The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is making a significant move to reinforce its cybersecurity defenses by recruiting a Senior Identity and Access Management (IAM) Manager, a strategic hiring initiative that comes as OLG builds on a record-breaking fiscal year and aims to cement its status as a global omni-channel gaming leader. This new role is pivotal to protecting the corporation’s digital assets and ensuring secure, efficient access across its expanding technological landscape during a period of major organizational transformation. As digital boundaries blur and the complexity of threats grows, the creation of this senior position underscores a critical shift in the gaming industry, where robust identity management is no longer a back-end technical function but a core pillar of business strategy, risk mitigation, and customer trust. The successful candidate will not only be safeguarding systems but will also be enabling the very innovation that is driving OLG’s ambitious future.
A Cornerstone of Business Transformation
This position is far more than a technical oversight role; it is a strategic linchpin in OLG’s future, designed to be a central component of its ongoing evolution. Fresh off delivering an impressive $2.4 billion in net profit to the Province of Ontario, the corporation is intensely focused on innovation and sustainable growth. The Senior IAM Manager will be instrumental in this journey, tasked with designing and implementing the foundational security solutions that will support and protect OLG’s expansion into a world-class entertainment provider. The core responsibility of the role is to act as the organization’s foremost authority on all identity and access management matters, a mandate that involves providing expert guidance on IAM and Roles Based Access Controls (RBAC) to ensure that security services are not merely technical add-ons but are tightly and fundamentally aligned with the corporation’s dynamic business objectives. The manager will also take the lead on large-scale, complex IAM projects, overseeing the seamless integration of security services with new and existing technologies to holistically boost both OLG’s security posture and its overall operational efficiency.
A key function of this position is leading the comprehensive operational planning for the entire IAM function, a duty that blends strategic foresight with tactical execution. This includes hands-on involvement in incident response, where the manager is expected to prioritize and diagnose incidents using established procedures, lead deep-dive investigations into root causes, and facilitate recovery processes to restore normal service with minimal disruption. Beyond immediate threats, the role demands a proactive and forward-thinking approach to problem management, which involves identifying systemic vulnerabilities and process-related issues before they can be exploited. This proactive stance requires determining permanent fixes, implementing robust remedies, and establishing preventive measures to avert future incidents. Furthermore, the manager must apply standard techniques to capture user experience requirements effectively while also identifying security risks within potential technical architectures, proposing alternative solutions or countermeasures to mitigate these risks and ensure systems are configured securely from the ground up.
The Anatomy of an Ideal Candidate
OLG has set a high and specific bar for this critical position, seeking a seasoned professional with a minimum of seven years of progressively advancing experience in technology or a related field. This includes at least five years of specific experience in developing and delivering enterprise-level security strategies and five years directly immersed in the world of Identity and Access Management. A deep familiarity with modern security frameworks and standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR is considered essential, signaling the need for a leader who can operate with precision within a highly regulated and compliance-driven environment. This extensive practical experience must be supported by a solid technical foundation that includes at least two years of programming experience, ensuring the candidate can bridge the gap between high-level security architecture and the underlying code. The ideal professional will bring a proven track record of not just maintaining security systems but evolving them to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing digital landscape.
The technical requirements for this role extend far beyond traditional IAM, demanding expertise in a wide array of modern and emerging identity paradigms. Proficiency is explicitly required in Identity Threat Detection using User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), a critical tool for identifying anomalous activities that may indicate a compromise. The role also calls for comprehensive Identity Lifecycle Management for all identity types, including human customers and employees, as well as the increasingly complex domain of Non-Human Identity Management for workloads, APIs, bots, IoT devices, and even AI agents. A strong command of modern service-to-service authentication methods like OAuth 2.0, mTLS, and JWT is non-negotiable, as is expertise in cloud-native and AI security, particularly Kubernetes RBAC and service mesh identity. Ultimately, OLG is searching for a visionary leader with the ability to develop and execute a comprehensive IAM roadmap that adeptly addresses the security needs of both human and non-human identities in a sophisticated, interconnected enterprise environment.
Leadership in Action from Strategy to Mentorship
While technical prowess is fundamental, OLG places an equally strong emphasis on the crucial soft skills that define an effective leader in the cybersecurity space. The ideal candidate must be a master of negotiation and influence, possessing the ability to effectively persuade and build consensus across diverse teams and departments while maintaining strong, collaborative professional relationships. This is complemented by a required capacity for high-level strategic thinking and creative problem-solving, enabling them to address unique and complex challenges that lack textbook solutions. The position also demands an inclusive work style that actively fosters teamwork and contributes to a positive, engaging, and exciting work environment. At the core of these attributes is an unwavering commitment to ethical conduct, transparency, and openness, qualities that are paramount in a role built on integrity and trust. These non-technical skills are essential for embedding a culture of security throughout the organization, transforming it from a siloed function into a shared responsibility.
A significant leadership component of the Senior IAM Manager position involves the active coaching and mentorship of the team. The manager is expected to be a dedicated developer of talent, coaching colleagues to build their technical and professional skills while strategically allocating tasks based on team objectives and individual capabilities. This involves consistently monitoring performance and providing clear, constructive feedback to foster growth and excellence. The manager will act as a crucial guide for team members, helping them navigate uncertainty and connecting them with the necessary resources and knowledge to succeed. This focus on mentorship is vital for building a resilient, highly skilled, and motivated cybersecurity unit capable of adapting to the ever-evolving threat landscape. By investing in their team’s development, the manager ensures the long-term strength and effectiveness of OLG’s IAM function, creating a legacy of expertise that extends beyond their own contributions.
A Culture of Responsibility and Reward
OLG has carefully cultivated a corporate environment that it positions as an employer of choice, offering a compelling value proposition rooted in social responsibility and employee well-being. Team members become part of an organization with a unique and powerful mission: returning all of its profits back to the province of Ontario to support vital public services and community initiatives. This sense of purpose is matched by a commitment to a modern work culture. The corporation actively supports a flexible work environment designed to promote a healthy work-life balance and champions a culture of continuous innovation, diversity, and authenticity. Employees are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work and are provided with robust online learning programs and clear pathways for professional growth, ensuring that career development is a shared priority. This supportive framework is designed to attract and retain top talent by offering more than just a job, but a meaningful career with a positive impact.
The rewards of joining the OLG team went beyond a socially responsible mission, as the compensation package was designed to be highly competitive and comprehensive. This included participation in a major defined benefit public service pension plan, offering long-term financial security, as well as a performance-based variable pay program for permanent employees, directly linking individual contributions to organizational success. An undergraduate degree in a field like Computer Science was a foundational requirement, but the organization’s holistic approach was evident in its search for a well-rounded leader. While a prestigious Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification was highly desirable, the role’s critical nature within the regulated gaming industry meant that obtaining and maintaining an AGCO Category 2 Gaming Assistant Registration was an absolute and non-negotiable condition of employment. This blend of cultural commitment, professional development, and tangible benefits underscored OLG’s strategic effort to secure not just its systems, but also the top-tier talent needed to protect them.
