Cyber Lead Auditor / Test Lead at Ardent in Atlanta, GA; Hybrid/Remote; Tallahassee, FL

Job description

• Ardent is seeking a Cyber Lead Auditor / Test Lead to join our team.
• This is a remote position with expected travel to Tallahassee, FL.
• Ardent is seeking a Cyber Lead Auditor / Test Lead to provide independent technical and assurance leadership for a cybersecurity assurance program for the state of Florida. This role converts OCIG objectives into audit-defensible testing strategies and step-by-step procedures, supervises evidence collection and analysis, and verifies that factual findings are sufficiently supported and traceable to applicable criteria across a potentially broad multi-agency environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead ingestion and analysis of agency documentation, including risk assessments, remediation plans, prior findings, corrective actions, inventories, and strategic plans.
• Direct development of the Agency Risk Understanding Memorandum, including environmental summaries, agency-specific risks, assumptions, documentation gaps, and impacts on testing priorities.
• Design the Ground-Truth and Ad Hoc Testing Strategies and approve detailed procedures defining objectives, systems, controls, access points, tools, sampling, scripts, evidence, thresholds, stop conditions, and escalation paths.
• Map procedures and results to NIST CSF DE.AE, DE.DP, PR.AC; Rule 60GG-2, F.A.C.; and the applicable approved criteria.
• Ensure testing remains within written OCIG authorization, avoids duplication of operational testing, and complies with agency-specific Rules of Engagement.
• Review evidence for relevance, reliability, sufficiency, attribution, timestamps, chain of custody, and reproducibility.
• Validate that reports accurately state procedures performed and factual results without an audit opinion; ensure advisory recommendations are distinctly labeled.
• Conduct independent QA reviews of technical deliverables not authored solely by the reviewer and document sign-off.
• Lead technical briefings, workshops, job aids, and knowledge transfer so OCIG and OIG staff can understand and reuse procedures.
• Support urgent analysis of logs, timelines, after-action reports, remediation evidence, and incident-specific control issues when directed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, information assurance, audit, information systems, or related discipline.
• Active Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
• Proof of relevant professional certifications such as CISSP, CISA, PMP, CEH, or other relevant certifications.
• 10 years of progressive cybersecurity experience, including security operations, incident response, vulnerability management, intrusion analysis, adversary simulation, technical assessment, or audit support.
• 5 years supporting or conducting audits, compliance reviews, independent assessments, or assurance work in government or similarly regulated environments.
• Demonstrated ability to design defensible test procedures, evaluate control performance, distinguish fact from opinion, and communicate technical results to senior stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of professional auditing or assurance standards and evidence requirements.
• Purple-team or adversary-emulation leadership using MITRE ATT&CK and threat-informed kill chains.
• Government incident-command experience.
• CISA, CIA, or other audit credential.
• Experience with Active Directory, cloud platforms, APIs, web applications, databases, endpoints, SIEM/EDR, vulnerability scanners, and evidence repositories.

Skills

Preferred

• Government incident-command experience
• CISA, CIA, or other audit credential