Software Security Engineer

Why do you need to choose between doing important work and having a fulfilling life? At Ardent, we have both. Ardent employees are committed to solving our customers’ most difficult problems—and we are committed to the well-being, personal goals, and professional development of our employees. We are “All In.” We put forth our strongest effort possible to get the mission accomplished and we do it together. We respect the skills and experience you bring to the Ardent team. And we provide a rewarding environment to help you succeed. 

We offer highly competitive benefits, professional development opportunities, and an exceptional culture that embraces flexibility, innovation, collaboration, and career growth. A collective service mindset underpins our work, and a shared camaraderie to serve clients, colleagues, and our communities sets us apart. Our full commitment to being "All In" for our employees and our clients is not just our approach, it is our standard. If this sounds like the perfect fit for you, choose Ardent and make a difference with us. 

Ardent is seeking a Software Security Engineer to join our team.  

This is an onsite position located in Tysons, VA. Remote work is subject to the discretion/needs of the customer.

Ardent is seeking a highly skilled Software Security Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for implementing, testing, and operating advanced software security techniques in compliance with our technical reference architecture. The ideal candidate will be passionate about securing software systems, mitigating vulnerabilities, and ensuring compliance with security protocols throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). You will contribute to all levels of the architecture, maintain technical documentation, and act as a security consultant for team members. You will also be responsible for engineering and implementing DevOpsSec (CI/CD) pipelines, incorporating security protocols, and deploying infrastructure as code (IaC). This is an excellent opportunity for a technical leader who is excited about continuous learning and staying updated with the latest tools and best practices in software security. 

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Implement and operate advanced software security techniques following technical reference architecture.
• Perform on-going security testing and code reviews to improve the security of software systems.
• Troubleshoot and debug software issues as they arise. Provide engineering designs for new software solutions aimed at mitigating security vulnerabilities.
• Contribute to architectural development at all levels and maintain detailed technical documentation.
• Consult with team members on secure coding practices and ensure compliance with security standards.
• Engineer and implement DevOpsSec (CI/CD) pipelines, integrating security protocols and deploying infrastructure as code (IaC). 
• Stay current with new security tools, techniques, and best practices in the software development space.

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) and 9+ years of IT security (Cybersecurity) experience, OR no Bachelor’s degree with 11+ years of IT security (Cybersecurity) experience.
• Experience in performing security testing, troubleshooting, and debugging software systems.
• Experience with DevOpsSec pipeline tools, including configuration management, JIRA, automated testing, deployments, and branching strategies.
• Hands-on experience with secure software engineering practices and tools.
• Understanding of Systems Engineering processes and milestones, particularly in requirements analysis, decomposition, and allocation. 

Preferred Requirements: 

• Experience can be considered in lieu of a degree. 5+ years of technical leadership experience.
• Certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP), or Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE).
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional or AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional.
• Familiarity with NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-53A, and other NIST 800 guidelines for performing Security Control Assessments.

Due to the nature of the work we support, all candidates in consideration for this role must be willing to undergo the government-issued background investigation process.

Ardent is an equal-opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.