Position DescriptionThe
Operational Technology Senior Specialist position, reporting to the Operation Technology Manager, is responsible for supporting, maintaining, and securing the control systems and communication infrastructure used in the operation of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar generation facilities, as well as the Remote Operations Center (ROC) that monitors them. This includes SCADA systems, data acquisition equipment, networking devices, physical access control systems, and integrations with remote monitoring platforms. The OT Senior Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring plant up-time, compliance with grid and NERC CIP requirements, and cybersecurity of field and ROC assets.
The
OT Senior Specialist is a regular, full-time position, and is eligible for our generous employee benefits package, including employer paid health insurance, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employer matching contributions, and other great benefits.
Key Responsibilities- Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot SCADA, networking, and control systems at utility-scale solar plants.
- Monitor data acquisition systems (DAS), weather stations, inverters, and plant controllers to ensure reliable performance and accurate telemetry.
- Support the Remote Operations Center (ROC)/Field team with daily operations, including real-time SCADA/telemetry monitoring, alarm response, and shift-to-shift coordination for the ROC.
- Assist SCADA Manager with troubleshooting escalated issues at solar plants, including communications-loss events, tag/polling anomalies, and network-related alarms.
- Work with managed security services provider to maintain secure and stable OT networks, including firewalls, switches, routers, and VPNs.
- Administer the Physical Access Control System (PACS) including user access provisioning, alert monitoring, triage, and managing of access badges at the ROC and Austin office locations.
- Assist with commissioning, configuration, and testing of new solar sites' OT infrastructure.
- Manage OT cybersecurity protocols, including patching, password policies, and network segmentation in accordance with standards such as NERC CIP, NIST, or IEC 62443.
- Support the Compliance Department with various tasks pertaining to Origis' NERC CIP Medium/Low Impact program, including access management documentation, patch and baseline attestations, and audit evidence collection.
- Maintain documentation of system configurations, network diagrams, and standard operating procedures.
- Provide OT support for root cause analysis, alarms, and incident response at solar sites.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 2-5 years of experience in OT, SCADA, or controls support in a renewable energy or utility-scale solar environment.
- Familiarity with PV plant SCADA systems and technologies (e.g., Ignition, Power Factors, OSI, SEL).
- Understanding of industrial communication protocols (e.g., Modbus, DNP3, OPC, IEC 61850).
- Hands-on experience with Layer 2/Layer 3 networking, IP addressing, VLANs, and cybersecurity tools.
- Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills for OT/SCADA systems and field instrumentation.
- Ability to support Remote Operations Center (ROC) activities, including real-time monitoring and incident escalation.
- Ability to travel to remote solar sites and provide remote support for nationwide utility-scale solar and battery storage portfolio.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience with renewable utility-scale energy equipment (e.g., PV Inverters, RTACs, MET Stations).
- OT/ICS security certification (e.g., GICSP, ISA/IEC 62443, CompTIA Security+, or similar).
Role Expectations- Participation in after-hours on-call rotations for SCADA/OT and ROC support.
- Occasional work during evenings/weekends for maintenance or upgrades.
Location Austin, TX - Hybrid (in office Tues-Thurs, WFH Mon & Fri)
Travel Potential travel to solar facilities. Up to 15-20% travel is required as necessary.
Job Level Associate - no direct reports
