Manager, Software Engineering (Identity & Access Management)

SimSpace serves as an AI Proving Ground where organizations can confidently train, test, and outmaneuver adversaries in any environment. Trusted by allied governments, militaries, enterprises, and research institutions worldwide, SimSpace enables adaptive, AI-ready defenses that stay ahead of evolving threats. Founded in 2015 by experts from U.S. Cyber Command and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the platform unifies training, testing, and validation in a realistic, live-fire simulation—helping teams evaluate security investments, optimize performance, and compress cyber readiness cycles from months to days.

Why join SimSpace? We are an organization that is focused on building our culture and mindfully enhancing our atmosphere every day which is why we have collaborated on an integral value system. Our governing philosophy of being Human Centered is deeply embedded within our value system. We apply this philosophy to every one of our internal team members, external clients, and their customers.

How Do We Work? We believe that people are at the center of everything we do. SimSpace fosters a culture of continuous learning, curiosity, and professional growth. That belief shows up in action: in-house training, internal and external learning platforms, cyber conferences, industry events, and dedicated time for skill development. Our people are empowered to shape their careers - and it shows. Year over year, SimSpace consistently outperforms industry benchmarks in internal mobility, promotions, and total rewards growth.

Who Thrives Here? We are a team of innovators, protectors, and problem-solvers. We believe diversity of thought and experience fuels better solutions, and we’re committed to building teams that reflect the communities we serve. Whether you’re remote or office-based, you’ll collaborate with talented colleagues across departments and time zones, united by the mission to create a safer digital world.

We invite you to apply today!

We are looking for an Engineering Manager, Identity & Access Management, to lead our IAM and back-end services team building foundational infrastructure for the SimSpace cyber range platform. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills to guide and mentor a growing team with a proven track record of building secure, scalable identity and authorization systems from the ground up, driving engineering excellence and fostering a collaborative, security-first development culture.

In this position, you'll lead your team through greenfield development of critical platform services, collaborating closely with security, platform, and product teams to build robust authentication, authorization, and supporting back-end services. The focus is on providing engineering management and technical leadership for our identity infrastructure, encompassing user authentication, fine-grained authorization, resource management, and compliance systems. Specifically, this position will be responsible for:

What will you be doing as an Engineering Manager, Identity & Access Management at SimSpace?

• Lead and manage a team of 6+ engineers responsible for designing and building our greenfield IAM platform and supporting back-end services.

• Collaborate with Staff and Principal Engineers to implement the technical architecture for authentication services, authorization policies, and identity integrations.

• Collaborate with platform and product teams to ensure IAM services seamlessly support cyber range functionality and user experiences.

• Develop and maintain project roadmaps for identity platform capabilities, resource management systems, audit infrastructure, and other back-end services.

• Work closely with engineering leadership to establish security standards, API design patterns, and development practices for back-end services.

• Mentor, coach, and grow team members promoting their professional growth and technical expertise.

• Ensure compliance with security frameworks, audit requirements, and regulatory standards throughout the development lifecycle.

• Empower the team to work independently owning key technical decisions and outcomes.

Who you are:

• Experienced engineering manager with a strong background in identity and access management, authentication systems, or security-focused back-end development.

• Proven track record of successfully leading engineering teams building foundational platform services or identity infrastructure.

• History of identifying bottlenecks, implementing solutions, and generating buy-in to improve team performance.

• A technical understanding of authentication protocols, authorization patterns, and security best practices with the ability to implement and guide teams through complex software challenges.

• Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, each with varying roles and personality types.

• Passionate about building secure, user-friendly services that enable powerful platform capabilities.

• Knowledge of identity standards, compliance frameworks, and modern approaches to authentication and authorization.

• Comfortable with agile development methodologies and able to balance scope and quality with development velocity.

• Ability to mentor engineers in security-focused development and drive adoption of engineering best practices.

• Results-driven with a focus on delivering reliable, compliant systems that scale with business growth.

• Navigates competing priorities and builds consensus among stakeholders.

• Actively solicits healthy challenges and differing viewpoints.

What are the qualifications to apply? To be successful as an Engineering Manager, Identity & Access Management, you need to be:

• Strong knowledge of identity and access management concepts, authentication protocols (OIDC, SAML, OAuth), and authorization patterns.

• Proven track record of leading engineering teams to deliver secure, scalable identity or back-end platform services.

• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to drive technical decisions and mentor growing engineering teams.

• Experience with compliance frameworks (SOC2) and security-first development practices.

• Understanding of modern authorization approaches including RBAC, ABAC, or relationship-based access control (ReBAC).

• 6+ years of experience in back-end development, platform engineering, or identity systems with at least 2-4 years in management.

• Experience with identity technologies such as Keycloak, Auth0, Okta, OPA, or similar identity providers and policy engines.

• Can demonstrate that as a tech lead or IC had designed and built secure APIs, distributed systems, and compliance-focused logging and auditing systems.

• Experience with policy engines, fine-grained authorization systems, or similar declarative access control technologies.

• Experience with SSO integrations, directory services, and enterprise identity management patterns.

• Bachelor's in computer science, engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Our Tech Stack Includes:

Python, Go, Java/Kotlin, Keycloak, Topaz/OPA, Docker, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, Redis, Git/GitHub, OpenAPI/Swagger

We’re proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive package designed to support your well-being, growth, and success:

• Compensation. Base salary range: $160,000 – $220,000, reflecting our confidence in your expertise and impact, with the opportunity for annual bonuses tied to company performance and individual contributions.

• Health & Wellness. Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, plus savings plans—coverage starts on day one!

• Mental Health Support. Access to company-paid counseling, coaching, and resources for you and your family through Spring Health.

• Financial Well-Being. Plan for your future with a 401(k)-retirement savings plan featuring a company match.

• Flexible Time Off. Take the time you need with unlimited vacation and dedicated health & wellness days. SimSpace provides flexible solutions to meet the diverse work-life needs of team members.

• Parental Leave. Paid leave plans to support you and your loved ones during life’s most important moments.

• Ownership Opportunities: Equity stock options at hire, with annual performance-based grants—become an invested stakeholder in our shared success.

• Referral Rewards: Earn $1,500–$3,500 for every qualified hire through our employee referral program.

• Peloton Interactive Wellness Program: Full- and partial- subsidized membership plans and equipment discounts to help you reach your personalized fitness goals.

• Continuous Learning: Access a LinkedIn Learning membership to prioritize your personal and professional development.

• Social Connections: Monthly reimbursements for meaningful connections with teammates through our SocialSpace Community.

• Extra Perks: Legal plan coverage, pet insurance, wellness reimbursements, and more to simplify life’s details.

SimSpace is an Equal Opportunity Employer:

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

SimSpace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups only apply to jobs if they meet all of the qualifications. However, no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. SimSpace encourages you to break that statistic and to apply. We look forward to your application!

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, in accordance with applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected].

SimSpace does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Actual compensation for the position is based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to affordability, skills, qualifications and experience, and may vary from the range.