Director, Identity Management

Department

OPS ITS - Architecture, Integration and Security

About the Department

ITS collaborates with campus partners to support the mission of the University of Chicago through the consistent delivery of high-quality solutions and services.   We provide secure, stable, and reliable infrastructure and applications to support the mission of the University.   We support and enable faculty research and teaching with the effective use of technology.   We simplify the technology experience for faculty, students, alumni, and staff, and we ensure technology is mobile-friendly and accessible.   We identify, manage, and mitigate the technology risks of the University.  

Job Summary

This position has three main functions: manage the staff in the Identity and Access Management (IAM) team, manage the University's IAM program, and engage business partners and stakeholders both strategically and operationally. This position will oversee all aspects of large-scale information technology programs from strategy and design to development and production. IAM is a cross-cutting IT activity, most systems of record provide data to the IAM system, and virtually all IT systems and services need IAM services (identifiers and attributes, authentication and access management services) provided to them. This position is critical to ensuring that the University receives the most from its central operations.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership and establishes clear priorities for the IAM team's staff and operations, ensuring alignment with the evolving IAM roadmap and organizational objectives. 
• Fosters a culture of collaboration by proactively partnering with technical subject matter experts, functional leads, and senior stakeholders across campus, championing the collection and refinement of IAM requirements and enterprise use cases. 
• Drives campus-wide integration efforts by guiding and empowering technical and functional leaders to align their systems and processes with central IAM solutions, ensuring holistic adoption and adherence to the IAM roadmap. 
• Spearheads and delivers complex, high-impact projects and programs, orchestrating every phase from conceptualization and design through development and successful production deployment. 
• Shapes and defines both functional and technical requirements, architecting comprehensive solutions that address institutional needs and anticipate future demands. 
• Strategically plans and coordinates project deliverables, sets ambitious yet achievable goals and milestones, and devises forward-thinking strategies for risk management and contingency planning. 
• Leads, mentors, and motivates technical staff, adeptly resolving conflicts and cultivating a collaborative and high-performance work environment both within and across teams. 
• Conducts rigorous assessments and evaluations of individual and team performance, identifying growth opportunities and implementing targeted development initiatives. 
• Champions the creation, continual improvement, and stewardship of technical, operational, and project documentation, ensuring transparency, consistency, and institutional knowledge retention. 
• Represents the institution in national IAM forums and collaborative initiatives, leveraging best practices and advocating for the research community's unique IAM requirements. 
• Collaborates closely with the Senior Director for Architecture, Integration, and Security to co-design innovative IAM and middleware services, sustain and communicate the IAM vision, and rally key technical and functional leaders in support of campus-wide IAM strategies. 
• Undertakes additional leadership responsibilities and special projects as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to institutional excellence. 
• Manages managers and professional staff. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates.
• Ensures that networks are high performing and meet the needs of faculty, staff, students and researchers. 
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications 

Education:  

• Bachelor's degree.

Experience :

• IT leadership experience with progressive responsibilities in identity and access management. 
• Extensive hands-on and managerial experience with IAM in a complex environment like higher education. 
• Leading IAM teams and coordinating large-scale projects involving directory services, multi-factor authentication, and access governance. 
• Familiarity with managing identity and access in academic, research, clinical, and administrative systems. 

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• In-depth technical expertise in IAM technologies and standards (OAuth, SAML, OpenID Connect, Active Directory, LDAP, MFA, RBAC, privileged access management). 
• Strong policy development and enforcement skills aligned with regulatory compliance (FERPA, GDPR, HIPAA). 
• Strategic planning and implementation of IAM frameworks and governance. 
• Knowledge of security/privacy regulations and cybersecurity principles. 

Preferred Competencies 

• Effective leadership managing teams, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration across departments. 
• Project management skills and experience with change management in large institutions. 
• Good communication, relational, and problem-solving skills. 
• Balance innovation, operational effectiveness, and compliance demands.  

Working Conditions 

• Standard office environment.

Application Documents  

• Resume/CV (required) 
• Cover Letter (required) 

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$143, $176,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at:  Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

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