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 support the organization's information security and regulatory compliance objectives. This fully remote role focuses on access lifecycle management, user access reviews, role-based access control, segregation of duties, and governance framework improvement. The successful candidate will work closely with IT, cybersecurity, application owners, risk management, and business stakeholders to ensure that access rights are appropriate, authorized, traceable, and regularly reviewed.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and improve identity and access governance policies, standards, procedures, and control frameworks.
• Oversee user access provisioning, modification, transfer, and deprovisioning processes.
• Coordinate periodic user access certification and recertification campaigns across business applications.
• Review access requests to ensure appropriate business justification, authorization, and policy compliance.
• Monitor privileged access assignments and support governance of administrator and service accounts.
• Maintain role-based access control (RBAC) structures and access entitlement models.
• Assess segregation of duties (SoD) conflicts and coordinate remediation with relevant stakeholders.
• Work with application owners to validate user roles, permissions, and access requirements.
• Monitor access exceptions, temporary permissions, and elevated privileges to ensure appropriate controls.
• Support identity governance and administration (IGA) platform configuration, maintenance, and optimization.
• Review access-related audit findings and coordinate corrective action plans.
• Maintain accurate access governance records, approval trails, control evidence, and exception registers.
• Analyze access-related risks and recommend improvements to reduce unauthorized access exposure.
• Support internal and external audits by preparing documentation and demonstrating control effectiveness.
• Monitor compliance with applicable information security policies, privacy requirements, and regulatory expectations.
• Coordinate with cybersecurity and IT operations teams to investigate access control weaknesses and suspicious access patterns.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators for access request processing, certification completion, and control exceptions.
• Develop management reports covering access governance performance, outstanding reviews, and remediation status.
• Support the integration of access governance processes with HR systems, directory services, cloud platforms, and enterprise applications.
• Provide guidance and awareness sessions to business stakeholders on access governance responsibilities and control requirements.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
• Professional certifications such as CISA, CISSP, CRISC, or relevant identity and access management credentials are an advantage.
• Several years of experience in identity governance, access management, IT risk, information security, or technology controls.
• Strong understanding of identity and access management (IAM) principles and governance practices.
• Experience with user access reviews, entitlement management, and access certification processes.
• Knowledge of RBAC, least-privilege principles, privileged access management, and segregation of duties.
• Familiarity with identity governance platforms such as SailPoint, Saviynt, One Identity, or equivalent solutions.
• Understanding of directory services, including Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID.
• Experience reviewing access controls across enterprise applications, cloud environments, and business systems.
• Knowledge of information security frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST, and COBIT.
• Understanding of audit requirements, control testing, and evidence management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly when assessing complex access relationships.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, reporting tools, and access governance dashboards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to coordinate with technical teams, application owners, auditors, and business stakeholders.
• High standards of confidentiality, accuracy, and professional integrity.
• Ability to manage multiple governance activities independently in a fully remote environment.

What We Offer

• A 100% remote, work-from-home opportunity within the UAE employment context.
• Opportunity to contribute to enterprise cybersecurity and information governance initiatives.
• Exposure to identity governance platforms and complex enterprise technology environments.
• Professional development in access management, IT risk, and security compliance.
• A collaborative environment focused on accountability, continuous improvement, and effective security controls.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit an updated CV highlighting their identity and access governance experience, relevant technology platforms, professional certifications, and key achievements.

Suggested email subject: Application – Senior Access Governance Specialist (UAE Remote)

• Candidates should confirm applicable employment arrangements, residency requirements, and work authorization before accepting an offer. Formal security approvals, regulatory attestations, and other activities requiring designated organizational authority must be completed or approved by appropriately authorized personnel.