Pietermaritzburg: OT Systems Engineer

Qualifications and Experience Education – Degree/Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation, Industrial IT, or a related field. Experience – 37 years experience in OT systems engineering or industrial automation. – Proven experience in industrial network design, configuration, and maintenance. – Exposure to OT cybersecurity, firewall management, and system hardening. Technical Skills – Knowledge of industrial communication protocols: EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus TCP, OPC, MQTT. – Experience with Cisco, Fortinet, or Palo Alto industrial firewalls. – Working knowledge of SCADA, PLC, and DCS systems. – Experience with Windows Server, AD, VMware/Hyper-V an advantage. Key Competencies – Strong analytical and troubleshooting capability. – Deep understanding of both IT and OT environments. – Ability to work independently and under pressure in production settings. – Excellent communication, documentation, and teamwork skills. – High commitment to safety, reliability, and cybersecurity best practices. Key Responsibilities OT Network Management – Design, configure, and maintain industrial OT networks and infrastructure. – Manage network devices including switches, routers, firewalls, and segmented OT networks. OT Cybersecurity – Implement and maintain OT cybersecurity standards aligned with corporate IT policies. – Manage and monitor OT firewalls, ACLs, security zones, and intrusion controls. – Conduct vulnerability assessments and ensure system hardening. System Integration – Integrate OT systems with SCADA, PLC, and DCS environments for seamless data flow. – Support communication protocols such as Modbus, OPC, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, and MQTT. – Collaborate with automation and control teams to optimize data exchange between plant floor and enterprise systems. Standards and Documentation – Develop, maintain, and enforce OT standards and architecture guidelines. – Maintain accurate documentation for OT assets, network configurations, and change control. Hardware and Network Support – Specify, configure, and support industrial hardware: switches, gateways, servers, firewalls. – Troubleshoot complex network and hardware issues in production environments. Automation Support – Assist with communication setup and monitoring for PLC, SCADA, and DCS systems. – Support automation projects involving OT networking and data integration. Plant Support – Provide standby support for OT systems during plant operations. – Participate in RCA processes and drive continuous improvement for plant reliability.