IAM Software Architect

Job Description:

Software Architect – IAM, AI & Zero Trust

Location: Bangalore, India

Department: Digital Infrastructure & Platforms (IAM)

Role Description

Are you a visionary software architect with a deep passion for modern cybersecurity, platform engineering, and identity governance? Airbus is seeking a Software Development Architect to own and evolve the architectural vision of our IAM Self-Service Platform .

As Airbus accelerates its Digital Transformation, Identity & Access Management (IAM) is moving from a back-office utility to a core strategic product. In this role, you will define the target architecture for our self-service tools, ensure seamless integration across hybrid and cloud environments, and systematically guide our identity ecosystem toward a Zero Trust Architecture (Never Trust, Always Verify).

Operating within our leadership squad alongside the Product Manager , Technical Lead , and Techno-Functional BA , you will bridge business needs and security mandates into resilient, scalable, and developer-friendly technical blueprints.

Challenges & Strategic Impact

• •Agentic AI & Emerging Workloads: Preparing identity frameworks to support non-human identities, AI agents, and automated machine-to-machine interactions over the next two years.
• •DevSecOps Integration: Fully embedding Security by Design and DevSecOps principles into the software development architecture and release lifecycle.
• •Zero Trust Evolution: Transforming legacy identity mechanisms into continuous, dynamic, risk-based access controls and identity governance.
• •Architectural Designs: Architect highly performant, scalable software solutions that embed 'Security by Design' principles, driving rigorous quality and sustainability metrics while future-proofing the product roadmap which will be in-line with the IAM PSL objectives.
• •Developer & User Experience: Designing zero-trust architectures that simplify access requests and self-service workflows for 130,000+ Airbus employees and external supply chain partners without creating operational friction.
• •Enterprise Security Standards: Ensuring architectural alignment with Airbus Cybersecurity rules ("Blue Book"), global data privacy regulations (GDPR), EASA aviation compliance, and ITAR/EAR export control policies.
• •Identity & Access Management (IAM): Establishing comprehensive IAM domain leadership and strategic focus to align identity security practices with modern enterprise architecture.

Key Responsibilities

1. Architectural Vision & Zero Trust Strategy

• •Own the technical roadmap and target architecture for the IAM Self-Service Platform , ensuring high availability, security-by-design, and modern design patterns.
• •Lead the architectural shift toward Zero Trust Principles , designing mechanisms for continuous authentication, dynamic authorization (ABAC/RBAC/PBAC), least-privilege access, and micro-segmentation integration.
• •Apply and adopt standard protocols (OIDC/OAuth2, SAML, SCIM, FIDO2) across enterprise web applications, APIs, and services to ensure architectural compliance.

2. Platform Design & Identity Integration

• •Design scalable integration patterns between the core self-service portal (Python/React) and identity systems, governance platforms, and hybrid cloud environments.
• •Define API-first governance, microservices architecture, and secure data access layers for identity workflow engines and automation scripts.
• •Establish non-functional requirements (NFRs) including system scalability, latency targets, failover resilience, and audit logging for security compliance.
• •Establish and mandate core architectural principles, enterprise design patterns, and robust application frameworks to drive scalable identity integrations.
• •Lead ARD (Architecture Reference Document) management, translating complex IAM requirements into precise network models, Zero Trust security views, and modular software architecture breakdowns.
• •Design comprehensive Observability and Telemetry strategies (logging, tracing, and monitoring) to ensure real-time visibility into identity workflows, system health, and security events.

3. Product Quad, Architect Network & Engineering Collaboration

• •Partner with the Product Manager (PM) / Product Owner (PO) to translate business vision and security roadmaps into architecturally sound product epics.
• •Work in tandem with the Technical Lead to guide engineering teams, ensuring implementation details adhere to the master architectural design without creating technical debt.
• •Collaborate with the Techno-Functional BA to validate technical feasibility, security constraints, and boundary conditions for new self-service workflows.
• •Collaborate with cross-functional domain leaders —including Enterprise, Cyber Security, Infrastructure, and PSL Architects, alongside Data Officers and Quality/Eco-Design Experts—to drive comprehensive architectural reviews and integrate strategic recommendations.
• •Partner closely with Enterprise, Product, and PSL Architects to align platform design with overall IAM domain strategy and enterprise architecture principles.

4. Technical Governance & Innovation

• •Serve as the primary representative for the product on the internal Architecture Review Board (ARB) and Cybersecurity committees.
• •Conduct Proof of Concepts (PoCs) for emerging identity technologies, passwordless access, and identity threat detection and response (ITDR).
• •Author and govern comprehensive Architectural Requirements Dossiers (ARDs) , technical standards, engineering specifications, and integration patterns, providing actionable blueprints that guide and accelerate internal development teams.
• •Drive proactive Threat Modeling (e.g., STRIDE) and risk assessments during the design phase to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before development begins.

Qualifications & Experience

• •Education: Graduate/Postgraduate degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• •Experience: 12+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 4+ years operating as an Enterprise/Software/Solution Architect in large-scale IAM or enterprise security environments.
• •Architecture & Frameworks: Expertise in Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture, API Gateway patterns, RESTful APIs, and Cloud-native designs (Azure/AWS/GCP).
• •Identity Domain Mastery (Preferred): Comprehensive Identity & Access Management (IAM) domain expertise, including familiarity with IGA, PAM, or core IAM frameworks, as well as strong architectural knowledge of:

• •Protocols: OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), SAML 2.0, SCIM, FIDO2/WebAuthn.
• •Identity Engines: Active Directory, Azure AD / Entra ID, Ping Identity, Okta, or SailPoint.
• •Concepts: Zero Trust Architecture (NIST SP 800-207), Identity Governance & Administration (IGA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), RBAC/ABAC models.

• •Technical Stack Literacy: Strong architectural knowledge of Python , React , SQL Server , and PowerShell/Automation workflows .
• •Soft Skills: Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills within a multi-cultural, international environment (India Europe), capable of bridging executive strategy, security auditing, and engineering teams.
• •Certifications (Nice to Have): CISSP, CCSP, TOGAF, Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert, or AWS/Azure Solutions Architect Professional, Archimate.

Alignment within the IAM Product Quad

Boundary Area

Product Architect

(This Role)

Technical Lead

Product Manager / PO

Core Ownership

System Structure & Security Standards

Code Execution & Team Velocity

Business Value & Backlog Priority

Key Output

Architecture Blueprints, Zero Trust Roadmap, Tech Stack Rules

Clean Python/React Code, CI/CD, Working APIs

Product Roadmap, Feature Epics, User Stories

Core Focus

Is the system secure, scalable, and aligned with Zero Trust?

Is the code performant, maintainable, and bug-free?

Does this feature solve a high-value use