Bahaa Abdul Hadi is an Identity Management expert and regularly shares his experiences with his audience through his blogs. This time he discusses the importance of the role of an Identity and Access Management System Manager role.

An IAM or Identity and Access Manager is responsible for the entire IAM program in an organization. It is a senior position that calls for knowledge, skills, and the ability to own the entire program. We look at the job description of an IAM Manager, to understand more about the role they play.

The Job Description

The job description of an IAM manager would include:

  • They are responsible to develop and implement the IAM program, policies, and procedures.
  • The manager needs to manage access of users to the systems, data, and applications.
  • They have to carry out risk assessment as well as audits of the entire program.
  • It is their job to monitor if policies, requirements of customers, and other regulations are being properly complied.
  • In case of any incidents occurring, they need to investigate and initiate corrective actions.
  • Training users on policies and procedures is one of the key tasks they need to do.
  • They need to work with other departments, so access to systems and data remains secure.
  • An IAM manager must be up-to-date with latest trends, technologies, threats, and solutions.
  • They should be able to escalate issues on time.

The specific duties that an IAM manager needs to carry out are:

  • They should ensure authorized users are given right access to systems, applications, and data.
  • They need to plan and implement IAM solutions for the organization.
  • Managing user accounts, access control, and permissions is their job role.
  • They need to monitor logs, so security incidents can be identified.
  • They need to create training materials for IAM to benefit all employees.
  • The IAM manager has to work with the management to ensure all laws, regulations, and business needs are met.
  • They need to ensure audit findings get a proper response with remedial measures implemented.
  • Any customer issues or escalation need to be handled effectively.

The salary of an IAM manager is anywhere from $80,000 to $160,000. It depends on the industry and the company size. Large companies pay up to $160,000 while small companies pay on average $100,000.

The qualification and experience required for this job are:

  • A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related discipline.
  • A professional certification like CIAM (Certified Identity Access Manager) or CIMP (Certified Identity Management Professional).
  • Experience in identity and access management for around 5 years.
  • Technical skills related to IAM solutions.
  • Knowledge of best practices and compliance standards.
  • Good knowledge of project management.
  • Skilled in high-level programming languages, SQL, IT security, etc.

Thank you for your interest in Bahaa Abdul Hadi blogs. For more information, please visit www.bahaaabdulhadi.com.