Identity Platform Lead

Job no: 568168
Work type: Full time
Site: Redditch
Categories: IT
Location: Worcestershire
Salary: Competitive salary + Car allowance

Halfords is on a journey - building the future of motoring and cycling and looking for people who want to help shape what comes next. We're a place for cocreators: people who want to make a real impact, take ownership and be part of something that's still evolving.

Technology at Halfords is at a turning point. We're modernising our foundations, sharpening our delivery, and ensuring every technology decision is connected to real commercial and customer outcomes.

We're looking for people who act as trusted advisors to the business, take end-to-end accountability for outcomes, and can balance pace with long-term architectural integrity. Innovation here means practical, scalable solutions, not ideas that stay on whiteboards.

Halfords operates a hybrid working policy - this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.

As an Identity Platform Lead, you'll take full ownership of Halfords' identity and directory platform, ensuring it remains secure, reliable, and capable of supporting a modern, cloud-first technology estate. This is a hands-on technical leadership role, focused on the day-to-day operation, design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the platform, where you'll be the go-to expert for Microsoft Entra  Active Directory, owning the platform end-to-end.

Day to day, you'll lead the development and enhancement of key identity technologies including Entra , Active Directory, Privileged Access Management (PAM), Identity Governance & Administration (IGA), and associated tooling. Working closely with our engineering partners, you'll set the direction for how the platform evolves, oversee delivery, and ensure services are performing as expected. While delivery is carried out by third-party partners, ownership sits firmly with you.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of identity nificant investment is being made in the platform, creating the opportunity to re-engineer and modernise core identity services at enterprise scale. If you enjoy owning platforms, driving technical improvements, and being recognised as the subject matter expert in your field, you'll have the autonomy and support to make a substantial impact from day one.

• Own the technical design, configuration, implementation, and ongoing operation of Microsoft Entra  Active Directory across the organisation
• Drive the deployment and adoption of identity technologies including PAM, IGA, Conditional Access, PIM, and enterprise authentication solutions
• Lead the continuous improvement of the identity platform, expanding integrations across applications and services throughout the business
• Manage and hold third-party service providers accountable for platform performance, service quality, security, and delivery outcomes
• Oversee enterprise application integrations and Single Sign-On capabilities, ensuring services are implemented consistently and securely
• Maintain identity governance controls, access management processes, and audit-ready evidence across the platform
• Work closely with Infrastructure, Security, and Digital Identity teams to ensure identity services remain reliable, secure, and aligned to business requirements

• Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Entra , including Conditional Access, PIM, Identity Governance, application registrations, and enterprise SSO integrations
• Proven experience administering and supporting Active Directory in a complex enterprise environment
• Experience with Cyber Ark or similar Privileged Access Management solutions
• Demonstrable experience owning and managing enterprise identity platforms, including implementation, optimisation, and ongoing support
• Experience leading outsourced engineering teams or managed service providers, with the ability to influence, challenge, and drive performance without direct line management responsibility
• Strong technical leadership skills, capable of taking ownership, making decisions, and acting as the recognised expert for the platform
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and stakeholders simultaneously
• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, car allowance, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to…