IAM Architect - DV Cleared

Sanderson Government and Defence; Cove; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government and Defence is seeking an experienced IAM Architect (DV cleared or active) to lead enterprise identity design and governance for highly regulated environments. You will shape identity strategy, modernise IDAM platforms and ensure robust security across on-prem and cloud.

You will provide technical leadership, drive architecture standards, and collaborate with stakeholders to enable secure digital transformation in critical government programmes.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of Identity and Access Management experience.
• At least 5 years in an Architecture role.
• Experience designing enterprise IDAM for secure environments.
• Expertise with modern identity platforms (Azure Entra ID, Okta, Ping, ForgeRock).
• Strong knowledge of authentication, authorization, MFA and identity governance.

Responsibilities

• Design enterprise-scale Identity and Access Management architectures.
• Lead governance, risk assessments and remediation planning.
• Define identity strategy, RBAC/ABAC and PAM solutions.
• Architect cloud-native and hybrid identity solutions across on-prem and cloud.
• Provide technical leadership and architecture documentation.
• Engage stakeholders and present recommendations to leadership.

Skills

IDAM architecture

Zero trust

Azure Entra

Okta

ForgeRock

RBAC/ABAC

Governance

Stakeholder mgmt

Tools

Azure AD

Entra ID

Okta

Ping Identity

ForgeRock

Job description

IAM Architect (DV Cleared)

Location: Farnborough, Hampshire (Onsite)

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Security Clearance: DV Cleared or Active DV Clearance

Shape the Future of Secure Digital Identity

We are seeking an experienced Identity and Access Management (IDAM) Architect to join a growing cybersecurity and digital identity practice supporting some of the UK's most critical and secure environments. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the design and delivery of enterprise-scale identity solutions within highly regulated sectors. You will play a key role in defining identity strategies, modernising IDAM platforms, and ensuring robust security, governance and compliance across complex environments. If you are passionate about identity security, zero trust architecture, cloud transformation and secure access management, we'd love to hear from you.

The Role

As an IDAM Architect, you will be responsible for the design, governance and implementation of enterprise identity and access management solutions. You will provide technical leadership across large-scale programmes, helping organisations strengthen their security posture while enabling secure digital transformation. Working closely with technical teams, stakeholders and programme leadership, you will architect modern identity solutions that support both on-premises and cloud-based services.

Key Responsibilities

Identity Architecture & Strategy

• Design enterprise-scale Identity and Access Management architectures
• Develop secure authentication, authorisation and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) frameworks
• Design and implement RBAC, ABAC and Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions
• Define identity governance, access lifecycle and entitlement management strategies
• Evaluate emerging technologies and support platform selection activities

Security & Compliance

• Ensure identity architectures align with government and industry security standards
• Conduct security risk assessments and provide mitigation strategies
• Design secure audit, logging and monitoring capabilities
• Develop data protection and encryption approaches for identity platforms
• Support regulatory and security compliance requirements

Modernisation & Transformation

• Lead the design and implementation of modern IDAM platforms including Azure AD, Entra ID, Okta, Ping and ForgeRock
• Architect cloud-native and hybrid identity solutions
• Support API-driven identity services and microservices-based authentication models
• Lead identity migrations and transformation programmes

Technical Leadership

• Provide architectural leadership and mentoring to technical teams
• Define architecture standards, patterns and governance frameworks
• Lead technical design reviews and architecture assurance activities
• Produce and maintain high-quality architecture documentation

Integration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Design identity integrations across enterprise applications and cloud platforms
• Architect SSO, federation and cross-domain authentication capabilities
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagements
• Present architecture recommendations to senior technical and business leaders

Essential Skills & Experience

Minimum 12 years of experience in Identity and Access ManagementAt least 5 years operating in an Architecture roleProven experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale IDAM solutionsStrong experience within secure, regulated or government-focused environmentsExpertise in modern identity platforms including:

Microsoft Entra ID / Azure ADOktaPing IdentityForgeRock

Strong knowledge of:

Active Directory and LDAPOAuth 2.0SAMLOpenID ConnectIdentity Federation

Experience with:

Privileged Access Management (PAM)Role-Based and Attribute-Based Access ControlIdentity Governance and Administration (IGA)Access Certification and Entitlement Management

Understanding of cloud identity and hybrid identity architecturesStrong knowledge of security architecture, cryptography and secure authentication principlesExcellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Desirable Qualifications

CISSP, CISM or equivalent security certificationMicrosoft Entra ID / Azure certificationsOkta certificationsExperience delivering Zero Trust security architecturesExperience within Defence, Aerospace or Central Government programmesPrevious DV or SC clearance

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.