Manager, Authentication Engineer

Pfizer; Chennai District; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Pfizer is seeking a Manager, Authentication Engineer to lead strategy, design, and operations for enterprise SSO, MFA, and passwordless authentication across on‑prem, cloud, and hybrid environments in a global setting.

You will collaborate with Cybersecurity, Infra, and App Development teams to deliver scalable, secure access while ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and NIST standards and supporting large user bases.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline.
• 4+ years in identity and access management with at least 3 years in SSO.
• Strong IT security background and experience with SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect.
• Experience with large-scale IAM in global environments.
• Knowledge of GDPR, HIPAA, NIST compliance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an authentication strategy for enterprise apps.
• Oversee SSO/MFA architecture and design.
• Collaborate with IT, security, development, and product teams.
• Maintain security controls for authentication and authorization.
• Evaluate identity management tools and vendor relationships.
• Lead incident response for SSO/MFA issues.
• Focus on user experience and adoption.

Skills

Identity & Access Management

SSO expertise

Security protocols

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant discipline

Master's degree

Tools

Okta

Azure AD

Ping Identity

Job description

ROLE SUMMARY Pfizer’s Identity Security and Access Management (ISAM) organization delivers seamless, secure, modern, and scalable identity solutions for all platforms and identity types. Our mission is to design, implement, and maintain a centralized, modern, and scalable Identity Security and Access Management (ISAM) ecosystem that secures digital assets across all platform and identity types, improves end-user experiences and strengthens our overall security posture, while maintaining compliance with global regulatory requirements. We achieve this mission through a combination of world-class talent, top-tier technologies and industry leading best practices The Manager, Authentication Engineer is responsible for the strategy, architecture, implementation and operational management of enterprise authentication services across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. This role oversees authentication platforms, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), passwordless authentication, federation, and identity security initiatives. The role partners closely with Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Cloud Engineering, Application Development, and business stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, and highly available authentication solutions that improve user experience while reducing organizational risk.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute a comprehensive Authentication strategy to ensure secure and user-friendly access across all enterprise applications and platforms. Drive SSO adoption and improve the overall identity management ecosystem.
• SSO / MFA Architecture & Design: Oversee the design, implementation, and ongoing optimization of the SSO / MFA framework. Ensure it is scalable, resilient, and integrated with both internal and third-party services, including cloud-based applications.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams including IT, security, development, and product teams to ensure seamless integration of SSO & MFA capabilities into new and existing platforms. Provide guidance on best practices for secure access management.
• Security & Compliance: Maintain a strong understanding of security protocols and compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, NIST) and ensure that SSO solutions align with relevant regulations and industry standards. Lead the development and implementation of security controls related to authentication and authorization.
• Vendor & Tool Selection: Evaluate and select appropriate identity management tools, including SSO solutions, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Identity Federation. Manage relationships with vendors and third-party providers, ensuring successful product implementation and ongoing support.
• Incident Management & Troubleshooting: Lead the team in investigating and resolving any issues related to SSO / MFA functionality. Ensure that incidents are managed efficiently, and improvements are implemented to minimize future disruptions.
• User Experience Focus: Ensure that SSO implementation improves the end-user experience by simplifying login processes while maintaining high-security standards. Work on reducing friction points and increasing user adoption.
• Metrics & Reporting: Help develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for SSO performance and security metrics. Regularly report on SSO effectiveness, user engagement, security breaches, and other relevant metrics.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline.
• 4+ years of experience in identity and access management, with at least 3 years focused on Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions.
• Strong background in IT security, authentication protocols, and IAM frameworks supporting SSO with greater than 50,000 users.
• Deep understanding of SSO technologies (e.g., SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect) and experience with identity federation, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and cloud-based IAM solutions.
• Knowledge of identity providers like Okta, Azure AD, or Ping Identity.
• Able to solve highly complex authentication and authorization problems within a Global environment.
• Strong understanding of security best practices related to identity management, including encryption, tokenization, and secure protocols.
• Experience in leading IAM system support, engineering, and operations teams within a Global Business Unit.
• Able to manage resources outside of direct reports and across multiple teams.
• Understanding of applicable laws and regulations including Sarbanes‑Oxley (SOX) and GXP quality regulations and guidelines.
• Hold team accountable and a proven track record of successfully managing and executing on long term complex projects.
• Demonstrated experience in an agile work environment possessing qualities such as a collaborative mindset, adaptability to change, and a proactive problem-solving approach.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in relevant discipline.
• Deep expertise in Ping Identity solutions is highly desirable.

Work Location Assignment: Hybrid Pfizer is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction in which it operates. To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers. Information & Business Tech Pfizer careers are like no other. In our culture of individual ownership, we believe in our ability to improve future healthcare, and potential to transform millions of lives. We’re looking for new talent to join our global community, to unearth new innovative therapies that make the world a healthier place.