Sr. OT Network Engineer

We are seeking a hands-on Sr. OT Network Engineer for a contract position (6+ months) based in Liberty, North Carolina. This onsite role serves as the critical bridge between IT and plant engineering. The successful candidate will design and deploy secure, resilient industrial networks-leveraging Cisco SD-Access and microsegmentation strategies-to ensure zero unplanned downtime across manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment, modernization, and day-to-day lifecycle management of OT network infrastructure.
• Architect secure industrial networks incorporating IDMZ, macro-segmentation, and granular microsegmentation policies across Purdue Model layers using zero-trust network design principles.
• Drive the adoption of Cisco SD-Access (SDA) within the OT environment to automate fabric deployment and enforce identity-based access control.
• Provide tier-3 troubleshooting for complex network incidents and coordinate major cutovers, upgrades, and maintenance windows.
• Translate production requirements for IT and plant teams, while mentoring local IT support on OT network and security fundamentals.

Qualifications

• Required

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field or equivalent experience.

• 10+ years of progressive network engineering experience.

• Proven track record securing manufacturing, industrial, or plant-floor networks using zero-trust frameworks, IDMZ, and segmentation.

• Strong hands-on experience troubleshooting complex routing, switching, and fabric-based network issues in high-availability environments.

• Hands-on experience with enterprise LAN/WAN and industrial OT network environments.

• Experience with Cisco SD-Access (SDA) fabric architectures, DNA Center / Catalyst Center, and Cisco ISE.

• Proficiency with VLANs, routing, switching, redundancy, and Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW).

• Knowledge of industrial wireless networks and high-availability design.

• Understanding of plant-floor, automation, and edge systems utilizing industrial protocols such as EtherNet/IP and Modbus.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a strong ownership mindset to guide cross-functional technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Preferred

• Active certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, CISSP, or GICSP.