Discovery Architect, Compliance – Program Modernization
Emergent, LLC
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Office
Location: Virginia Beach • Virginia • United States
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About the role
- Own the end-to-end lifecycle of the Compliance Readiness Lite engagement, from rapid discovery through ongoing posture oversight, serving as the single-threaded technical authority for accuracy, defensibility, and executive trust.
- Lead rapid, 48–72 hour “Readiness Lite” assessments, executing technical-first discovery that replaces interview-based assumptions with verifiable evidence.
- Perform read-only environment scans to automatically inventory assets, configurations, identities, and integrations, mapping them to applicable regulatory frameworks.
- Ensure asset and control inventories are complete, normalized, and audit-defensible across hybrid, cloud, SaaS, and third-party surfaces.
- Synthesize telemetry, configurations, and targeted interviews into data-driven proof of compliance or explicit identification of audit red zones and material weaknesses.
- Translate findings into Executive Gap Reports that prioritize corrective actions based on risk, blast radius, and audit exposure.
- Design compliance modernization pathways that convert control gaps into technically enforceable architectures rather than policy exceptions or compensating narratives.
- Sequence remediation to maximize defensibility under real audit conditions.
- Transition clients into a Compliance-as-a-Service (CaaS) model, providing ongoing configuration guidance, documentation standards, and Quarterly Business Reviews to sustain audit readiness and institutional continuity.
- Automate evidence collection and control tracking in Apptega (or similar GRC platforms), reclaiming up to 40% of analyst time while improving evidence quality and consistency.
- Develop Auditor Heat Maps that expose red zones, fragile controls, and dependency risks well before official audits or examinations.
- Continuously refine these heat maps based on regulatory trends and audit outcomes.
- Institutionalize compliance knowledge, evidence, and rationale within Apptega to prevent loss through staff turnover, contractor churn, or leadership transitions.
- Identify and control Shadow AI usage and Non-Human Identities (NHIs) that evade traditional GRC and audit processes, ensuring emerging technology risks are captured within formal compliance boundaries.
- Map compliance gaps and modernization needs to funding mechanisms such as SLTTP/SLCGP and the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to unlock capital for remediation and transformation.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in an IT-related field or equivalent work experience, required.
- 8 - 10 years of progressive experience in Cyber consulting, including demonstrated leadership of large-scale compliance, audit readiness, or regulatory modernization initiatives in highly regulated environments.
- Deep understanding of NIST CSF 2.0, 800-53, 800-171, CMMC, and state privacy mandates including NY DFS, CCPA, and VCDPA.
- Ability to interpret regulatory intent and distinguish material control failures from low-risk deficiencies.
- Proficiency with Apptega (or similar automated GRC platforms) and experience interpreting data from discovery tools such as Purple Knight, BloodHound, and ZPA Discovery.
- Comfort validating tool output and defending methodology to auditors and regulators.
- Proven ability to map a missing security control directly to a technical implementation from trusted OEMs.
- Strong understanding of shared responsibility models and compensating control strategies.
- Hands-on fluency with a modern GRC platform (ideally Apptega) for multi-framework mapping, control tracking, and executive reporting.
- Comfort working with Active Directory/Entra ID and cloud discovery tooling (e.g., Purple Knight, BloodHound, Zscaler discovery, and CSP-native security services) to build accurate asset and control inventories.
- Ability to reason about identity, configuration drift, and control inheritance across complex environments.
- Ability to pull and join data via scripts and APIs and present it in clean executive visuals—particularly leveraging a Python and Power BI (or similar BI) workflow for repeatable scorecards, heat maps, and dashboards.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex automation concepts into executive-level and non-technical narratives.
- A mindset oriented toward product thinking – treating automation as a long-lived platform rather than a one-time migration tool with strong DevOps hygiene (Git, PRs, CI) and change management discipline to ensure safe rollout at scale.
Benefits
- Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision plans
- Premier 401k retirement plan with corporate matching and a 529 college saving plan
- Tax-advantaged Health Savings Account and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account options
- Legal Resources
- Unlock Exclusive Benefits for Full-Time Employees: Generous work/life balance opportunities supported by a PTO bank, paid holidays, leave programs and additional flex time off
- Employee referral program
- Employee recognition, gift and reward program
- Tuition reimbursement for continuing education
- Remote or hybrid work options
- Engaging company events such as team building activities, annual awards and kick-off parties
- Health and wellness-focused activities
- Relaxation Spaces
- In-office gourmet coffee, tea, fresh fruit and healthy snacks
- Corporate GREEN approach – tracking energy consumption for reduction and purchasing only environmentally friendly products for our offices
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
complianceaudit readinessregulatory modernizationNIST CSF 2.0NIST 800-53NIST 800-171CMMCdata interpretationPythonPower BI
Soft Skills
leadershipcommunicationproduct thinkinganalytical reasoningproblem-solvingexecutive reportingcollaborationadaptabilityattention to detailstrategic thinking