Director- Privileged, Non-Human Identity & Operations Services

Description

Director- Privileged, Non-Human Identity & Operations Services (ID: WHQ00026720)

United's Digital Technology team is comprised of many talented individuals all working together with cutting-edge technology to build the best airline in the history of aviation. Our team designs, develops, and maintains massively scaling technology solutions brought to life with innovative architecture, data analytics, and digital solutions.

Job Overview and Responsibilities

The Director of Privileged, Non-Human Identity & Operations Services leads one of United's most critical cybersecurity portfolios, responsible for securing the privileged, machine, workload, automation, and AI identities that enable the enterprise. This role exists to reduce high-risk identity exposure, strengthen enterprise control effectiveness, and sustain secure, resilient operations across United’s 24x7 technology environment. This leader defines the strategy, architecture, governance, and transformation roadmap for these high-risk identity domains while providing executive oversight for Identity Operations & Resilience. The role partners across technology and business teams to strengthen security, improve operational resilience, and accelerate United's digital transformation through modern identity capabilities.

• Privileged & Non-Human Identity Strategy: 
  • Define strategy, roadmap, operating model, and governance for privileged and non-human identity services that reduce enterprise identity risk, improve control maturity, and align investment priorities to United’s cybersecurity and digital transformation objectives.
  • Architecture & Engineering Leadership:
  • Define target-state architecture, engineering standards, integration patterns, and privileged identity design principles.
• Control & Compliance Enablement:
  • Partner with Risk, Compliance, and Audit teams to implement controls, support audits, and remediate findings.
• Transformation Portfolio Leadership:
  • Lead strategic initiatives across PAM, non-human identities, workload identities, certificates/secrets, and AI agent identity services.
• Operations & Resilience Leadership:
  • Accountable for service operations, incident response, resilience, and management of supplier-delivered L1/L2 support.
  • Establish service health metrics, runbook and escalation standards, recovery readiness, and production transition practices for mission-critical identity services.
• Platform & Investment Governance:
  • Direct platform strategy, supplier oversight, roadmap priorities, capacity planning, and portfolio performance.
  • Own investment tradeoffs, supplier performance, total cost of ownership, and benefits realization for the privileged and non-human identity portfolio.
• People & Stakeholder Leadership:
  • Develop high-performing teams and collaborate across cybersecurity, technology, infrastructure, application, and business organizations to advance identity capabilities.
  • Build leadership bench strength, clarify roles across engineering, operations, and suppliers, and set performance expectations that support execution at enterprise scale.
     

This role is Remote.

Qualifications

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

·       Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Business Technology, or related discipline.

·       8+ years of experience in cybersecurity, identity and access management, privileged access, infrastructure security, technology operations, or enterprise security leadership, including experience leading teams, programs, or transformation efforts in complex enterprise environments.

·       Ability to develop enterprise privileged and non-human identity strategy, roadmaps, governance models, operating models, and standards that support identity risk reduction and business-aligned transformation.

·       Experience defining target-state architecture, engineering standards, integration patterns, and privileged identity design principles for enterprise identity platforms.

·       Knowledge of identity risk management, access controls, audit readiness, regulatory expectations, control effectiveness measures, and remediation practices.

·       Ability to lead multi-year identity transformation initiatives across PAM, non-human identity, workload identity, certificates, secrets, automation identity, and emerging identity services.

·       Experience leading identity service operations, incident response, supplier-delivered L1/L2 support, production readiness, recovery readiness, service health management, and operational resilience practices.

·       Ability to manage platform strategy, roadmap prioritization, supplier performance, capacity planning, investment tradeoffs, total cost of ownership, and portfolio outcomes.

·       Skill in executive communication, stakeholder influence, cross-functional leadership, team development, role clarity, performance expectations, and leading talent through change.

·       Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship.

·       Demonstrates an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leverages them to support research, analysis, content creation, and problem-solving. Applies critical thinking to validate AI-generated outputs while adhering to organizational policies for responsible AI use, data privacy, and security.

 

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):

·       Master’s degree in advanced study in cybersecurity, identity security, technology operations, risk management, or business resilience.

·       CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT, ITIL, PMP, or equivalent security, identity, technology operations, risk, or governance certifications.

·       Leadership of enterprise-scale identity, privileged access, non-human identity, security operations, or large-scale technology transformation programs.

·       Identity Strategy & Architecture

·       Experience building or transforming enterprise privileged and non-human identity programs.

·       Experience with AI agent identity governance, automation identity risk, and emerging machine identity control patterns.

·       Risk, Controls & Governance

·       Experience with regulated, 24x7, transportation, airline, or mission-critical operational environments.

·       Operational Leadership & Resilience

·       Experience implementing production readiness gates, risk-based service tiers, major incident governance, recovery readiness, and executive operations reviews.

·       Transformation & People Leadership

·       Experience managing multi-year identity modernization programs involving multiple platforms, suppliers, business units, and regulatory demands.