Cyber Lead Auditor / Test Lead

Ardent is seeking a Cyber Lead Auditor / Test Lead to join our team. This is a remote position with expected travel to Tallahassee, FL. Position Description: 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 and Duties: 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. Preferred Qualifications: 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. 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 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.