Head of IAM platform (#625)

The Head of Identity & Access Management (IAM) Platform is responsible for the operational stability, security, governance, and resilience of enterprise IAM platforms across the region. The role leads the regional IAM team in delivering secure, reliable, and highly available identity services for employees, customers, partners, applications, and infrastructure. This position owns the regional IAM platform strategy and roadmap, financial governance, risk management, and people leadership, ensuring alignment with global security standards, enterprise policies, and regulatory requirements. Working closely with Global Security and senior technology stakeholders, the successful candidate will drive platform modernization, strengthen security controls, and enhance the overall maturity of identity services.

Why This Role?

This is a highly visible leadership opportunity offering direct engagement with senior technology executives, including CTOs and CIOs, as well as Global Security leadership teams. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping the regional IAM strategy, leading the evolution of enterprise identity platforms, and strengthening the organization's security and governance framework.

Key Responsibilities

IAM Strategy, Platform Ownership & Governance

• Own and execute the regional IAM platform strategy, roadmap, governance framework, and operational excellence initiatives in partnership with Global Security.

• Oversee the lifecycle, availability, resilience, security, and continuous improvement of enterprise IAM infrastructure and services.

• Ensure secure, reliable, and highly available identity services for employees, customers, partners, applications, APIs, and infrastructure across the region.

• Drive platform standardization, modernization, and alignment with global architecture principles, security policies, and enterprise technology standards.

• Serve as the regional subject-matter expert and trusted advisor on identity, authentication, authorization, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and access governance.

IAM Platforms & Technology Management

• Oversee the implementation, operation, and continuous improvement of key IAM platforms and technologies, including:

  • Ping Identity: Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and passkey-based authentication.

  • Venafi: Certificate lifecycle management and machine identity security.

  • Identity Governance & Administration (IGA): Identity governance, access reviews, and access certification.

  • Reverse Proxy Platforms: Secure access management and traffic control.

  • API Gateway Platforms: API access security, authentication, authorization, and policy enforcement.

• Ensure the effective integration of IAM services across enterprise applications, infrastructure, and security systems.

• Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to improve platform capabilities, security, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Identity Lifecycle Automation & Security Transformation

• Lead end-to-end automation of identity lifecycle processes, including joiner, mover, and leaver workflows, access provisioning, access certification, access revocation, and certificate management.

• Strengthen policy-driven access controls and standardize identity management processes in collaboration with Global Security, governance, and centralized control functions.

• Improve visibility and governance across human and machine identities, credentials, certificates, APIs, and privileged access.

• Drive IAM transformation initiatives, platform modernization, and governance improvements to reduce manual effort, operational risk, and access-related vulnerabilities.

• Support the adoption of Zero Trust principles and modern authentication and authorization practices.

Operational Resilience & Risk Management

• Ensure 24/7 operational support for business-critical IAM platforms, maintaining service availability, resilience, and security.

• Oversee incident management, problem management, vulnerability remediation, disaster recovery, and operational resilience activities.

• Establish and enforce operational standards, procedures, monitoring, and control frameworks to ensure consistent service delivery.

• Partner with Global Security, Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, Application Development, Risk, Audit, and Compliance teams to implement and maintain IAM standards and controls.

• Ensure compliance with internal security policies, audit requirements, and applicable regulatory obligations.

Financial & Vendor Management

• Own annual budgeting, financial forecasting, actual expenditure tracking, and financial governance for the regional IAM function.

• Manage vendor relationships, software licensing, technology contracts, and strategic supplier engagements.

• Identify cost optimization opportunities while maintaining the security, reliability, and effectiveness of IAM services.

• Evaluate technology investments and ensure effective allocation of financial and operational resources.

People Leadership & Executive Stakeholder Management

• Lead and develop the regional IAM platform team, including recruitment, performance management, coaching, succession planning, and capability development.

• Establish clear objectives, promote accountability, and build a high-performing team with strong technical and operational capabilities.

• Collaborate with Global Security and senior technology leaders to align regional priorities with global security strategy.

• Communicate platform performance, strategic initiatives, operational risks, investment requirements, and transformation progress to executive stakeholders.

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders on IAM strategy, identity security, and access governance.

Requirements: Experience, Skills & Education

• 12+ years of relevant experience in Identity & Access Management, Cybersecurity, Security Engineering, Infrastructure Security, or related disciplines.

• 5+ years of people leadership experience, managing enterprise-scale IAM or security engineering teams.

• Proven experience managing large-scale IAM platforms within complex, highly regulated enterprise environments.

• Strong understanding of Identity Governance & Administration (IGA), access certification, Segregation of Duties (SoD), privileged access controls, and identity risk management.

• Demonstrated experience leading IAM transformation, platform modernization, governance enhancement, and automation initiatives.

• Strong technical knowledge of identity, authentication, authorization, PKI, certificate management, and access control technologies.

• Experience managing IAM platforms and technologies such as Ping Identity, Venafi, reverse proxies, API gateways, and identity governance solutions.

• Proven ability to manage complex vendor ecosystems, budgets, software licensing, contracts, and strategic technology investments.

• Strong understanding of security risk management, audit, compliance, and regulatory requirements.

• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior business and technology leaders.

• Business-level proficiency in English, both written and verbal.

• Business-level Japanese proficiency (JLPT N2 or above).