Network Architect

Pattern Energy Group; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Voluntary benefits

Family care benefits

Employee assistance program

Paid time off

Bonding leave

Paid holidays

401(k)/RRSP retirement plan with-em-

Job summary

Pattern Energy Group in Houston, TX is seeking a Network Architect to design, implement, and maintain secure, scalable network infrastructure across IT and OT environments, focusing on firewall architectures, SD-WAN, and compliant operations.

You will lead Palo Alto and Fortigate deployments, manage BGP/OSPF routing, and implement network segmentation per Purdue Model, while ensuring ESP design and audit readiness for NERC CIP.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of progressive enterprise network and security infrastructure design and support
• Deep hands-on expertise with Palo Alto and Fortigate platforms (Panorama/Fortimanager)
• SD-WAN architecture and dynamic routing (BGP, OSPF)
• NERC CIP compliance experience in OT/ICS/SCADA environments
• Certifications such as PCNSE, Fortinet NSE, CCNP are a plus

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise firewall architecture across Palo Alto and Fortigate with policy standardization
• Architect and manage SD-WAN fabric across corporate and OT sites with failover design
• Design and maintain dynamic routing (BGP/OSPF) across WAN, data center, OT
• Own network segmentation strategy (VLANs, zones, micro-segmentation) per Purdue Model
• Lead NERC CIP compliance efforts including ESP design, access controls, audit evidence
• Design and support OT network infrastructure to connect SCADA, substations, generation sites
• Escalation point for complex incidents; lead root-cause analysis
• Maintain network architecture documentation, standards, and DR/failover runbooks

Skills

Palo Alto firewall

Fortigate firewall

SD-WAN

BGP/OSPF

network segmentation

NERC CIP compliance

OT/ICS/SCADA networks

PCNSE

Fortinet NSE

CCNP

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Network Engineering, or related field

Tools

Palo Alto Panorama

FortiManager

Job description

Overview

Pattern Energy is a leading renewable energy company that develops, constructs, owns, and operates high-quality wind and solar generation, transmission, and energy storage facilities. Our mission is to transition the world to renewable energy through the sustainable development and responsible operation of facilities with respect for the environment, communities, and cultures where we have a presence.

Our approach begins and ends with establishing trust, accountability, and transparency. Our company values of creative spirit, pride of ownership, follow-through, and a team-first attitude drive us to pursue our mission every day. Our culture supports our values by fostering innovative and critical thinking and a deep belief in living up to our promises.

Headquartered in the United States, Pattern has a global portfolio of more than 30 power facilities and transmission assets, serving various customers that provide low-cost clean energy to millions of consumers.

Responsibilities

The Network Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, resilient, and scalable network infrastructure across both corporate IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments. This includes leading firewall architecture (Palo Alto and Fortigate), SD-WAN, dynamic routing, network segmentation, and NAT design, while ensuring the network's security posture meets NERC CIP compliance requirements. This position plays a critical role in protecting generation, substation, and SCADA environments while enabling reliable connectivity across the enterprise.

Key Accountabilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise firewall architecture across Palo Alto and Fortigate platforms, including policy standardization and rule-base optimization
• Architect and manage SD-WAN fabric across corporate and OT sites, including transport selection, path steering policies, and failover design
• Design and maintain dynamic routing (BGP/OSPF) across the WAN, data center, and OT environments to ensure resilient, redundant connectivity
• Own network segmentation strategy (VLANs, zones, micro-segmentation) separating IT, OT, and DMZ environments per Purdue Model best practices
• Lead NERC CIP compliance efforts for network infrastructure, including Electronic Security Perimeter (ESP) design, access controls, and audit evidence support
• Design and support OT network infrastructure connecting SCADA, substations, and generation sites, ensuring reliability and security
• Serve as escalation point for complex network, firewall, and routing incidents; lead root-cause analysis
• Maintain network architecture documentation, standards, and disaster recovery/failover runbooks

Qualifications

Experience/Qualifications/Education Required

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Network Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent work experience. 8-10 years of progressive experience designing and supporting enterprise network and security infrastructure, with deep, hands-on expertise in Palo Alto and Fortigate firewall platforms (including Panorama and Fortimanager), SD-WAN architecture, dynamic routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), NAT design, and network segmentation. Direct experience with NERC CIP compliance and OT/ICS/SCADA network environments strongly preferred. Relevant certifications such as PCNSE, Fortinet NSE, or CCNP are a plus.

Additional Requirements

This position must balance strong network security with the operational reliability requirements of critical OT and generation environments, where downtime carries significant business and safety impact. Typical challenges include troubleshooting complex routing and firewall policy interactions across segmented IT/OT zones, maintaining NERC CIP audit readiness, and evaluating new technologies for compatibility with legacy SCADA systems. These are addressed through structured change management, close coordination with OT and compliance stakeholders, thorough documentation, and staying current on evolving security and regulatory requirements.

The expected starting pay range for this role is $111,000.00 - $139,000.00 USD. This range is an estimate and base pay may be above or below the ranges based on several factors including but not limited to location, work experience, certifications, and education. In addition to base pay, Pattern’s compensation program includes a bonus structure for full-time employees of all levels. We also provide a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, voluntary benefits, family care benefits, employee assistance program, paid time off and bonding leave, paid holidays, 401(k)/RRSP retirement savings plan with employer contribution, and employee referral bonuses.

Pattern Energy Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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