To succeed in the interview process at Ascension, you must demonstrate a holistic understanding of enterprise security. Your interviewers will evaluate you across several core dimensions:

• Cloud Security & Architecture – You must prove your ability to design and secure multi-cloud environments (GCP and Azure). Interviewers will look for hands-on expertise with Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP), Kubernetes security, and threat detection mechanisms.
• Risk Management & Compliance – Because Ascension operates in a highly regulated healthcare environment, you will be evaluated on your fluency with industry frameworks (NIST CSF, ISO 27001, CIS) and your ability to map technical vulnerabilities to business risk.
• Identity & Zero Trust – You are expected to understand how to design and enforce strict access governance. Strong candidates will confidently discuss privileged identity management, conditional access, and tools like Microsoft Entra ID and CyberArk.
• Strategic Communication & Leadership – Interviewers will assess how well you translate complex technical risks into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders. You must show that you can lead initiatives, influence peers, and drive a culture of security.

The interview process for a Security Engineer at Ascension is designed to thoroughly evaluate both your technical depth and your alignment with the organization's mission and regulatory requirements. The process generally begins with an initial screening by a technical recruiter, who will assess your baseline experience, your familiarity with required frameworks, and your logistical alignment (such as remote work expectations and core hours).

Following the recruiter screen, you will typically meet with the hiring manager. This conversation focuses on your past experiences, your approach to solving enterprise-scale security problems, and your cultural fit within Ascension. If successful, you will advance to a series of technical and behavioral panel interviews. These rounds dive deeply into cloud architecture, risk assessment methodologies, scenario-based problem solving, and executive communication. You will be asked to walk through past architectures, explain how you evaluate and remediate vulnerabilities, and demonstrate your knowledge of multi-cloud security tools.

This visual timeline outlines the typical sequence of your interview stages, from the initial recruiter screen to the final panel interviews. Use this to pace your preparation, ensuring you review high-level risk concepts early on and reserve deep-dive technical architectural reviews for the later panel stages.

Cloud Infrastructure & CNAPP Security

As Ascension operates a massive hybrid and multi-cloud footprint, your ability to secure these environments is paramount. Interviewers want to see that you can move beyond basic administration to actively architecting secure cloud postures. Strong performance here means demonstrating how you unify threat visibility across different cloud providers.

Be ready to go over:

• Multi-Cloud Posture Management – Correlating telemetry between Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Google Security Command Center.
• Container & Pipeline Security – Securing Kubernetes environments (GKE/AKS) and integrating security into DevOps pipelines.
• AI Workload Security – Applying NIST AI RMF standards to secure AI/ML workloads in Azure and GCP.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Integrating custom threat intelligence feeds into centralized SIEM/SOAR workflows, or building custom automation for automated threat response using Python or Go.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through how you would design a CNAPP solution to secure a newly deployed microservices architecture across both GCP and Azure."
• "How do you handle a scenario where Google Security Command Center flags a critical misconfiguration in a production GKE cluster?"
• "Explain your approach to securing an AI/ML workload in the cloud. What specific controls would you implement?"

Risk Management & Healthcare Compliance

In a healthcare environment, security is inextricably linked to compliance. You will be evaluated on your ability to operationalize security frameworks and manage the lifecycle of a risk. A strong candidate does not just identify risks but tracks them through to remediation while keeping leadership informed.

Be ready to go over:

• Framework Fluency – Deep knowledge of NIST CSF, NIST 800-30, ISO 27001, and CIS Controls.
• Risk Lifecycle Management – Evaluating control effectiveness, maintaining a risk register, and driving timely closure of findings.
• Regulatory Context – Understanding the unique constraints and requirements of the healthcare sector (e.g., HIPAA, protecting patient data).
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Conducting quantitative risk assessments or mapping complex third-party vendor risks to internal control sets.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a time you evaluated an existing security control, found it lacking against the NIST CSF, and successfully implemented a remediation plan."
• "How do you prioritize vulnerabilities when you have a massive backlog and limited engineering resources?"
• "Walk me through how you prepare and present a risk dashboard to an executive who has no technical background."

Identity, Access Governance & Zero Trust

Identity is the new perimeter, especially in a remote-first, cloud-heavy organization. Interviewers will test your ability to enforce least-privilege access without crippling business operations.

Be ready to go over:

• Zero Trust Architecture – Implementing conditional access policies and continuous verification.
• Identity Platforms – Designing governance through Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), CyberArk, and Duo.
• Privileged Access Management (PAM) – Securing administrative accounts and managing secrets in cloud environments.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Just-in-Time (JIT) access provisioning or securing non-human identities (service principals, workload identities).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you design a conditional access policy in Microsoft Entra ID for a fully remote workforce accessing sensitive healthcare applications?"
• "Explain your strategy for rolling out CyberArk to secure privileged accounts across a legacy on-premises environment and a modern cloud environment."

As a Security Engineer at Ascension, your day-to-day work will heavily depend on whether you lean toward the cloud architecture or the risk management side of the house, though both require cross-functional collaboration. You will spend a significant portion of your time managing and optimizing tools like Microsoft Defender and Google Security Command Center, ensuring that threat detection and endpoint protection are robust across all hybrid environments. This involves constantly tuning alerts, integrating posture management insights into SIEM/SOAR workflows, and automating responses where possible.

You will also be a key driver of security governance. This means actively managing identity and access controls via Microsoft Entra ID and CyberArk, enforcing Zero Trust principles across the organization. For those focused on risk, your days will involve evaluating current security controls against NIST and ISO frameworks, updating the risk register, and tracking remediation efforts.

Collaboration is a massive part of this role. You will regularly partner with DevOps and Infrastructure teams to implement Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) securely, ensuring that pipelines and Kubernetes clusters (GKE/AKS) are hardened before they reach production. Furthermore, you will frequently distill your technical findings into clear, concise risk reports and dashboards, presenting the organization's current risk exposure to IT leadership and executive management so they can make informed strategic decisions.

To be a competitive candidate for the Security Engineer role at Ascension, you must possess a strong foundation in enterprise security, specifically tailored to highly regulated environments.

• Must-have skills – Deep proficiency in multi-cloud security architecture (GCP and Azure), hands-on experience with Microsoft Defender and Google Security Command Center, and a strong command of Identity and Access Management (Microsoft Entra ID, CyberArk). You must also have demonstrable experience with cybersecurity risk management frameworks, particularly NIST CSF and NIST 800-30.
• Experience level – Ascension typically looks for candidates with 5 to 10 years of cumulative, job-specific experience, depending on the seniority of the specific posting. Backgrounds in the healthcare sector (Hospitals, IDNs, or Payers) are highly scrutinized and valued.
• Soft skills – Strategic executive communication is critical. You must be able to translate complex technical risks into actionable business insights. You also need strong self-management skills to thrive in a high-fidelity, remote operational environment.
• Nice-to-have skills – Active certifications such as Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer, Google Professional Cloud Architect, or Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate will make you stand out. Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), automation (Python or Go), and securing AI/ML workloads against NIST AI RMF standards are highly preferred additions.