Senior Information Security Architect - Cloud IAM

Who We AreJoin a team that puts its People First! Since 1889, First American (NYSE: FAF) has held an unwavering belief in its people. They are passionate about what they do, and we are equally passionate about fostering an environment where all feel welcome, supported, and empowered to be innovative and reach their full potential. Our inclusive, people-first culture has earned our company numerous accolades, including being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for ten consecutive years. We have also earned awards as a best place to work for women, diversity and LGBTQ+ employees, and have been included on more than 50 regional best places to work lists. First American will always strive to be a great place to work, for all. For more information, please visit www.careers.firstam.com.

What We DoWe are seeking a highly skilled Senior IAM Security Architect to join our information security architecture team. This role requires deep expertise in the design, implementation, and management of IAM security controls, with a focus on identity protection across cloud environments. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in AWS, Azure, and Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), and possess at least 5 years of experience in IAM related security risk assessment and threat modeling. The Senior IAM Security Architect will be responsible for ensuring the secure and efficient management of user & non-human identities, access controls, and security policies within the organization. This role will also focus on establishing a Zero Trust identity posture, implementing behavioral risk assessments, and driving automation for identity security. Expertise in Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and modern authentication protocols is essential.

What You'll Do:

• Participate in design of secure IAM architectures across multiple platforms (AWS, Azure, Entra ID), ensuring all components align with best practices and organizational security requirements.
• Develop security controls for IAM, including user authentication, authorization, role management, identity federation, and privilege management across cloud and hybrid environments.
• Establish and maintain a Zero Trust security model for IAM, ensuring that all access requests are continuously verified, regardless of location or network.
• Integrate Zero Trust principles with cloud-native security tools and IAM platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Entra ID) to ensure seamless, secure, and dynamic access control.
• Automate risk-based access controls and adaptive authentication based on behavioral signals, ensuring a dynamic response to security events.
• Establish and enforce least privilege access principles for all roles across cloud and on-prem environments, ensuring users only have the minimal access necessary to perform their job functions.
• Design and implement Just-in-Time (JIT) access control mechanisms to dynamically grant access based on user needs, significantly reducing standing permission sets.
• Design SSO solutions that provide seamless and secure access to enterprise applications, ensuring a frictionless user experience while maintaining high security standards.
• Lead the adoption of modern authentication protocols (e.g., OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML) for secure, scalable, and standardized access management across applications and systems.
• Implement and manage MFA solutions to enhance authentication security, applying risk-based policies to ensure strong protection for sensitive data and critical resources.
• Develop and integrate IAM security controls with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Entra ID, ensuring secure access management across both public and hybrid cloud environments.
• Work closely with cloud engineers and architects to align IAM security protocols with cloud service provider best practices, while ensuring compliance with industry standards.
• Leverage native security features of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS IAM, Azure AD, Entra ID) to design scalable, secure, and automated IAM solutions.
• Lead the migration process from Hybrid Active Directory to Entra-ID based authentication to ensure minimal disruption and proper synchronization and federation across systems.
• Develop and maintain security governance frameworks for IAM, focusing on identity lifecycle management, role-based access control (RBAC), user provisioning, deprovisioning, and enforcement of least privilege.
• Ensure proper identity governance and access reviews are conducted regularly, documenting changes and exceptions as part of compliance audits.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including application security, network security, infrastructure, and DevOps, to integrate IAM security best practices across systems and services.
• Stay up to date on the latest IAM trends, security threats, and technology advancements to continuously improve IAM practices and solutions.
• Implement security automation tools and workflows to improve efficiency and reduce manual efforts in identity management and access control.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Security, or related field.
• Preferred Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or Certified Identity and Access Manager (CIAM) or other relevant IAM/security certification.
• 7+ years of experience in IAM security, including at least 5 years of experience in IAM risk assessment, threat modeling, and security control design.
• Proven expertise in implementing and securing IAM solutions in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, and Entra ID.
• In-depth knowledge of IAM security best practices, identity governance, and access management policies.
• Experience with IAM protocols such as SSO, MFA, OAuth, SAML, OpenID Connect, and identity federation.
• Hands-on experience in conducting security risk assessments and threat modeling for IAM systems.
• Demonstrated experience in establishing least privilege access and implementing Just-in-Time (JIT) access controls across cloud and on-premises environments.
• Expertise in implementing and managing a Zero Trust security posture for IAM, with hands-on experience in identity validation, continuous authentication, and risk-based access controls.
• Strong expertise with IAM platforms such as Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), AWS IAM, Azure Active Directory.
• Experience with cloud security, integrating IAM systems with AWS, Azure, and hybrid environments.
• Strong understanding of IAM security controls, including role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC), policy enforcement, and Just-in-Time (JIT) provisioning.
• Experience in implementing and managing SSO and MFA, with expertise in modern authentication protocols such as OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML.

This role is hybrid preferred with three days per week in office in Santa Ana, CA. May be open to remote for out of area candidates.

Pay Range: $145,000.00 - $193,325.00 Annually

This hiring range is a reasonable estimate of the base pay range for this position at the time of posting.  Pay is based on a number of factors which may include job-related knowledge, skills, experience, business requirements and geographic location.

What We OfferBy choice, we don’t simply accept individuality – we embrace it, we support it, and we thrive on it! Our People First Culture celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion not simply because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s the key to our success. We are proud to foster an authentic and inclusive workplace For All. You are free and encouraged to bring your entire, unique self to work. First American is an equal opportunity employer in every sense of the term.

** Note that the following statements only apply to candidates who will be working from an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County. **

First American will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws (e.g., the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act).

First American intends to conduct a review of an applicant’s criminal history in connection with a conditional offer. First American reasonably believes that a criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following material job duties for this position potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment: handling of confidential, proprietary or trade secret information belonging to First American or its customers, administrating or facilitating financial transactions, and the ability to meet customer-imposed criminal history requirements.

Based on eligibility, First American offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, PTO/paid sick leave and other great benefits like an employee stock purchase plan.