OT Automation System Integrator

General Summary:

Provides implementation, system health management, and support for new and existing Operational Technology (OT) systems, including Distributed Control System (DCS) servers, stations, DCS controllers, and programmable logic controllers (PLC), network infrastructure, firewalls, OT systems communication, plant historian, and database administration. Provide routine and emergency maintenance on control systems to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable electric plant operation. Takes ownership of critical plant process areas providing oversight, maintenance management, and insight to continuous process improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

Day-to-day OT system administration and maintenance. Plan and implement asset lifecycle management of OT architecture. Including virtualization administration, network administration, backup and recovery of system components (EBR), monthly system backups, security patches, windows domain administration, process historian administration.

Execute predictive, preventative, and breakdown maintenance on a variety of complex control systems to ensure plant availability and to maximize plant efficiency. Collaborate with plant personnel to define system limitations, process improvements, and upgrade projects. Implement solutions and advise plant personnel for the process improvement. Lead efforts to maintain and improve plant efficiency through process tuning and operational improvements while maintaining plant standards.

Install, configure, repair and perform process software system design on computer-based systems to ensure safe and reliable operations. Build and maintain computer and microprocessor-based technologies and digital communications. Implement security controls to protect REC OT cyber assets. Maintain REC’s OT cyber threat detection platform.

Manage all aspects of equipment and process maintenance for plant control systems. Assume responsibility for backlog management, schedules, priorities, performance and regulatory and environmental compliance of control systems. Serves as leader of plant controls to operate and maintain equipment to achieve optimal performance and efficiency. Evaluates and interprets security vulnerabilities and patches for all OT systems.

Subject matter expert and technical resource for project management and coordination to facilitate safe, accurate, efficient implementation of plant control systems. Serve as a job leader interface for contractors and temporary employees, support craft and non-craft personnel. Responsible for planning, implementation, startup and long-term operation of new equipment and systems as well as outage planning. Including vendor interface, budget oversight, schedule development and timeline adherence.

Leads cross functional teams to ensure REC compliance and consistency on all DCS/non-DCS assets. Management of NERC CIP low impact physical/cyber security plan for ND generation. Provides guidance and recommendations to leadership and cyber security team based on the attendance of cyber security information briefings such as the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO) Security Advisory Council Threat Forum (SACTF) weekly calls, Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) updates and monthly briefings, as well as other industry related webcasts, and conferences. Attend cyber security training and maintains cyber security certifications.

Directs planning, design, and asset lifecycle management of OT architecture, infrastructure, and technologies to maintain a reliable and efficient energy park. Develops detailed project planning required for plant outages three years in advance and up to nine years in the future which supports company mission and vision. Manage annual vendor maintenance contracts and budgeting. Leads efforts in research and analysis of technologies, tools, and architectures to meet current and future business requirements.

Perform planning, design, implementation, and support for OT cyber security controls to comply with REC’s Security Policy. Leads REC Cyber security team and manages REC OT Cyber Security Program. Designs and implements security controls to protect REC OT cyber assets. OT Incident Response Commander and primary contact for the offsite OT cyber threat intelligence team. Manage OT disaster recovery.

Provides project management including developing budgets, plans, requirements, and specifications for design, construction, and operation of new and upgraded process control systems. Evaluate project and business risk. Justify plant improvement and efficiency projects. Provide oversight and approval of control system Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT). Directs a technical review of system configuration, programming, database, and network design to ensure all projects comply with REC’s cyber security and architectural standards.