Application Security Engineer

Ardent is seeking an Application Security Engineer to join our team.

This is a remote position.

Position

Description:

Ardent is seeking an Application Security Engineer to join the team. The Application Security Engineer supports application security assessment, vulnerability management, Dev Sec Ops  enablement, and secure reference implementation activities across USCIS systems and delivery environments. This role works closely with development, security, platform, and operations teams to identify application security risks, support remediation, validate fixes, improve security automation, and maintain consistent security practices throughout the application lifecycle.

The position also supports the development of proof-of-concept reference implementations and utility applications that demonstrate secure design patterns, integrate with Dev Sec Ops  tools, and help bridge process and technology gaps between development and security teams.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Perform application security testing and vulnerability assessments
  • Conduct application security testing using approved tools, processes, and techniques.
  • Assess web applications, APIs, services, containers, dependencies, and delivery environments for security weaknesses.
• Support automated security scanning
  • Support automated scanning of applications, APIs, services, software dependencies, containers, and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Assist with configuring and maintaining security scanning tools used during development, build, test, release, and runtime activities.
• Document, track, and validate vulnerabilities
  • Document, triage, track, and validate vulnerabilities and security findings through remediation and closure.
  • Maintain accurate vulnerability status, remediation evidence, and closure documentation.
• Assist development teams with secure coding and remediation
  • Provide technical guidance to development teams on secure coding practices and remediation of identified weaknesses.
  • Help teams understand scan results, vulnerable dependency reports, policy violations, and recommended fixes.
• Support Dev Sec Ops  tool integration and automation
  • Support integration and operation of security tools and controls within CI/CD pipelines.
  • Help implement automated security gates, policy enforcement, and reporting workflows.
  • Integrate Dev Sec Ops  tools through APIs to improve visibility, automation, and operational efficiency.
• Develop proof-of-concept secure reference implementations
  • Design and develop proof-of-concept sample applications using common technology stacks to demonstrate application security best practices.
  • Build reference examples that illustrate secure authentication, authorization, logging, dependency management, secrets handling, containerization, API security, and secure CI/CD workflows.
  • Maintain reusable patterns and examples that development teams can reference when implementing security controls.
• Ideate and develop security utility applications
  • Identify process and technology gaps between development and security teams.
  • Design and develop utility applications, scripts, dashboards, integrations, or automation workflows that improve vulnerability management, reporting, remediation tracking, tool interoperability, and Dev Sec Ops  operations.
  • Integrate with security, development, repository, observability, and CI/CD tools through available API interfaces.
• Monitor compliance with application security standards
  • Monitor security findings and alignment with established application security standards and controls.
  • Support security improvement initiatives aligned to Zero Trust principles and applicable NIST, CISA, and CIS security frameworks.
• Collect metrics, evidence, and reporting data
  • Collect and maintain security assessment data, scan results, vulnerability evidence, remediation status, and operational metrics.
  • Support reporting for continuous monitoring, vulnerability reduction, and application security improvement initiatives.
• Support Dev Sec Ops  and vulnerability reduction initiatives
  • Support enterprise Dev Sec Ops , vulnerability reduction, secure software development, and application security modernization efforts across USCIS programs.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years of professional IT experience, plus 4 years of experience supporting application security, cybersecurity, Dev Sec Ops , or closely related subject matter requirements.
• Advanced technical knowledge of application security…