporting regulatory compliance and audit requirements.
- Hybrid Atlanta office
Preferred Qualifications- Experience within financial services, fintech, banking technology, or highly regulated industries.
- Experience with Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) technologies.
- Experience with customer identity and access management (CIAM) solutions.
- Experience supporting large-scale cloud adoption initiatives across Azure, AWS, and GCP environments.
- Experience implementing passwordless authentication strategies.
- Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, Security+, Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator, AWS, GCP, or equivalent certifications.
Key Competencies- Strategic leadership and program management.
- Deep expertise in Identity and Access Management disciplines.
- Strong understanding of risk management and regulatory compliance.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to influence executive leadership and cross-functional teams.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams.
- Strong operational discipline with a focus on measurable outcomes.
