Senior Associate, CMMC

Schellman

About The Position

Schellman is a Top 50 CPA firm and a leading provider of attestation and compliance services. Our professional services focus on security and privacy audits, assessments, and certifications. Schellman has become one of the largest cybersecurity assessment firms in the United States without providing any traditional accounting services. We are an accredited multi-framework ISO Certification Body for security, privacy, business continuity, and quality; a globally licensed PCI Qualified Security Assessor and a top provider to clients serving the federal DoD space as a leading FedRAMP 3PAO and the first assessment firm authorized as a CMMC C3PAO. Our specialty and expertise remain in providing best in class Cybersecurity and IT Audits and Attestations. Our culture, approach with clients, and dedication to our values has led us to consistently be a Great Places to Work certified company and rated as a Best Firms to Work For by Accounting Today and a Glassdoor Best Places to Work. We deeply appreciate our employees, as shown by our first core value – People Come First. This is demonstrated in our culture, benefits, and how we handle business. Come see what makes Schellman special! Job Description JOB SUMMARY Senior associates are primarily responsible for hands-on project execution. Experienced senior associates have, or are working towards, specialization in one or more service lines and are assigned to projects accordingly. Senior associates are assigned to a specific service delivery principal that is responsible for supervising the associate’s career development. Additionally, senior associate’s daily activities are closely supervised by the management teams of their assigned projects. Senior associates may supervise associates and/or senior associates when serving as a member of a project management team. As a CMMC Senior Associate at Schellman, you will play a critical role in delivering high-quality cybersecurity assessments for clients seeking compliance and assessment primarily for CMMC and NIST SP 800-171/2. You will be responsible for executing gap assessments, compliance assessments, and formal certification assessments across a diverse range of environments, including defense contractors, manufacturers, professional services firms, technology providers, and managed service providers. You will also be cross-trained to support FedRAMP and other engagements based on NIST 800-53, contributing to Schellman’s broader Federal Practice. CMMC Senior Associates perform a variety of responsibilities from start to finish during a project, including: Interviewing client Subject Matter Experts for different fields of the organization, including technical areas as well as Human Resources, SecDevOps, SOC/NOC, and Internal Compliance; Performing walkthroughs of client on-premise, cloud, and hybrid architectures Reviewing system security and technical configurations as they pertain to NIST 800-171 control requirements and CMMC scoping considerations; Analyzing technical documentation such as system security plans (SSPs), policies, procedures, and evidence artifacts; Documenting assessment findings, developing scoring rationales, and drafting formal deliverables; and Maintaining awareness of evolving DoD and CMMC program requirements, including updates to the CAP, scoping guides, and assessment guides to support Schellman methodology updates and client education. Working in Schellman’s Federal Practice will lead to the natural honing of your technical skills in a variety of fields including cryptography, network structures, system security tools, and CI/CD. You’ll also improve your understanding of organizational controls such as security training programs, configuration management/ system development, and incident response processes. But more than that, a career at Schellman will also support outside opportunities for further education through additional training and the pursuit of industry-accepted certifications such as CISA, CISSP, and others. CMMC assessors should expect to travel a minimum of 25% for onsite assessment activities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business management, technology, or other relevant subject area, or equivalent years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified
Has completed at least one year of service at Schellman or relevant professional services experience in financial auditing, operational auditing, information systems auditing, internal auditing, information security management or consulting and/or risk consulting
Must have CCP and a favorable Tier 3 determination from DoD
Working knowledge of Schellman’s services, methodology, and relevant professional standards
Requisite knowledge of applicable technology and security domains
High level of attention to detail and quality of work product
Client service oriented
Excellent time management, organizational, and verbal and written communication skills
Ability to work on-site or remotely as a valuable contributor to a collaborative team
Capable of simultaneously managing assigned tasks for multiple projects
Proficient using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Schellman’s service delivery applications
Full understanding and application of ethics, independence and Schellman’s values

Nice To Haves

Ideal candidate has all 3 of the following certifications: CCP, CCA, and a favorable Tier 3 determination from DoD

Responsibilities

Interviewing client Subject Matter Experts for different fields of the organization, including technical areas as well as Human Resources, SecDevOps, SOC/NOC, and Internal Compliance
Performing walkthroughs of client on-premise, cloud, and hybrid architectures
Reviewing system security and technical configurations as they pertain to NIST 800-171 control requirements and CMMC scoping considerations
Analyzing technical documentation such as system security plans (SSPs), policies, procedures, and evidence artifacts
Documenting assessment findings, developing scoring rationales, and drafting formal deliverables
Maintaining awareness of evolving DoD and CMMC program requirements, including updates to the CAP, scoping guides, and assessment guides to support Schellman methodology updates and client education
Complying with Schellman’s code of ethics and professional conduct, methodologies, policies, and procedures
Adhering to the professional and regulatory standards relevant to assigned service line specialization(s)
Promoting Schellman’s company culture and exemplifying Schellman's values
Establishing high quality relationships and rapport with client personnel
Managing client expectations to ensure expectations are exceeded
Completing assigned duties in a timely manner and with a high attention to detail
Collaborating with fellow project team members in a productive and timely manner throughout the life cycle of each project
Adhering to project schedules and keeping fellow project team members apprised of the progress of assigned tasks
Escalating issues internally in a proper and timely manner
Using discretion and decorum in the timing, form, and content of all client communications
Booking travel reservations in a timely manner and in accordance with Schellman's travel and expense policies and procedures
Performing the essential functions of other service delivery positions when qualified and called upon to do so
Attending project kick-off and closing meetings
Executing assigned testing procedures, performing detailed analysis, reaching conclusions, documenting results in accordance with company standards and CMMC requirements and guidance (e.g., CAP, 32 CFR Part 170), and suggesting ideas for improvements, where applicable
Drafting project deliverables
Serving as a contact for clients' basic questions regarding an engagement
Participating in recruiting and candidate interview activities
Training project team members
Acclimating newer team members to Schellman
Contributing to Schellman's practice development efforts
Developing an expert knowledge of professional and regulatory standards relevant to assigned service line specialization(s)
Contributing to Schellman's thought leadership (e.g., articles, webinars, public speaking, etc.)
Collaborate with internal teams to ensure consistent application of methodologies and quality standards.
Support client education and advisory efforts related to CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 compliance.
Participate in FedRAMP readiness and assessment engagements as part of cross-training and service line expansion.
Contribute to Schellman’s thought leadership through webinars, articles, and public speaking.