Details
- Department: Security
- Schedule: Full Time Monday - Friday 8-5pm CT
- Location: Remote
- Salary: $146,000.00 - $248,200.00 per year
- Eligble for an annual bonus incentive
Benefits
Paid time off (PTO)
Various health insurance options & wellness plans
Retirement benefits including employer match plans
Long-term & short-term disability
Employee assistance programs (EAP)
Parental leave & adoption assistance
Tuition reimbursement
Ways to give back to your community
Benefit options and eligibility vary by position. Compensation varies based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, performance, location and salary range at the time of the offer.
Responsibilities
Position Summary
The Senior Director of Identity Security is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and executing the enterprise identity strategy for a large healthcare provider organization. This leader will oversee all aspects of internal workforce user lifecycle management, ensuring secure, compliant, and seamless access to applications, systems, and data.
The position also plays a critical role in M&A transactions, providing IAM leadership to support integrations and divestitures with a focus on risk reduction, operational efficiency, and compliance. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in IAM processes, cloud-based IAM solutions, and advanced knowledge of applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to modernize IAM capabilities.
This role requires a visionary leader with hands-on technical depth, proven strategic execution, and the ability to influence stakeholders across clinical, business, and IT domains.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Governance
- Develop and execute the enterprise identity security strategy aligned with the organization’s mission, compliance obligations, and digital transformation initiatives.
- Provide thought leadership on the application of AI/ML to IAM, including predictive access risk management, anomaly detection, and intelligent automation of user lifecycle processes.
- Lead IAM planning, due diligence, and execution during mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, ensuring secure, efficient identity transitions.
- Establish policies and governance frameworks for access management, role-based access controls (RBAC), and privileged account management.
Operations & Technology
- Oversee workforce identity lifecycle management: joiner/mover/leaver processes, access provisioning/de-provisioning, certifications, and attestation campaigns.
- Direct adoption and optimization of cloud-based IAM solutions (e.g., Okta, Azure AD, Ping Identity, or similar).
- Partner with Information Security, Application, infrastructure and Business teams to ensure IAM controls are embedded across cloud, hybrid, and on-premise environments.
- Ensure regulatory compliance (HIPAA, HITECH, SOX, HITRUST) in identity practices and audit readiness.
Innovation & Transformation
- Drive adoption of intelligent IAM automation powered by AI/ML to improve efficiency, accuracy, and risk management.
- Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in user experience, security posture, and operational resilience.
- Benchmark and adopt industry best practices to position the healthcare provider as a leader in IAM.
Team & Stakeholder Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing IAM team including managers, engineers, and governance specialists.
- Collaborate with clinical, business, and security leaders to align IAM services with organizational needs.
- Represent IAM at executive steering committees, external forums, and with regulators/auditors.
- Provide Leadership to the Department: lead and champion organizational change; encourage participation in activities that support relationship development; champion information security and risk management innovation; demonstrate and champion the following characteristics in fulfilling the responsibilities of the job - passion, empowerment, accountability, collaboration and ethics.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related field preferred (Master’s strongly preferred).
- 12+ years of progressive IAM and Information Security experience, with at least 5 years in senior leadership roles.
- Demonstrated success leading IAM programs in large, complex, regulated environments (healthcare preferred).
- Proven experience applying AI and ML technologies to IAM use cases such as identity analytics, adaptive authentication, and predictive risk scoring.
- Hands-on experience with cloud-based IAM platforms (Okta, Azure AD, Ping Identity, or equivalent).
- Strong track record of IAM leadership during M&A activities (integration and divestiture).
Certifications Preferred:
- One or more industry-recognized certifications: CISSP, CISM, CCSP, or equivalent strongly preferred.
- Identity-specific certifications (e.g., Okta Certified Professional, Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator, SailPoint Certified Engineer) strongly preferred.
Skills & Competencies
- Deep knowledge of IAM processes: provisioning, de-provisioning, RBAC, ABAC, SoD, MFA, SSO, PAM.
- Strategic thinker with strong execution and change management capabilities.
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), HITECH, and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS)
- Excellent communication, executive presence, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to apply AI/ML concepts practically.
- Experience with Zero Trust security models and their application to Identity and Access Management.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced, regulated healthcare environments.
- Experience with Federated Identity Management (SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect).
Requirements
Education:
- High School diploma equivalency with 5 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management OR Associate's degree/Bachelor's degree with 3 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management.
Additional Preferences
#LI-Remote
Why Join Our Team
When you join Ascension, you join a team of over 134,000 individuals across the country committed to a Mission of serving others and providing compassionate, personalized care to all. Our inclusive culture, continuing education programs, career coaches and benefit offerings are just a few of the resources and tools that team members can use to create a rewarding career path. In fact, Ascension spent nearly $46 million in tuition assistance alone to support associate growth and development. If you are looking for a career where you can grow and make a difference in your community, we invite you to join our team today.
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
Ascension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.
As a military friendly organization, Ascension promotes career flexibility and offers many benefits to help support the well-being of our military families, spouses, veterans and reservists. Our associates are empowered to apply their military experience and unique perspective to their civilian career with Ascension.
Pay Non-Discrimination Notice
Please note that Ascension will make an offer of employment only to individuals who have applied for a position using our official application. Be on alert for possible fraudulent offers of employment. Ascension will not solicit money or banking information from applicants.
E-Verify Statement
This employer participates in the Electronic Employment Verification Program. Please click the E-Verify link below for more information.
E-Verify
