Zero Trust Lead

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.

Ardent is seeking a Zero Trust Lead to join our team.

This is an onsite position in Washington DC.

Position Description:

Ardent is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Zero Trust Lead to support the design, implementation, and management of Zero Trust security principles within classified environments. This role will focus on securing network infrastructure, enforcing strict access controls, and ensuring continuous verification across systems that support sensitive and classified operations.

The Zero Trust Lead will work closely with infrastructure, network, and security engineering teams to implement modern security architectures that protect critical assets, including environments utilizing ClassNet terminals or similar infrastructure. This individual will play a key role in advancing security posture, ensuring compliance with federal security standards, and mitigating risks across classified systems.

We are committed to the success of our customers and providing support to defend the United States of America. Joining our highly collaborative and dynamic team, you will leverage your expertise in cybersecurity and Zero Trust frameworks to support mission-critical operations.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• The successful candidate for the Zero Trust Lead position will provide a broad range of cybersecurity and engineering support functions, including:

• Zero Trust Strategy & Implementation:
Lead the design and implementation of Zero Trust architecture across classified environments, including identity, device, network, and application layers.

• Security Architecture & Compliance:
Ensure all systems align with Zero Trust principles and comply with security requirements for classified systems.

• Access Control & Identity Management:
Implement and manage strict access controls, continuous authentication, and least-privilege access across users and systems.

• Network & Infrastructure Security:
Collaborate with Infrastructure, Network, and Security/Firewall Engineers to secure classified connectivity and enforce segmentation strategies.

• Threat Mitigation & Monitoring:
Identify vulnerabilities, mitigate risks, and support continuous monitoring of systems to prevent unauthorized access.

• Collaboration & Leadership:
Work closely with cross-functional teams to drive security initiatives and improve overall system resilience.

Requirements:

• Must have an active Secret Clearance at time of award and be able to maintain clearance

• Secret clearance must be obtained prior to performing any work requiring access to classified systems

• Experience supporting classified systems (e.g., ClassNet terminals or related infrastructure)

• Strong background in cybersecurity, network security, or infrastructure security

• Experience implementing or supporting Zero Trust architecture or similar security frameworks

• Knowledge of identity and access management (IAM), network segmentation, and security best practices

• Ability to analyze and resolve complex security and network issues

• Strong communication and collaboration skills

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. We highly encourage all Veterans and those with disabilities to apply.

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.