Principal Security Architect - IAM

£80,000 to £90,000 plus great benefits including private healthcare and a company car or car allowance. Manchester city centre – in this role you’ll split your time between home and the office twice per month. We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers. We’re looking for a Principal Security Architect to join our Technology team and provide expert leadership and oversight around our identity and access management (IAM) security architecture. You’ll make sure identities, access controls and trust relationships are designed securely and consistently across our platforms, applications, data, and partner ecosystems. We’ll look to you to define the standards, principles, and security patterns that support how access is managed across Co-op, helping us protect critical services while enabling safe and secure digital innovation.

Why this role matters

As we continue to evolve our technology landscape at Co-op, it’s vital that we have the right controls in place to ensure the right people, systems, and services have the right level of access at the right time. In this role, you’ll play a key part in shaping and assuring our approach to IAM, helping to protect our colleagues, customers, member-owners, and business from emerging security threats. By setting the strategic direction for IAM architecture, you’ll help us build secure, resilient, and compliant solutions that support our long-term ambitions while making security a natural part of everything we do.

What you’ll do

• Shape and lead Co-op’s IAM security architecture strategy, making sure we have secure and consistent identity controls in place.
• Define IAM standards, principles, and architectural patterns that support secure access for colleagues, customers, partners, and systems.
• Provide expert guidance and independent assurance on authentication, authorisation, privileged access, and identity-related risks.
• Ensure IAM solutions align with our security requirements, regulatory obligations, and wider technology strategy.
• Support risk-based decision-making, identifying security risks early and driving ‘secure by design’ practices across programmes and platforms.
• Contribute to architecture governance, audits, and assurance activities while working closely with security, platform, and delivery teams to enable secure digital transformation.

What you’ll bring

• Significant IAM security architecture experience, including IDP, SSO, IGA, Secrets Management and Privileged Access Management.
• Strong knowledge of modern IAM principles, controls and technologies, and how they apply to applications, systems, platforms and data access.
• Experience designing and governing access management solutions across complex enterprise environments, including identity lifecycle management and IGA platforms.
• Experience applying Zero Trust principles, including policy definition, policy enforcement and conditional access.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Entra and how it integrates with wider identity technologies.
• The ability to influence senior partners and provide clear strategic technical leadership.

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance).
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays.
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions.
• A company car or £6,000 car allowance.
• Private healthcare.
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ).
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands.
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it.
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice.
• 24/7 colleague support service.
• Training and support for your development and career progression.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone, and our support centre is an inclusive environment where all our colleagues can thrive. If you have a disability, we’ll make reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process. We’re also proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme – if you’re disabled and you meet the minimum criteria for this job, we’ll guarantee you an interview.