Information Systems Security Officer

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 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 set us apart. If this sounds like the perfect fit for you, choose Ardent and make a difference with us.

Hybrid role (3 days/week) in Ashburn, VA. This role will likely transition to 5 days/week onsite in the future. All candidates must be able to work onsite 5 days a week in Ashburn, VA.

As an ISSO, you will ensure compliance with federal cybersecurity standards, safeguard sensitive information, and manage risk across classified and unclassified systems. Your responsibilities include developing, implementing, and maintaining security policies, conducting regular audits, and collaborating with stakeholders to support mission‑critical operations.

• Develop and update security authorization packages in accordance with client requirements and FISMA compliance, including System Security Plan, Risk Assessment Report, Security Assessment Plan and Report, Contingency Plan, Incident Response Plan, SOPs, POA&M, Remediation Plans, Configuration Management Plan, etc.
• Maintain the Plan of Action and Milestones and support remediation activities.
• Validate protective measures for physical security to meet system security requirements.
• Maintain an inventory of hardware and software for the information system.
• Coordinate, test, and train on Contingency Plans and Incident Response Plans.
• Perform risk analyses to determine cost-effective safeguards.
• Support Incident Response and Contingency activities.
• Conduct security control assessments using NIST guidance.
• Perform independent scans of applications, networks, and databases as required.
• Provide continuous monitoring to enforce client security policy, and create oversight processes for the system owner.

• Bachelor’s Degree in an IT related field.
• 3–7 years of IT experience.
• Team lead experience ensuring security team completion of required activities; comfortable presenting to customers and motivating a team.
• Experience leveraging Agile methodology and Jira.
• Support planning, coordination, and implementation of organizational information security.
• Ensure IT applications comply with DHS and CBP Information Audit (IA) policies.
• Oversee security staff in designing, developing, engineering, and implementing security solutions.
• Execute cyber monitoring, toolset security, and subscription and system alerting.
• Conduct Enterprise Security Scans, log incidents, and analyze results.
• Create POA&M for identified risks and provide mitigation solutions with clear timelines.

• Proficiency in writing technical analysis reports.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Critical thinking.
• Ability to balance security requirements with mission needs.
• Good judgment and business acumen.
• Relationship management.
• Project management (track detailed tasks and ensure timely delivery).
• Ability to work quickly, efficiently, and accurately in a dynamic environment.

• Certified Information Systems Security Officer (CISSO)
• EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• Security Manager – CISM
• Certified Network Defense Architect – CNDA
• CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)
• Agile certifications

Due to the nature of the work, all candidates must be U.S. citizens willing to undergo a government‑issued background investigation process.

Ardent is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, promotion, and other conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other basis protected by state, local, or federal law.