ICS / OT Security Engineer – Offshore Deployment
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced ICS / OT Security Engineer to support the secure deployment, commissioning, and operation of industrial control and automation systems within an offshore environment.
The role will provide hands‑on OT cybersecurity expertise across DCS, PLC, SCADA, SIS, ESD, Fire & Gas, BMS, industrial networks, remote‑access infrastructure, and associated OT assets. The engineer will work closely with OT engineering, automation, electrical/instrumentation, IT, commissioning, operations, and cybersecurity teams to ensure that offshore control systems are deployed securely, safely, and in accordance with applicable standards and project requirements.
The position requires a strong understanding of the operational constraints of offshore environments, including limited connectivity, remote support, safety‑critical systems, change‑control requirements, and the need to maintain high system availability.
Key Responsibilities
OT Security Engineering
- Design, implement, and verify cybersecurity controls for offshore ICS/OT environments.
- Support secure architecture and segmentation of OT networks, including zones and conduits.
- Configure and validate firewalls, industrial network security controls, secure remote access, and OT monitoring solutions.
- Review OT system configurations for security weaknesses and ensure appropriate hardening.
- Support deployment of OT asset discovery, monitoring, logging, and anomaly‑detection technologies.
- Establish and maintain secure configurations and baseline standards for OT systems.
- Assess vulnerabilities and coordinate remediation while considering operational and safety constraints.
- Support secure backup, recovery, and restoration of critical OT systems.
Offshore Deployment & Commissioning
- Participate in offshore mobilisation, installation, commissioning, and handover activities.
- Perform cybersecurity inspections and verification of installed OT systems.
- Validate network connectivity, firewall rules, security zones, access controls, and system hardening.
- Support FAT/SAT, integrated testing, commissioning, and cybersecurity acceptance activities.
- Investigate and resolve cybersecurity‑related issues encountered during commissioning.
- Verify that temporary engineering and vendor access is controlled and removed when no longer required.
- Maintain cybersecurity punch lists and track actions through to closure.
- Produce as‑built OT security documentation following deployment.
ICS / OT Systems
The role may cover systems including:
- DCS and process control systems
- PLC and RTU systems
- SCADA
- Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS)
- Emergency Shutdown (ESD)
- Fire & Gas systems
- Turbine and rotating‑equipment control systems
- Electrical control and protection systems
- BMS and HVAC controls
- Industrial Ethernet and serial networks
- Engineering workstations and operator stations
- OT servers and historians
- OT wireless and remote‑access systems
Cybersecurity Operations
- Monitor OT environments for suspicious activity and cybersecurity events.
- Support investigation and containment of OT security incidents.
- Coordinate with the wider SOC/CSIRT where incidents cross IT/OT boundaries.
- Assist with OT incident‑response exercises and emergency procedures.
- Review security logs and alerts from OT security monitoring platforms.
- Support vulnerability management and patch assessment for OT systems.
- Ensure security changes follow approved OT management‑of‑change procedures.
Governance & Compliance
- Apply relevant OT cybersecurity standards, policies, and project requirements.
- Support compliance with applicable requirements such as IEC 62443, IEC 61511, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800‑82, and company OT security standards.
- Maintain OT asset inventories, network diagrams, security baselines, risk assessments, and technical documentation.
- Participate in OT cybersecurity risk assessments and security reviews.
- Support audits and provide evidence of cybersecurity controls and testing.
- Ensure security activities are performed without compromising process safety or system availability.
Offshore Responsibilities
- Work safely within offshore operating procedures and permit‑to‑work requirements.
- Participate in offshore toolbox talks, safety meetings, and site inductions.
- Coordinate activities with control room operators and offshore maintenance/engineering personnel.
- Ensure cybersecurity interventions are appropriately planned around production and safety‑critical operations.
- Provide technical support during shutdowns, turnarounds, commissioning, and maintenance campaigns.
- Maintain accurate records of work performed offshore.
Required Experience
- Significant experience in ICS/OT cybersecurity, industrial automation, control systems, or OT network engineering.
- Practical experience with one or more major control‑system platforms such as Honeywell, Emerson, Siemens, Schneider Electric, ABB, Yokogawa, Rockwell Automation, or equivalent.
- Experience with industrial networking, firewalls, VLANs, routing, remote access, and network segmentation.
- Experience securing Windows‑based OT servers and engineering/operator workstations.
- Understanding of OT vulnerability management, patching, backups, logging, monitoring, and incident response.
- Experience working in operational, production, commissioning, or maintenance environments.
- Offshore experience in oil & gas, energy, marine, utilities, or another industrial environment is highly desirable.
- Ability to troubleshoot technical issues under operational and time constraints.
Technical Skills
Candidates should have practical knowledge of:
- TCP/IP and industrial networking
- VLANs, routing and firewall technologies
- Industrial protocols such as Modbus TCP, OPC UA/DA, DNP3, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET and IEC 61850
- Active Directory in OT environments
- Windows Server and Windows endpoint security
- OT network architecture and segmentation
- Secure remote access
- Vulnerability assessment
- Security monitoring and SIEM integration
- Endpoint protection and application control
- Backup and disaster recovery
- OT incident response
- Network traffic analysis
- Asset inventory and configuration management
Qualifications / Certifications
One or more of the following would be advantageous:
- Degree or equivalent qualification in cybersecurity, engineering, automation, computer science, or a related discipline.
- GIAC Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP)
- ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity certificates
- IEC 62443 training/certification
- CompTIA Security+ / CySA+
- CISSP
- Relevant vendor certifications
- Offshore survival and medical certification appropriate to the operating region