Avalara

What You'll Do

The Lead Systems Engineer is a senior technical expert responsible for the design, implementation, and ongoing optimization of the Okta identity and access management (IAM) platform. We are looking for a blend of strategic vision, deep technical skills, and hands-on engineering expertise to ensure the platform meets our security, compliance, and operational requirements. You will lead plans that enhance identity governance, allow secure access, and align IAM capabilities with our goals. You will be reporting to Director, Global Infrastructure.

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

• You will be the primary owner of the Okta platform, ensuring its understanding of organizational goals and long-term strategy. Develop platform roadmaps, ensuring scalability, high availability, and disaster recovery (DR) processes.
• You will identify opportunities for innovation within the Okta platform to address evolving business and security needs. Lead the design and optimization of the Okta architecture, ensuring seamless integration with applications, cloud environments, and end-user devices.
• You will develop architectural standards, configuration baselines, and security policies for the Okta platform. Create the implementation of advanced IAM features, such as conditional access, adaptive authentication, and just-in-time provisioning.
• You will approve and oversee the implementation of platform use cases, ensuring compliance with security frameworks and regulatory requirements (e.g., SOX, GDPR). Collaborate with Security and Compliance teams to develop governance policies for identity lifecycle management, privileged access, and role-based access controls.
• You will establish goals and service-level agreements for the Okta platform.
• Be the cost owner of the Okta platform, managing budget allocations, cost forecasting, and optimization strategies. Identify cost-saving opportunities by streamlining licenses, eliminating redundancy, and improving operational efficiency.
• You will partner with other teams, including application development, security operations, and IT infrastructure, to create seamless identity solutions. Be an mentor and technical advisor to junior engineers and other team members, promoting knowledge-sharing and best practices.
• You will lead incident response and troubleshooting efforts for complex Okta-related issues, ensuring minimal impact on business operations. Stay updated on the latest IAM trends, technologies, and best practices, and assess their applicability to our organization.
• You will develop and implement training programs and documentation to enhance user adoption and understanding of Okta capabilities. Perform periodic reviews of the Okta platform to identify and address performance, security, and operational gaps.

What You'll Need to be Successful

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering; advanced degree with 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, with at least 5 years focused on IAM technologies specifically Okta.
• Expertise in designing and managing Okta integrations with SaaS applications, APIs, and directory services such as Active Directory and LDAP.
• Experience with authentication protocols, including SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect, and SCIM. Experience with scripting and automation using PowerShell, Python, or similar tools.
• Proficient in troubleshooting complex system issues and implementing root-cause solutions. Certifications such as Okta Certified Consultant, Okta Certified Administrator, or CISSP.
• Experience in multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), and zero-trust architecture. And familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform.

#LI-Remote

This is a remote role.