Identity Technical Specialist

Sword is a leading provider of business technology solutions within the Energy, Public and Finance Sectors, driving real transformational change within our clients. We use proven technology, specialist teams and domain expertise to build solid technical foundations across platforms, data and business applications. We have a passion for using technology to solve business problems, working in partnership with our clients to help in achieving their goals.

Purpose of Role

• Drive the hands-on technical delivery of a programme of identity change across the estate, taking technical ownership of work end to end.
• Consolidate two identity environments, inherited through an acquisition, into a single Microsoft Entra ID tenant and retire the legacy environment.
• Build and strengthen company identity capability ahead of a global cloud migration, so that identity is secure, automated and ready for scale.
• Work under the direction of the Platform, Cloud & Identity Manager, alongside the in-house identity team and an identity managed service provider.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, sequence and execute identity changes across the estate end to end, coordinating technically with the in-house team, the managed service provider and project teams.
• Implement recommendations from a recent IAM assessment, delivering the agreed tactical identity improvements.
• Execute the migration of users, groups, applications/SSO, guest (B2B) accounts, devices and dependent services from the legacy identity environment into the target Entra ID tenant.
• Prepare and run cut-over and rollback plans, validate outcomes, and safely decommission the legacy identity environment.
• Configure and harden Entra ID ahead of cloud migration: Conditional Access, MFA/passwordless, app integration (SAML/OIDC), Entra Connect / Cloud Sync and hybrid Active Directory.
• Automate joiner/mover/leaver processes with HR systems and ServiceNow; implement access reviews and role-based access control (RBAC).
• Implement privileged access controls (PIM, admin tiering, break-glass accounts) and the identity prerequisites for cloud platforms (Azure RBAC, managed identities).
• Produce identity technical documentation, configuration standards and runbooks, and provide audit and controls evidence as required.
• Transfer knowledge to the in-house identity team and support the managed service provider so the identity capability is sustained after the engagement.

Essential

• Proven hands-on experience in identity and access management, ideally in Microsoft Entra ID environments.
• Hands-on delivery of an identity consolidation or tenant-to-tenant migration (e.g. post-merger).
• Strong Entra ID skills: Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, app registrations/enterprise apps, B2B, Entra Connect / Cloud Sync and hybrid AD.
• Experience automating joiner/mover/leaver processes with HR and ITSM systems (ideally ServiceNow) and implementing RBAC.
• Working knowledge of SAML, OIDC, OAuth and SCIM, and PowerShell / Microsoft Graph scripting.
• Clear technical documentation skills and experience working alongside managed service providers.

Preferred

• Experience with identity governance tooling such as SailPoint (One Identity Manager also beneficial).
• Microsoft SC-300 (Identity and Access Administrator) certification; awareness of Zero Trust principles.
• Experience of SAP access / emergency access controls.
• Experience in regulated, critical-infrastructure or energy sector environments.

At Sword, our core values and culture are based on caring about our people, investing in training and career development, and building inclusive teams where we are all encouraged to contribute to achieve success. We offer comprehensive benefits designed to support your professional development and enhance your overall quality of life. In addition to a Competitive Salary, here’s what you can expect as part of our benefits package:

• Personalised Career Development: We create a development plan customised to your goals and aspirations, with a range of learning and development opportunities within a culture that encourages growth.
• Flexible working: Flexible work arrangements to support your work-life balance. We can’t promise to always be able to meet every request, however, are keen to discuss your individual preferences to make it work where we can.
• A Fantastic Benefits Package: This includes generous annual leave allowance, enhanced family friendly benefits, pension scheme, access to private health, well-being, and insurance schemes.

At Sword we are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, ensuring that all applicants receive fair and equal consideration for employment, regardless of whether they meet every requirement. If you don’t tick all the boxes but feel you have some of the relevant skills and experience we’re looking for, please do consider applying and highlight your transferable skills and experience. We embrace diversity in all its forms, valuing individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Your perspective and potential are important to us. If we can do anything to help make the hiring process more accessible, please let our talent acquisition team know when you apply so we can support any adjustments.