Lead Security Engineer

Location: Rockville, MD

Department: Ardent Openings

At Ardent, we hire people who want more than a job — they want to serve a mission that matters. Our teams support the federal government’s most critical national security and defense priorities, helping protect the nation, strengthen resilience, and advance the technologies and capabilities that keep America secure. For veterans, cleared professionals, and purpose-driven innovators, Ardent is a place to continue serving alongside a team that understands the importance of the mission and the people behind it.

We also know top talent has choices, which is why we back our mission with benefits and flexibility that stand out: competitive pay, comprehensive health coverage, flexible PTO, federal holidays off, tuition reimbursement, professional development support, wellness stipends, and a culture that values and rewards hard work, dedication, and adaptability. If you want to build something meaningful, while enjoying the kind of flexibility and support that you need to do your best work — Ardent is where your next mission begins.

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

This is a hybrid position located in Rockville, MD.

Position Description:

Ardent is seeking a Lead Security Engineer to provide technical leadership in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure systems across enterprise environments. This role will support system development, identify security gaps, and implement solutions to ensure compliance with federal security requirements.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Provide technical leadership in enterprise security architecture and engineering.
• Collaborate with developers, engineers, and project teams to define system security requirements.
• Identify vulnerabilities and security gaps during system development and operations.
• Design and implement solutions to address security findings and strengthen system protections.
• Ensure systems meet HHS and organizational security requirements.
• Evaluate security technologies and recommend implementation strategies.
• Analyze environments and determine optimal security architecture and deployment approaches.
• Support DevOps and CI/CD processes with secure design principles.

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in security architecture, engineering, or system administration.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in cloud security.
• Strong knowledge of computer and network security principles and technologies.
• Experience with CDM, DevOps, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code.
• One of the following certifications: CISSP, CAP, CEH, Security+, GCIH, OSCP, or equivalent.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Cloud security certifications such as AWS Certified Security – Specialty, Azure Security Engineer, or CCSP.
• Experience supporting federal security frameworks and compliance environments.
• Strong background in enterprise security design and implementation.

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 prior to receiving system access. We highly encourage all Veterans and those with disabilities to apply.

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