Senior Cloud Security Assessor

Experienced assessor sought to lead rigorous, evidence-based security assessments of cloud and hybrid systems supporting federal missions. Who we are looking for: Spry Methods is seeking an experienced Senior Cloud Security Assessor to join our team in the Washington, DC area. The successful candidate will bring extensive hands-on experience conducting independent security control assessments of cloud and hybrid systems, with particular depth in federal cloud environments. This role requires sound professional judgment, strong analytical skills, and a practical, common-sense approach to applying security requirements to system data, technical evidence, mission context, and actual risk. Key Responsibilities: • Lead full-cycle Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) activities for cloud, hybrid, and enterprise systems as an independent assessor. • Assess Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments, including the implementation and operating effectiveness of administrative, operational, and technical security controls. • Retrieve and review FedRAMP authorization packages and supporting documentation, then analyze the package for applicability, control inheritance, residual risk, gaps, and customer responsibilities. • Conduct detailed analysis of assessment artifacts, including system security plans, policies, procedures, architecture and data-flow diagrams, inventories, configurations, logs, scan results, test outputs, and other supporting evidence. • Develop Security Assessment Plans (SAPs), Security Assessment Reports (SARs), Risk Assessment Reports (RARs), Required Evidence Lists, and Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms). • Perform network, system, application, and NIST security control testing from administrative, operational, and technical perspectives. • Analyze vulnerability scan results, interpret risk, and use manual validation and corroborating evidence to distinguish actionable findings from false positives or unsupported conclusions. • Apply security requirements using practical judgment and data context rather than relying solely on checklist compliance. Evaluate whether evidence is relevant, reliable, sufficient, and representative of the assessed environment. • Clearly communicate findings, risk, root cause, and feasible mitigation options to technical teams, system owners, executives, and other assessment stakeholders. • Coordinate evidence requests, interviews, test activities, and assessment schedules with customer personnel and Information Systems Security Analysts. • Support security assessment program operations and contribute to consistent assessment methods, quality reviews, and defensible reporting. Minimum Qualifications • Active Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is required. • At least eight years of demonstrated, hands-on experience conducting security control assessments, including substantial experience serving as an independent assessor for cloud and hybrid systems. • Extensive experience conducting independent security assessments of federal systems hosted in Microsoft Azure and AWS environments, including evaluation of security controls, architecture, inherited controls, customer-configured controls, and cloud-specific risks. • Demonstrated experience retrieving, navigating, and analyzing FedRAMP authorization packages and associated security artifacts. • Strong knowledge of federal Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes and NIST security control assessment practices. • Ability to analyze large volumes of technical and governance evidence, connect information across artifacts, identify inconsistencies, and reach clear, supportable conclusions. • Strong understanding of IT security requirements, technical countermeasures, vulnerability management, risk management, contingency planning, secure data communications, and system security architecture. • Excellent technical writing and stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to explain risk and recommended mitigation in clear, decision-oriented language. • Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, or a related field, or eight additional years of relevant specialized experience. • Experience using CSAM or a comparable governance, risk, and compliance platform. Preferred Qualifications • Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), Certified Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC), or comparable cloud or assessment certification. • Experience supporting federal cybersecurity programs and conducting assessments, audits, or control implementation reviews in accordance with NIST Special Publications. • Experience assessing cloud service offerings that rely on FedRAMP-authorized services and documenting control inheritance and customer responsibility requirements. • DoD 8570/8140 IAM Level II eligibility or an equivalent qualification, when required by the customer environment. • Experience evaluating privacy and data protection considerations as part of security assessments. Success in this role: The successful assessor is technically credible, independent, and evidence-driven. They know when the data supports a finding, when additional validation is needed, and when a requirement must be interpreted in light of architecture, mission use, and actual exposure. They produce assessment results that are clear, consistent, defensible, and actionable.