Role: Lead IAM Technical Architect
Contract Length: Until 31/03/27
Location: Remote with occasional travel to Swindon
IR35: In scope of IR35
Role Summary
Lead IAM Technical Architect responsible for defining and delivering the enterprise identity architecture for client, establishing identity as the primary security control plane across services.
The role combines cross-programme IAM design authority with secure-by-design, risk-led decision making, providing leadership across multiple IAM project workstreams and stakeholder groups.
Key Responsibilities
Define and govern the target-state IAM architecture, covering:
o Identity verification and assurance
o Identity governance & life cycle (IGA/JML)
o Authentication and access management (AM)
o Privileged access (PAM)
o Customer and citizen identity (CIAM)
o Non-human/machine identity (NHI/MIM)
o Federation and identity trust models
Lead end-to-end IAM solution design across programmes, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture and UK Government standards
Provide design authority and architectural assurance, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned to organisational strategy
Embed secure-by-design principles, integrating identity into risk-based access control and Zero Trust models
Define identity life cycle and governance controls, including provisioning, access review, and deprovisioning
Design integration and federation patterns, enabling secure identity exchange across UKRI, partners, and suppliers
Develop transition architectures and migration strategies from Legacy identity services
Deliver a phased IAM roadmap aligned to Discovery, Alpha, and enterprise rollout
Engage senior stakeholders and provide technical leadership and advisory support across business and technology teams
Deliverables
Enterprise IAM target architecture and design blueprint
Current-state IAM assessment and risk analysis
Identity governance and life cycle (IGA) operating model
Authentication and access management design (including MFA/passwordless)
Privileged access management control model
Identity integration and federation architecture
Transition and migration architecture
Phased delivery roadmap with defined outcomes and milestones
IAM Project Background
Strategic multi-year programme to establish identity as a core control plane aligned to Zero Trust principles
Transformation of IAM services into a policy-driven, standards-aligned, enterprise capability
Year 1 focus on:
Identity life cycle governance
Strong authentication and credential management
Identity data quality and audit capability
Year 2 expansion into:
Privileged access management
CIAM and external identities
Full enterprise integration and federation
Delivery of audit-ready identity controls, supporting compliance, assurance levels, and regulatory requirements.
Outcomes
Delivery of Zero Trust capabilities
Identity governance and compliance improvements
Risk reduction across access control and identity life cycle
Reduce the risk of increased exposure to:
o Identity-related security risks
o No compliance audit and regulatory findings
o Fragmented and inconsistent IAM solutions
Specific skills required for the role
Technical and Architecture Expertise
Enterprise IAM architecture across IGA, AM, PAM, CIAM, federation, and NHI/MIM
Strong experience in Zero Trust architecture and identity-driven access control
Design of identity life cycle governance models and audit controls
Integration and migration architecture across Legacy and modern platforms
Experience with platforms such as:
Entra ID
AWS Cognito
IGA and PAM tooling
Security and Risk Capability
Strong understanding of modern authentication and assurance models
Experience embedding risk-based access controls and policy-driven identity
Ability to translate risk into pragmatic architectural controls
Delivery and Leadership
1. Proven delivery of large-scale IAM transformations
2. Stakeholder engagement across business, security, and technical domains
3. Ability to lead multi-team and supplier delivery environments
4. Experience delivering phased roadmaps with measurable outcomes
Desirable
1. Experience with UK Government identity services (eg GOV.UK One Login)
2. Knowledge of ISO/IEC 24760, NIST SP 800-63, and NCSC guidance
3. Experience in public sector or federated research environments