Lead Identity Specialist

Lead Identity Specialist Duration: 6 MonthsLocation: SheffieldRate: £470 - Umbrella only Would you like to join a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation? Our client is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Role Purpose / Summary We are seeking an experienced Lead Identity Specialist to drive the design, deployment, and governance of Microsoft Entra solutions across the enterprise. This role combines deep technical expertise with strategic consulting skills. The Lead will act as the subject matter expert for Microsoft Entra, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM), Privileged Identity Management (PIM), and Microsoft Defender for Identity, while managing Application Owners, Business stakeholders, Security Architects and guiding application, security, and infrastructure teams. Responsibilities Lead enterprise-wide architecture and deployment of Microsoft Entra, including Entra ID, Conditional Access, Identity Protection, PIM, CIEM, and Governance. Manage and mentor Technical Account Managers (TAMs), ensuring service excellence and alignment with IAM strategy. Act as SME and consultant for application, infrastructure, and security teams integrating with Entra ID and related IAM services. Define and execute IAM strategy in alignment with Zero Trust security principles. Provide consulting-level guidance on IAM adoption, migration from legacy platforms, and application onboarding. Drive proactive use of Microsoft Defender for Identity for threat detection and identity-based risk management. Partner with security leadership to ensure compliance with audit, regulatory, and governance requirements. Serve as enterprise escalation point for identity-related issues and lead root cause analysis for critical incidents. Establish technical standards, governance policies, and best practices for Entra and multi-cloud IAM usage (AWS IAM, GCP IAM). Collaborate with Microsoft engineering/product teams and provide roadmap feedback. Mentor Level 3 engineers ensuring knowledge growth across the IAM function. Liase with infrastructure, O365, mobile and SOC teams to ensure security of Entra and fine tune configurations. Required Skills & Experience Expert knowledge of Microsoft Entra architecture and deployments, including Identity Protection, Conditional Access, PIM, CIEM, and Governance. Strong experience with hybrid identity (on-prem Active Directory, AD FS, Azure Entra Connect). Proficiency with Microsoft Defender for Identity and integration with broader security ecosystems. Deep understanding of authentication protocols (SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect, Kerberos, LDAP). Familiarity with AWS IAM and GCP IAM as part of multi-cloud IAM strategy. Proven ability to translate technical capabilities into business-focused IAM strategies. Demonstrated leadership in managing technical teams (TAMs, senior engineers). Strong consulting, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional communication skills. Preferred Qualifications: Microsoft certifications (SC-100, SC-300, AZ-500, or equivalent). 12+ years of IAM experience, including large-scale deployments and enterprise consulting. Experience with IAM modernization and migration from legacy identity platforms. Prior experience presenting IAM strategy and architecture to senior leadership. All profiles will be reviewed against the required skills and experience. Due to the high number of applications we will only be able to respond to successful applicants in the first instance. We thank you for your interest and the time taken to apply #J-18808-Ljbffr