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. 

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Ardent is seeking a Lead Software Security Developer to join our team.  

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

Ardent is seeking an experienced Lead Software Security Developer to design, develop, and maintain secure software applications, services, and systems. The Lead Software Security Developer will manage source code using industry-standard version control practices, ensuring that all code is secure, properly structured, and compatible across platforms. You will stay current with new software development methodologies and tools, applying industry best practices to create innovative solutions that meet stakeholder needs. Additionally, the role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams to integrate developed applications into the operational baseline, while maintaining security protocols and best practices throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Design, develop, and maintain secure software applications, services, and systems for both user-facing and back-end environments. Manage source code using version control best practices, ensuring code is secure and industry-compliant.
• Conduct research to stay current on software development methodologies and tools.
• Utilize code validation tools to ensure source code quality, structure, and compatibility with browsers, devices, and operating systems.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define needs, develop proposed solutions, and provide ongoing status updates.
• Perform test-driven development (TDD) utilizing strong unit testing techniques across various browser and device types.
• Modify existing software to address errors, enhance performance, or upgrade functionality to meet new hardware or platform requirements.
• Develop and maintain technical models, architectural artifacts, and prototypes using programming frameworks like MVC. Implement and manage DevOpsSec (CI/CD) pipelines, incorporating security protocols and deploying infrastructure as code (IaC). Share valuable technical information with colleagues and leadership, and engage with the broader community as a subject matter expert. Provide operational support to customers, respond to technical questions, and troubleshoot issues.

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) with 9+ years of IT security (Cybersecurity) experience, OR no Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 11+ years of IT security (Cybersecurity) experience.
• Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE) or Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP).
• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), or Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional or AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional.
• Strong experience in secure software development practices and using programming languages such as Java, Python, or JavaScript to build complex applications. Experience developing, testing, and deploying full stack web applications using industry-standard DevOps tools.
• Experience in applying agile development methodologies to create scalable software solutions.
• Hands-on experience developing secure APIs, adhering to NIST SP 800-204 standards.
• Proven ability to apply software security techniques, controls, and best practices to mitigate vulnerabilities and defend against malicious attacks.
• Familiarity with cloud computing concepts, capabilities, and security applications.

Preferred Requirements: 

• Experience with DevOpsSec pipeline tools, including configuration management, automated testing, blue-green deployments, and branching strategies.
• Experience with security control assessments following NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-53, and NIST SP 800-53A guidelines.

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.

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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.