Director EIAM Strategy - RBC, Toronto

Role overview

The Director of EIAM Strategy & Technical Product Management is responsible for defining and executing integrated product strategy across Royal Bank of Canada's Enterprise Identity and Access Management (EIAM) platform. This is a hands-on technical leadership role requiring deep engineering involvement and direct accountability for identity lifecycle management, authorization frameworks, governance capabilities, privileged access management, secrets management, and enterprise-wide identity architecture. The successful candidate will drive technical excellence across core security and compliance requirements while leveraging advanced technologies—including AI where appropriate—to enhance EIAM capabilities. This role demands a technologist with proven hands-on experience designing and implementing complex identity systems, not a product manager focused on go-to-market or business development.

Your impact

As part of the Global Security team at RBC, you will handle key responsibilities to shape identity platforms and enterprise strategy:

• Own unified EIAM platform strategy and roadmap that incorporate emerging technologies and best practices spanning identity lifecycle for platforms such as authorization, authentication, governance, privileged access management, and secrets management
• Work closely with lines of business to define and interpret business requirements and map them to appropriate technical specifications which can be leveraged to drive solution architectures and design
• Act as a strategic liaison between vendor capabilities and RBC product requirements, ensuring solutions align with enterprise needs and maximize value delivery including driving direction of vendor product roadmap decisions
• Evaluate vendor offerings against RBC's technical and business criteria to validate fit and identify capability gaps - Translate business requirements into actionable product roadmap items
• Work with Solution and IAM Architects to facilitate disciplined decisions on access related solutions that address business needs within a resourcing and bandwidth context that include IAM engineering, integration and application support, operations and program teams
• Prioritize, update, and modify strategies and roadmaps as business needs and vendor landscapes evolve while continuing to drive product strategy and accelerate multiple enterprise IAM initiatives
• Serve as the primary point of contact for cross-functional stakeholders on IAM strategy and vendor integration decisions
• Develop forward-looking roadmaps aligned with 2-year technology vision (including AI and PAM innovation trends)
• Collaborate with Compliance and Risk teams to embed regulatory controls into product design
• Mentor product and technical team members on identity architecture, governance strategy, and technical best practices

Qualifications

To qualify for this opportunity at RBC in Toronto, applicants must meet the following mandatory and preferred criteria:

• 10 + years of IAM experience, preferably in a financial institution/ large enterprise environment, with one of more of the following: Privileged Access Management (PAM), Secrets Management, Identity Governance & Administration (IGA), Authentication, Authorization, or Cloud/AI IAM solutions
• 5+ years of demonstrated experience translating business and compliance requirements into technical architecture and policy frameworks
• Proven experience evaluating and liaising between vendor products and organizational requirements to ensure optimal solution alignment and value
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining program and project-level roadmaps that align with architectural and organizational strategies
• Proven ability to develop and own comprehensive IAM strategies that leverage emerging technologies and industry trends to address IAM requirements while aligning with Enterprise Architecture
• Experience working with one or more of the following: Idira (CyberArk), SailPoint, HashiCorp, Secrets Manager, Entra ID and other IAM related tools and platforms
• Strong track record of creating feasible, realistic roadmaps by incorporating cross-functional perspectives from IAM teams, Cyber Security, and different stakeholders groups
• Strategic vision and proven track record translating complex IAM concepts—including authentication architecture, authorization frameworks, identity governance, privileged access management, and compliance landscapes—into cohesive product strategy and roadmap that drives business value
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical teams in complex, regulated banking/financial services environments
• Proficiency with agile product delivery frameworks and automation technologies
• Highly skilled at presenting to senior leadership and executives. Strong ability to communicate IAM strategy, progress, and critical updates in a clear, business-focused manner that resonates with C-suite audiences
• Ability to determine the information and communication needs of the stakeholders and project
• Deadline-driven and results-oriented; able to meet consistently high quality standards while handling a variety of tasks and deadlines simultaneously
• Excellent interpersonal skills to collaborate across functions and businesses
• CISSP, CISM or other IAM specific certification (nice-to-have)
• Experience with cloud identity platforms (Azure AD, Okta, AWS IAM); knowledge of zero-trust architecture and security frameworks; familiarity with compliance and regulatory requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001) (nice-to-have)
• Experience leading digital transformation initiatives (nice-to-have)
• Background in Agile or Scrum methodologies (nice-to-have)
• Exposure to API management and microservices security (nice-to-have)
• Prior experience working with IAM configuration, or IAM architecture (nice-to-have)

About the company

Royal Bank of Canada thrives on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. RBC cares about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
• A world-class training program in financial services
• Opportunities to do challenging work