CMMC Assessment Lead in McLean, Virginia at Paragone Solutions, Inc.

About SecureITSM
SecureITSM is a Certified CMMC Managed Service Provider (MSP) supporting Department of Defense (DoD) contractors that must obtain and maintain Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). SecureITSM is a CMMC Certified Organization (CMMC UID #L200002160) and has developed a proprietary CMMC documentation and compliance platform designed to streamline assessment preparation, evidence management, and ongoing compliance operations.

We are seeking a highly organized and technically skilled CMMC Assessment Lead to oversee the planning, preparation, coordination, and support of customer CMMC assessments conducted by authorized C3PAOs. This role is critical to ensuring our customers successfully achieve and maintain compliance with NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 and future Rev. 3 requirements.
The ideal candidate combines deep cybersecurity and compliance expertise with exceptional project management, customer communication, and assessment defense capabilities.

Location and Travel: This is a remote position with occasional travel required to support customer assessments.

Position Summary
The CMMC Assessment Manager will oversee customer assessment readiness activities from initial scheduling through final assessment support and remediation coordination. The role requires direct interaction with customers, assessors, internal engineering teams, and executive leadership.

This individual will manage multiple concurrent customer engagements while ensuring assessment artifacts, implementation statements, policies, procedures, and evidentiary documentation are accurate, complete, and defensible.

Key Responsibilities
Plan and Coordinate Assessments (Primary)

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Maintain the master CMMC customer assessment schedule
• Coordinate assessment timelines with customers, C3PAOs, and internal SecureITSM teams
• Conduct readiness reviews and pre-assessment planning meetings
• Track customer assessment milestones, dependencies, and remediation activities
• Manage customer communications related to assessment preparation and scheduling
• Coordinate Rules of Engagement (ROE), assessment logistics, and secure evidence transfer processes
• Monitor assessment status and provide executive-level reporting on customer readiness
• Assist customers in understanding assessment scope, boundary definitions, and enclave considerations ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Prepare Assessment Packages (Primary)

• Update implementation statements as needed
• Gather and organize evidentiary artifacts
• Coordinate customer evidence collection activities
• Review SSPs, policies, procedures, and supporting documentation for assessment readiness
• Validate evidence traceability to NIST SP 800-171 requirements and assessment objectives
• Prepare assessor-ready evidence packages and artifact repositories
• Conduct internal quality assurance reviews of documentation and evidence
• Identify documentation gaps and coordinate remediation activities
• Support development and maintenance of Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms)
• Ensure documentation aligns with evolving CMMC and NIST guidance

Support Customer Assessments (Primary)

• Attend and actively support customer assessments
• Actively defend implementations and evidence presented to assessors
• Coordinate assessment interviews and technical demonstrations
• Support mock assessments and readiness exercises for customers
• Assist customers in responding to assessor requests and follow-up questions
• Document assessment observations, findings, and remediation actions
• Coordinate post-assessment remediation activities and evidence resubmissions when required
• Serve as a trusted advisor throughout the certification lifecycle

Maintain SecureITSM’s Authorization and Compliance (Secondary)

• Conduct SecureITSM’s annual self-assessment activities
• Maintain internal compliance documentation and evidentiary artifacts
• Coordinate annual evidence collection activities (e.g., training certificates, access reviews, vulnerability scans)
• Assist with internal policy and procedure updates
• Support ongoing continuous monitoring and compliance validation activities
• Track changes to CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, and related DoD guidance affecting internal compliance posture

Implementation Statement Management (Secondary)

• Maintain and update SecureITSM master implementation statement libraries aligned to NIST SP 800-171 and evolving CMMC guidance
• Develop and maintain industry-specific implementation statement sets (e.g., manufacturing, engineering, professional services, telework-only environments)
• Standardize implementation language and evidence expectations across customer environments
• Coordinate updates to implementation statements based on assessment findings, regulatory changes, and best practices
• Validate implementation statements for technical accuracy, completeness, and assessor defensibility
• Support continuous improvement of SecureITSM’s proprietary documentation platform and implementation content library

Maintain and Improve Standard Operating Procedures (Secondary)

• Develop and maintain assessment preparation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Continuously improve evidence collection and assessment support workflows
• Create standardized templates, checklists, and assessment playbooks
• Document lessons learned and incorporate process improvements
• Maintain internal knowledge base articles and operational documentation
• Assist in refining SecureITSM’s proprietary CMMC documentation platform workflows and processes

Required Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Detailed understanding of Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft 365 GCC/GCC High, and related Microsoft security technologies
• 6+ years of cybersecurity experience with strong focus on NIST SP 800-53 and/or NIST SP 800-171
• Experience supporting compliance assessments, audits, or certification activities
• Strong understanding of CMMC assessment methodology and evidence requirements
• Excellent technical writing and communication skills
• Strong project management and organizational abilities
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple customer engagements simultaneously
• Experience working directly with external assessors, auditors, or regulatory bodies
• Familiarity with secure project management and compliance collaboration platforms

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP certification preferred
• CMMC Certified Professional (CCP) or Certified Assessor (CCA) preferred
• CISSP, CISM, or equivalent cybersecurity certification preferred
• Experience supporting DoD contractors or working within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB)
• Familiarity with FedRAMP and DFARS 252.204-7012
• Experience with SIEM, vulnerability management, and endpoint protection technologies

Key Attributes

• Strong leadership and customer engagement skills
• Ability to remain composed and professional during high-pressure assessment activities
• Analytical thinker with strong problem-solving capabilities
• Self-motivated with ability to work independently
• Collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills
• High level of integrity and professionalism ​​​​​​​

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other basis prohibited by law.

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