Senior IAM Engineer

Senior IAM Engineer

Austin, TX; Palo Alto, CA; Washington, D.C.

About xAI

xAI's mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company's mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About The Role

We are looking for a Senior Identity and Access Management (IAM) Engineer to play a critical role in designing, implementing, and maturing our enterprise IAM ecosystem. As a Senior IAM Engineer, you will serve as a key subject matter expert (SME) within the broader Information Security organization, driving secure, scalable, and user-friendly identity solutions in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You will own complex IAM initiatives end-to-end — from strategy and architecture to implementation and optimization — while collaborating closely with Security, Infrastructure, Application, and Engineering teams. This is a high-impact, hands-on role suited for someone who thrives in ambiguity and takes extreme ownership of outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise-grade IAM solutions across on-prem, cloud, and SaaS environments.
• Architect and deliver end-to-end federation strategies using modern protocols (SAML, OIDC, OAuth 2.0, SCIM).
• Lead integration and optimization of key IAM platforms including SailPoint, Okta, PingOne, Microsoft Entra ID, and other tools.
• Drive Identity Lifecycle Management (LCM), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and Just-In-Time access initiatives.
• Develop automation scripts and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) to improve provisioning, governance, and operational efficiency.
• Serve as the primary IAM SME, providing technical guidance, troubleshooting complex issues, and mentoring other team members.
• Work closely with InfoSec, Compliance, and Engineering teams to meet audit, regulatory, and security requirements.
• Continuously improve IAM architecture, processes, and capabilities in a dynamic, fast-moving organization.
• Support cloud IAM strategies across AWS, GCP, and other platforms.
• Participate in on-call rotation and incident response related to identity systems.

Basic Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in Identity and Access Management.
• Thorough understanding of IAM principles and modern security concepts, including Zero Trust, Least Privilege, Adaptive/Risk-Based Authentication, Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), Continuous Access Evaluation, and Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR).
• Strong expertise in IAM protocols and standards: SAML, OIDC, OAuth 2.0, SCIM, and other federation protocols.
• Strong expertise in IAM and federation protocols, with proven experience in architecting and implementing end-to-end federation solutions.
• Hands-on experience with major IAM platforms, particularly SailPoint, Okta, PingOne, and Microsoft identity solutions.
• Strong working knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS and GCP), Cloud IAM services, Terraform, and CI/CD practices.
• Strong scripting and programming skills in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript, with extensive experience developing IAM workflows, automation, and integrations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and drive projects from design through implementation.

This high-visibility role requires the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and ambiguous environment. The ideal candidate demonstrates extreme ownership, a collaborative no-ego mindset, and is comfortable taking the lead. This is a significant opportunity to shape the future of identity and security at the company.

Compensation and Benefits

$100,000 - $258,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

xAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.