SVP Identity & Access Management

State Employees' Credit Union; Raleigh (NC); Remote; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

State Employees' Credit Union seeks a strategic Head of Identity and Access Management to lead enterprise IAM strategy, governance, architecture, and delivery. You will oversee identity lifecycle, access provisioning, privileged access, and non-human identities, aligning with regulatory requirements and security standards.

The role emphasizes leveraging AI, ML, analytics, and automation to strengthen identity security, improve operations, and reduce identity-related risks.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years IAM, cybersecurity, or related tech experience with strategy and transformation.
• Leadership of complex enterprise programs and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field; advanced degrees preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight of IAM governance, access certifications, privileged access, and identity lifecycle management.
• Define enterprise IAM architecture, standards, and roadmaps; lead modernization via automation and integration.
• Build and lead a high-performance organization with clear roles, accountability, and succession planning.
• Establish operational support models, SLAs, incident/change management, and disaster recovery capabilities.
• Develop IAM strategy for AI, automation, and emerging identity technologies; govern AI agents and non-human identities.

Skills

IAM leadership

Strategic planning

Regulatory compliance

Cybersecurity

Stakeholder management

AI/ML awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / IT / Cybersecurity

Master's degree in IT / Cybersecurity / AI / Data Science

Tools

SailPoint

CyberArk

Microsoft EntraID

Okta

Ping Identity

Job description

If you are motivated and believe in the credit union philosophy of \"People Helping People\", join our team! The Head of Identity and Access Management (IAM) provides enterprise-wide strategic leadership for the strategy, governance, architecture, and delivery of SECU's IAM program, overseeing identity lifecycle management, access provisioning, identity governance, authentication, privileged access, non-human identities, AI agents, monitoring, and compliance. This leader establishes a modern, scalable, automated, and risk-based IAM roadmap aligned with business objectives, technology transformation, cybersecurity strategy, regulatory requirements, and information security standards. The role also strategically leverages AI, machine learning, advanced analytics, and intelligent automation to strengthen identity security, improve operational efficiency, enhance access decision-making, and proactively detect and mitigate identity-related risks.

Essential Responsibilities

25% IAM Security, Risk, Compliance & Identity Governance: Provide strategic oversight of identity governance, access certifications, privileged access, service accounts, non-human identities, and identity lifecycle management. Ensure compliance with applicable regulations and frameworks, including NIST, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and COBIT, while leading IAM risk assessments, control testing, and remediation efforts.

20% Technology, Architecture & Transformation: Define enterprise IAM architecture, standards, and technology roadmaps while leading modernization through automation, integration, and standardization. Oversee IAM platforms and services, including IGA, PAM, IDP, MFA, and SSO, and partner with technology teams to embed reusable identity and access controls across enterprise, cloud, application, and AI environments.

20% People Leadership & Organizational Development: Build and lead a high-performance organization by establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations. Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain talent; support succession planning and career growth; and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement.

15% Operations, Service Management & Resilience: Establish operational support models, service-level expectations, documentation, incident and change management practices, disaster recovery, and business continuity capabilities. Monitor service performance, availability, reliability, and customer experience while driving continuous improvement.

10% AI, Automation & Emerging Identity Capabilities: Develop an IAM strategy for AI, intelligent automation, and emerging identity technologies to improve security, efficiency, risk detection, and user experience. Establish governance and controls for AI agents, autonomous systems, machine identities, bots, and APIs, ensuring appropriate ownership, access, monitoring, human oversight, privacy, and accountability.

10% Financial, Vendor & Portfolio Management: Develop and manage IAM budgets, staffing plans, resource allocation, and multi-year investment strategies. Oversee vendor relationships, contracts, technology evaluations, and strategic partnerships while prioritizing initiatives based on risk, compliance, business value, and available resources.

Required Education & Experience (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

Education, Leadership & Strategic Experience: 8 years direct experience, plus additional 2 years in management role.

12 years of progressive experience in IAM, cybersecurity, information security, or related technology disciplines, including enterprise IAM strategy and transformation; and at least 8 years leading and developing high-performing teams, including managers and senior technical leaders.

Demonstrated ability to lead complex enterprise programs, manage budgets and vendors, develop multi-year roadmaps, and influence executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Information Security, or a related field.

Technical Expertise, Architecture & AI Security: Deep knowledge of IAM disciplines, including IGA, PAM, SSO, MFA, authentication, identity lifecycle management, access certifications, and non-human identities, including AI agents. Experience with enterprise IAM platforms such as SailPoint, CyberArk, Microsoft EntraID, Okta, or Ping Identity; cloud and directory services; identity federation and protocols; zero-trust architecture; least privilege; and the application of AI/ML, automation, analytics, and emerging technologies to identity security.

Risk Management, Governance & Communication: Demonstrated expertise in enterprise security architecture, IAM policies, governance frameworks, regulatory compliance, audit, risk assessment, and control management, preferably in financial services or similarly regulated environments. Strong analytical, strategic planning, decision-making, negotiation, and organizational skills, with exceptional written and verbal communication abilities to translate complex technical, AI, security, and risk requirements into scalable solutions and influence executives, regulators, auditors, and business and technology stakeholders.

Preferred Education & Experience (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

Master's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Business Administration, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field.

Experience leading IAM transformation initiatives within a financial institution, banking, insurance, healthcare, or other highly regulated organization.

Experience implementing or operating modern IGA, PAM, CIEM, identity analytics, and cloud identity security capabilities.

Experience implementing AI-enabled cybersecurity, identity analytics, intelligent automation, behavioral analytics, or identity threat detection capabilities.

Experience establishing governance and security controls for AI agents, autonomous systems, machine identities, and other non-human identities.

Experience with Microsoft Entra ID, SailPoint, CyberArk, Okta, Ping Identity, or comparable enterprise identity platforms.

Experience implementing zero-trust architectures and identity-centric security strategies.

Experience developing enterprise IAM metrics, KRIs, KPIs, executive dashboards, and risk reporting.

Strong knowledge of NIST, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, COBIT, FFIEC, SOX, GLBA, NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and/or other applicable information security, AI governance, and financial services frameworks and regulations.

Experience leading regulatory examinations, internal/external audits, and remediation of IAM-related findings.

CISSP, CISM, CCSP, SABSA, SANS/GIAC, AI/ML, cloud security, or other relevant cybersecurity, IAM, or technology certification(s).

Job Environment & Physical Requirements

Remote working and remote options are available.

Office setting with physical proximity to other employees is also intermittently required.

Some background noise from other employees and their activities can be expected.

Must be able to comprehend and carry out verbal and written instructions.

Job requires a substantial amount of sitting.

Use hands and fingers to press keys on a computer keyboard to enter or retrieve information.

Use hands and fingers to press telephone keypad and lift telephone receiver.

Must be able to comprehend phone calls.

Must be able to lift 5 pounds.

SECU provides equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other classification protected by law.

Disclaimer State Employees' Credit Union reserves the right to fill this role at a higher/lower level based on business need.

State Employees' Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative with a \"Do the Right Thing\" mission and a goal of helping people in our community.

SECU values the differences in our staff and in our North Carolina communities. We believe that embracing the uniqueness of individuals makes our cooperative stronger, more innovative and better able to serve SECU members.