Senior Director of Secure Identity Services

Job Description

The Division of Information Technology at Virginia Tech seeks an experienced, talented, and driven leader to serve as Senior Director of Secure Identity Services (SIS). Secure Identity Services is responsible for the universitys enterprise identity and access management (IAM) ecosystem, including authentication services, access controls, identity governance, and related middleware that enable secure access to university systems, data, and services.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for IT Security and Identity and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), the Senior Director provides strategic leadership direction and operational oversight for the universitys identity and access management capabilities. This role is critical as Virginia Tech continues to grow in scale and complexity, expands partnerships across Virginia and globally, and increases its reliance on secure, privacy-preserving access to digital services and data. The Senior Director ensures that identity services advance institutional goals while maintaining strong security, privacy, reliability, and usability.

Required Qualifications

• Masters degree in a related field or equivalent education and work experience.
• Knowledge of and experience with information privacy and security practices, identity assurance, federated trust models, multifactor authentication, and middleware in higher education.
• Significant hands-on experience providing mid- to senior-level strategic leadership in information technology, including responsibility for enterprise-level services.
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgment and timely decision-making to accomplish organizational goals and respond to senior leadership, departments, and end users.
• Experience planning, analyzing, and evaluating programs, services, operational needs, and fiscal constraints.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage change.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including collaboration with senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Security certification such as CISSP or SANS GIAC.
• Applied experience in information technology disciplines such as systems or application administration, information security, identity management, or software development.
• Experience developing, administering, and managing budgets.
• Experience managing large-scale projects.
• Experience directing software development teams delivering secure enterprise solutions.
• Knowledge of SAML, CAS protocols, LDAP directories, web single sign-on, DevOps practices, and cloud technologies.
• Involvement in national or international initiatives such as InCommon and TIER.

Overtime Status Exempt. Not eligible for overtime.

Appointment Type Regular

Salary Information Salary commensurate with experience.

Hours per week 40

Review Date 4/2026

Additional Information Sponsorship is not available for this position. The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity.

The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College.

The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes.

A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity, or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact IT Human Resources at ithr@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.