Senior Access Governance Specialist

Job Title: Senior Access Governance Specialist

Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Arrangement: 100% Remote — Work From Home

Level: Senior

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Access Governance Specialist to oversee identity and access governance processes, strengthen access controls, and ensure that user permissions align with organizational security policies and compliance requirements. The successful candidate will play a key role in managing access reviews, enforcing least-privilege principles, supporting identity governance initiatives, and collaborating with IT, cybersecurity, risk, and compliance teams. This position is fully remote and requires strong analytical, technical, and stakeholder management skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain identity and access governance policies, standards, procedures, and control frameworks.
• Oversee periodic user access reviews, entitlement certifications, and access recertification campaigns.
• Evaluate user permissions to identify excessive privileges, conflicting responsibilities, dormant accounts, and unauthorized access.
• Support role-based access control (RBAC) and attribute-based access control (ABAC) models.
• Coordinate joiner, mover, and leaver processes to ensure timely provisioning, modification, and revocation of access rights.
• Review privileged access assignments and collaborate with security teams to strengthen privileged access management controls.
• Monitor access governance exceptions, investigate control deficiencies, and coordinate remediation activities.
• Support the implementation and optimization of identity governance and administration (IGA) solutions.
• Collaborate with IT, application owners, human resources, internal audit, risk management, and compliance teams.
• Maintain accurate access governance documentation, control evidence, approval records, and audit trails.
• Prepare management reports and dashboards covering access review completion, policy exceptions, control effectiveness, and remediation progress.
• Assist with internal and external audits by providing evidence of access controls and governance activities.
• Assess access risks associated with new applications, system changes, business processes, and third-party relationships.
• Recommend automation and process improvements to enhance access review efficiency and reduce manual errors.
• Support the development of key risk indicators and key performance indicators for access governance.
• Provide guidance to stakeholders on access governance policies, approval requirements, and security best practices.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Significant professional experience in access governance, identity and access management (IAM), information security, or IT risk and compliance.
• Strong understanding of identity governance and administration principles, access lifecycle management, and access certification processes.
• Practical knowledge of RBAC, least-privilege access, segregation of duties (SoD), and privileged access controls.
• Experience with identity governance platforms such as SailPoint, Saviynt, Microsoft Entra ID Governance, or comparable solutions.
• Familiarity with directory services, enterprise applications, and cloud identity environments.
• Understanding of security and compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST, COBIT, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting IT audits, access control testing, risk assessments, and remediation tracking.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to investigate complex access issues and identify control gaps.
• Ability to interpret access reports, entitlement data, role mappings, and governance metrics.
• Excellent documentation, reporting, and process improvement skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently in a remote environment.
• Relevant certifications, such as CISA, CISM, CISSP, CRISC, or an identity and access management certification, are advantageous.

What We Offer

• A fully remote working arrangement, allowing you to work from home.
• Competitive compensation aligned with experience, qualifications, and responsibilities.
• Opportunities to contribute to enterprise security, identity governance, and risk management initiatives.
• A collaborative environment that encourages continuous learning and professional development.
• The opportunity to improve security controls and governance processes across complex business systems.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit an updated CV highlighting relevant experience in access governance, identity management, access certification, security controls, and audit support.

Application Subject Line: Application – Senior Access Governance Specialist (UAE Remote)

Please include relevant professional certifications, key technical competencies, and examples of access governance initiatives you have supported or led.

• Important: Candidates should confirm applicable employment arrangements, residency requirements, and work authorization before accepting an offer. This job description is a general role profile and does not represent a guarantee of a specific vacancy.