Operational Technology Infrastructure Engineer || Onsite in Johnson City, TN

Vaco by Highspring; Johnson City (TN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring is seeking an Operational Technology Infrastructure Engineer to design, deploy, and support secure OT infrastructure for critical utility systems in Johnson City, TN. You will manage Windows servers/workstations, Active Directory, virtualization, SCADA/HMI/PLC connectivity, and secure remote access.

The role collaborates with project teams, field personnel, customers, vendors, and cybersecurity teams to deliver reliable OT environments, employing best practices in

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in IT/OT.
• 5+ years supporting IT/OT, industrial networking, utility or critical infrastructure.
• Experience deploying, administering, and supporting servers, workstations, networks, and virtualization.

Responsibilities

• Design secure OT network architectures and cybersecurity controls for infrastructure environments.
• Deploy and support industrial network infrastructure including switches, routers, firewalls, VPNs, wireless, and cellular.
• Install, configure, and secure Windows Server and Workstations for OT operations.
• Manage Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Group Policy.
• Maintain virtualization platforms such as VMware ESXi, vSphere, and Hyper‑V.
• Design and deploy secure remote-access solutions including IPsec VPNs.
• Support SCADA, HMI, PLC, alarming, telemetry and OT connectivity.
• Maintain remote-site communications technologies and OT notification systems.
• Create documentation, diagrams, and procedures; implement cybersecurity controls and hardening.
• Provide remote/onsite support; participate in startup, maintenance, and incident response.

Skills

Windows Server

Active Directory

Virtualization

SCADA

HMI

PLC connectivity

Firewall

VPNs

OT security

Network design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline

Tools

Fortinet

Cisco

VMware

Hyper-V

FortiSIEM

FortiNAC

FortiAP

Veeam

Microsoft 365

Job description

***Operational Technology Infrastructure Engineer***

***Onsite in Johnson City, TN***

About the Role

The Operational Technology (OT) Infrastructure Engineer is a hands‑on technical professional responsible for designing, deploying, administering, supporting, and standardizing secure OT infrastructure environments for water, wastewater, utility, and other critical infrastructure systems.

This position works closely with project teams, field personnel, customers, vendors, and cybersecurity teams to deliver reliable and resilient OT environments that support essential utility and industrial operations. The role covers industrial networking, Windows servers and workstations, firewalls, remote access, virtualization, SCADA, HMI, PLC connectivity, cybersecurity hardening, communications infrastructure, and technology lifecycle management.

The engineer will also contribute to the protection, modernization, and long‑term reliability of critical infrastructure systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement secure OT network architectures and cybersecurity controls for water, wastewater, utility, and critical infrastructure environments.
• Deploy, administer, troubleshoot, and support industrial network infrastructure, including switches, routers, firewalls, VPNs, wireless networks, and cellular communications.
• Install, configure, maintain, patch, upgrade, and secure Windows Server and Windows Workstation environments supporting OT operations.
• Configure and administer Microsoft Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, and related Microsoft infrastructure services.
• Install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot virtualization platforms such as VMware ESXi, vSphere, and Microsoft Hyper‑V.
• Design, deploy, support, and migrate secure remote‑access solutions, including IPsec VPNs and other approved remote connectivity technologies.
• Support SCADA, HMI, PLC, alarming, telemetry, and other OT systems, including communications and connectivity.
• Configure and maintain remote‑site communications technologies, including cellular modems and operational notification systems.
• Provide technical recommendations for infrastructure design, hardware selection, project estimates, and customer solutions.
• Evaluate and implement technologies that improve system reliability, maintainability, performance, and cybersecurity.
• Create and maintain network diagrams, configuration standards, installation documentation, and technical support procedures.
• Implement cybersecurity controls including system hardening, vulnerability remediation, endpoint protection, certificate management, network segmentation, and secure remote access.
• Provide remote and onsite technical support for OT infrastructure environments.
• Support system startup, commissioning, maintenance, warranty activities, managed services, and incident response.
• Perform troubleshooting and root cause analysis for infrastructure, communications, networking, and OT system issues.
• Train customers, operators, and internal personnel on supported technologies, procedures, and cybersecurity best practices.
• Support standardization initiatives covering servers, workstations, networking, firewalls, and remote‑access technologies across multiple environments.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline preferred; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of experience supporting IT, OT, industrial networking, utility, or critical infrastructure environments.
• Demonstrated experience deploying, administering, and supporting servers, workstations, networks, and virtualization technologies.
• Experience supporting customer‑facing projects, field deployments, commissioning, and operational support activities.
• Experience in water, wastewater, industrial automation, SCADA, utilities, or other critical infrastructure environments is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong knowledge of Windows Server, Windows Workstation, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, patch management, system hardening, and Microsoft infrastructure services.
• Strong understanding of virtualization, backup, and recovery technologies, including VMware ESXi, vSphere, Hyper‑V, Veeam, Synology, and similar platforms.
• Strong knowledge of industrial and enterprise networking, including routing, switching, VLANs, VPNs, firewall policies, wireless networking, cellular communications, network security, and secure remote access.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust architecture and secure IT/OT integration principles.
• Working knowledge of industrial networking and security technologies such as Fortinet firewalls and switches, FortiAP, FortiSIEM, FortiNAC, Cisco firewalls and switches, Palo Alto, Allen‑Bradley Stratix, Hirschmann, Siemens, and comparable technologies.
• Ability to design, deploy, maintain, troubleshoot, and support industrial network infrastructure, firewall environments, remote‑access solutions, and secure connectivity platforms.
• Working knowledge of OT environments, including SCADA, HMI, PLCs, industrial automation, industrial communications, telemetry, alarming, remote access, and remote‑site connectivity.
• Understanding of OT cybersecurity principles, including system hardening, vulnerability remediation, endpoint protection, certificate management, network segmentation, secure remote access, and defense‑in‑depth strategies.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks and industry best practices applicable to utility and industrial environments, including NIST CSF, ISA/IEC 62443, AWWA guidance, and EPA cybersecurity recommendations.
• Ability to create and maintain technical documentation, network diagrams, configuration standards, installation records, and operational procedures.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis capabilities across servers, workstations, network infrastructure, virtualization, communications, and OT environments.
• Ability to support customer‑facing projects, managed services, field operations, and utility infrastructure environments.
• Ability to participate in system startup, commissioning, maintenance, incident response, and ongoing operational activities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with customers, vendors, project teams, engineers, and operational personnel.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects while working independently and collaboratively across technical and operational teams.
• Industry certifications such as Microsoft Windows Server Administrator, Microsoft Azure Administrator, Fortinet NSE, Cisco CCNA/CCNP, VMware VCP, ISA/IEC 62443, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, CISSP, GICSP, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Hirschmann, or equivalent certifications are preferred.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365, enterprise messaging, and communication technologies used for SCADA alarms and operational notifications.
• Familiarity with OT cybersecurity monitoring, asset discovery, vulnerability management, and threat detection platforms such as Dragos, Nozomi, Claroty, RunZero, or similar technologies.
• Familiarity with databases commonly used in OT environments, including Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and related platforms.

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual's skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, and other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's 401(k) retirement plan.

Additional disclaimer:

Unless otherwise noted in the job description, the position Vaco/Highspring is filing for is occupied. Please note, however, that Vaco/Highspring is regularly asked to provide talent to other organizations. By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. Submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase within Vaco/Highspring will be otherwise assessed by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco/Highspring does not have knowledge of the tools used by its clients in making final hiring decisions and cannot opine on their use of AI products.

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco