Cyber Security Specialist

GxP Recruitment; Galway; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

GxP Recruitment is seeking an OT Cybersecurity Lead for our client in Ireland. You will serve as the senior technical authority on cybersecurity across manufacturing equipment and production systems, defining requirements for procurement, builds, operation and maintenance.

You will collaborate with Engineering, Automation, Manufacturing, Procurement and Enterprise Cybersecurity to align security with uptime and validation needs.

Qualifications

• At least four years of hands-on OT cybersecurity experience across production environments.
• Experience building or running patching programmes for production equipment and testing/risk decisions.
• Experience with PLC-based and PC-based machine control systems and vendor support status.

Responsibilities

• Maintain OT asset inventory to identify gaps and remediation priorities.
• Own OT patching and firmware strategy, including deployment and monitoring.
• Decide patch applicability and document rationale and remaining risk.
• Define cybersecurity requirements for new equipment before purchase and review supplier designs.
• Review designs from OEMs/system integrators for cybersecurity risks and obsolescence.
• Define controls for legacy or unpatchable equipment, including segmentation and access restrictions.
• Provide technical direction during OT cybersecurity incidents across teams.
• Track EU regulatory developments (Cyber Resilience Act, NIS2, AI Act) and assess implications.

Skills

OT cybersecurity

Asset inventory

Vulnerability assessment

Remediation

OS/firmware patching

Supplier design reviews

Industrial networking

Secure remote access

Security requirements for procurement

Regulatory awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/CS/Cybersecurity

Job description

Initial 12 month contract with view to permanency.

Role Overview

Our manufacturing client is seeking an OT Cybersecurity Lead to act as the senior technical authority for cybersecurity across its manufacturing equipment and production systems.

You’ll set cybersecurity requirements for how equipment is purchased, built, operated and maintained. The role covers supplier design reviews, asset inventory, vulnerability remediation, operating system and firmware patching, legacy equipment management and incident response. You’ll work closely with Engineering, Automation, Manufacturing, Procurement and Enterprise Cybersecurity to put those requirements into practice while accounting for production uptime, equipment support and validation requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain an accurate operational technology (OT) asset inventory and use it to identify operating system, firmware and software gaps, unsupported equipment and remediation priorities.
• Own the OT patching and firmware strategy, including assessment, testing, deployment, exception management and ongoing monitoring.
• Decide whether to apply a patch, defer it or introduce a compensating control. Document the rationale and any remaining risk.
• Define cybersecurity requirements for components, new machine builds and supplier-built equipment before purchase. Cover support duration, end-of-support arrangements, patching, remote access and logging.
• Review designs and component selections from machine builders, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators for cybersecurity and obsolescence risks.
• Define controls for legacy or un-patchable equipment, including network segmentation, access restrictions, application allow listing, monitoring and backups.
• Provide technical direction during OT cybersecurity incidents and guide Engineering, Automation, Manufacturing and Enterprise Cybersecurity teams on the standards they should apply.
• Track relevant EU regulatory developments, including the Cyber Resilience Act, NIS2 and the AI Act. Work with Legal, Regulatory and Quality to assess implications for equipment procurement and operation.

Essential Experience and Skills

• At least four years of hands-on OT cybersecurity experience, including asset inventory, vulnerability assessment and remediation in production environments.
• Experience building or running an operating system and firmware patching programme for production equipment. Ability to explain how testing, deployment and risk decisions differ from enterprise IT patching.
• Experience building and maintaining an OT asset inventory and assessing operating systems, firmware and software against vendor support status.
• Working knowledge of PLC-based and PC-based machine control systems, including how they are designed, updated and validated. Platform-specific programming is optional.
• Ability to translate cybersecurity requirements into equipment and component purchasing specifications and assess how supplier support commitments affect long-term risk.
• Ability to explain the practical implications of the Cyber Resilience Act, NIS2 and the AI Act for equipment procurement and operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Automation Engineering, Control Engineering, Electrical or Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity or a related technical discipline, or equivalent substantial industry experience.
• IEC 62443 training or certification, GICSP or an equivalent industrial cybersecurity certification.
• Experience in medical device, pharmaceutical or other regulated manufacturing, including equipment validation and change control.
• Experience working with machine builders, OEMs or system integrators to define cybersecurity requirements for new equipment.
• Experience delivering OT cybersecurity programmes across multiple sites and standardising controls across different types of equipment.
• Working knowledge of industrial networking, network segmentation and secure remote access.
• Experience with OT asset discovery and monitoring tools.