Identity & Access Management (IAM) Senior Manager/Director

Role purpose

Avanade UK Security is scaling fast, requiring a Director-level Identity & Access Management (IAM) Lead to build a Microsoft-first IAM growth engine across advisory, implementation, and managed services, with a strong bias toward repeatable offers, accelerated conversion, and delivery excellence. This role is also accountable for positioning Identity as the control plane for AI-era security, including Microsoft Agent 365, Copilot-driven workflows, and emerging agent-based architectures, ensuring UK Security is future proofed for the next generation of identity-centric security demand. This role reports to the UK Security Practice Lead and leads presales/solutioning with a technical Solution Architect and Presales Lead. Furthermore, this role owns IAM GTM, delivery quality, capability/IP build while feeding into the Identity MSS module as part of the broader MSS portfolio (separate accountability, tight interlock). Travel expected for key clients, Microsoft, and Practice leadership commitments.

Commercial expectations

This role influences revenue and will carry a soft target aligned to the UK Security all-up plan:

• Year 1: $1-2m influenced growth
• Year 2: $2-3m influenced growth

Success is measured through supporting the sales team to generate pipeline, conversion of pipeline, expansion/attach of existing accounts, and repeatable delivery.

Reporting line & operating model

• Reports to: UK Security Practice Lead
• Key peers: UK MSS Lead, UK Security Presales Lead, UK Security Solution Architects x2 (UK Solution Architects from other practices 5 practices - Infrastructure, Software Engineering, Modern Workplace, Data & AI, and Business Applications)
• People leadership: No formal line management initially. Expected to act as Career Advisor/People Lead for a small number of individuals (mentorship, development, high-performance standards).
• Matrix influence: The Identity Solution Architect will soft-report into the IAM Lead for practice-level IAM direction, consistency, and capability build while Security leadership team members continue to report to the Practice Lead.

Success criteria

First 6 months

• A clear IAM "spine" for the practice: what we sell, how we sell it, how we deliver it, and what becomes service delivered across UK onshore, nearshore delivery centres, and offshore delivery centres.
• A repeatable presales motion for Entra-led IAM (workshops/assessments/pilots → scaled rollouts) that improves speed and win rate.
• Delivery governance and QA standards that reduce programme variability and escalations.

12 months

• A scaled, Microsoft-first IAM pipeline with a predictable conversion pattern.
• Demonstrable asset reuse (templates, reference architectures, automation patterns, delivery playbooks).
• A clear project-to-service pathway into Identity MSS (handover criteria, onboarding artefacts, operational KPIs etc).

24 months

• UK recognised as a credible IAM leader in regulated industries, with external presence (clients/Microsoft/events) supporting sustained growth.

Key responsibilities

1) IAM GTM & seller enablement (primary)

• Own the UK IAM narrative and differentiation: Microsoft Entra-first (Entra ID, Entra Suite/E7 positioning, Identity Protection, governance and lifecycle foundations etc).
• Own the UK Security narrative and capability for identity-centric AI security, including Microsoft Agent 365, Copilot, and agent-based workloads, where identity, permissions, and trust boundaries are the primary control mechanisms.
• Define how agent identities, agent permissions, human-to-agent and agent-to-agent trust, and data access are governed, monitored, and secured using Microsoft Entra and the broader Microsoft Security stack.
• Ensure IAM offerings explicitly address AI-driven risk scenarios, including delegated agent access, over-privileged identities, lateral agent movement, and non-human identity sprawl.
• Position Identity as the foundational security layer for AI adoption, pulling through Entra, E7, Purview, Defender, and AI Security conversations as a single, coherent value proposition.
• Build IAM-led GTM plays where AI security, Copilot adoption, and Agent 365 are anchored in identity governance, access control, and trust, positioning IAM as the entry point rather than an implementation afterthought.
• Build practical seller enablement: talk tracks, qualification prompts, value proof, commercial guardrails, "what good looks like" etc.
• Create repeatable plays by industry and account segment where identity is the control plane for transformation and AI adoption.

2) Presales leadership & solutioning

• Lead solutioning for complex IAM pursuits with UK IAM Solution Architect: scope, approach, commercials, delivery model, risks, and dependencies.
• Drive fast, outcome-led client entry motions (e.g., Entra security & resilience assessment, identity modernisation, governance quick starts etc).
• Work with Microsoft where relevant to accelerate co-sell and secure sponsorship (without diluting Microsoft-first stance).

3) Delivery quality, escalation & governance (shared accountability)

• Own IAM delivery quality and programme health: QA gates, architecture assurance, delivery risk management, and escalation resolution (shared with delivery leads).
• Ensure delivery standards produce repeatable outcomes and strong client confidence (not bespoke reinvention).
• Embed modern identity security realities into delivery (identity threat, resilience, response readiness) beyond "implementation complete" to expand Microsoft security footprint.

4) Capability, assets & IP

• Build reusable assets across: assessment/diagnostics,
• reference architectures and design patterns,
• migration patterns (hybrid/legacy modernisation),
• automation (PowerShell, Graph/API patterns),
• runbooks and onboarding templates.
• Establish a clear lifecycle across project

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