SCADA Systems Administrator

Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Johnson City (TX); On-site; USD 52,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Inc. in Johnson City, TX seeks a SCADA/EMS Engineer to develop, monitor, and maintain the SCADA/EMS system for 24/7 operator support. The role requires a bachelor's degree in electrical, computer, or IT engineering and at least five years of utility-scale SCADA/EMS/ADMS experience.

You will implement DA/OT solutions, manage data and histories, and coordinate with IT and OT teams. On-site with rotating after-hours coverage and KPI-driven bonuses are included.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, computer, or IT engineering.
• Five years of directly related SCADA/EMS/ADMS experience.
• Experience in utility-scale operations preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support 24/7 SCADA/EMS real-time control system integrity.
• Oversee daily operation, health monitoring, and preventive maintenance of the enterprise SCADA/EMS platform.
• Design, build, edit, verify, and maintain dynamic SCADA/EMS network one-line graphical displays for grid operators.
• Install, configure, and troubleshoot SCADA hardware, LAN/WAN across the utility distribution network.
• Enforce system security, access controls, and NERC CIP-compliant practices.

Skills

SCADA

EMS

ADMS

Database administration

System programming

IT networking

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical, Computer, or IT Engineering

Tools

SQL Databases

Historian systems

HMI/One-line displays

Job description

*Position requires phsycial reporting to Johnson City, TX daily; not remote eligible*

$45.58 Minimum Starting Base Pay* + KPI Bonuses + Competitive Benefits

*Qualifications may warrant greater starting base pay within the full pay range. Individual base pay is determined by experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training.

This position is responsible for developing, monitoring and maintaining the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA/EMS) System to ensure 24/7 system availability for Operators to monitor and operate the electric system in support of the Cooperative’s Strategic Initiatives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support 24/7 real-time control system integrity to ensure the highest operational reliability and system availability.
• Oversee the daily operation, health monitoring, and preventative maintenance of the enterprise SCADA/EMS platform.
• Implement and maintain SCADA features to support advanced Distribution Automation (DA) systems, infrastructure components, and topology maps.
• Execute system programming, database administration, graphical one-line display design, point checkouts, and related control logic design.
• Build, edit, verify, and maintain data points, alarm parameters, and relational databases within the SCADA network of servers and databases.
• Design, build, edit, verify, and maintain dynamic SCADA/EMS network one-line graphical user displays for grid operators.
• Perform data maintenance, archiving, and advanced retrieval routines utilizing the operational historian and SCADA systems.
• Improve SCADA system performance, scalability, and efficiency by leveraging progressive operational technologies.
• Monitor system states and perform advanced power calculations as applied to modern SCADA and energy management platforms.
• Install, test, and commission SCADA, EMS, and critical operational hardware infrastructure.
• Install, test, configure, and troubleshoot the SCADA related Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wide Area Networks (WAN) across the utility distribution network.
• Familiar with multiple complex technologies, and software applications into a cohesive OT ecosystem.
• Maintain robust and continuous data links with remote terminal units (RTUs), IEDs, and down-line distribution automation devices.
• Troubleshoot and maintain communication mediums (radio, cellular, fiber) between the SCADA host, substations, and intelligent line devices.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve performance anomalies to ensure high availability and optimal system metrics.
• Securely create, reset, delete, and maintain SCADA user accounts and permissions
• Administer, patch, and monitor isolated, secure SCADA networks to ensure safe, controlled data transfer between corporate IT and operational control domains.
• Enforce system hardening standards on all SCADA servers, workstations, switches, and firewalls by disabling unnecessary ports, protocols, services, and default credentials.
• Execute continuous vulnerability management, active threat monitoring, and centralized security log analysis to identify and mitigate malicious network behavior.
• Control and restrict remote access vectors to the control network using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strict role-based access rules to align with NERC CIP requirements.
• Respond immediately to emergency situations and participate in scheduled after-hours call-out rotations for SCADA/EMS issues.
• Respond to SCADA system operational failures, anomalies, or performance degradations and recommend decisive corrective actions.
• Perform and validate manual or automated SCADA/EMS host failovers to redundant backup systems when operational needs dictate.
• Develop, test, and document system provisions for continuous control room operations during disaster recovery or emergency scenarios.
• Execute regular, automated backups and validation routines for the SCADA/EMS system and all associated peripheral databases.
• Develop, configure, and maintain the utility Load Shed program and associated emergency curtailment schemes.
• Assist grid operators directly with active load shed activities and system recovery steps during power grid emergencies and 4CP VVR tools.
• Assist control room operators with day-to-day SCADA operations, advanced troubleshooting, and specialized grid switching procedures.
• Communicate and coordinate actively with external vendors, consulting engineers, and internal technical teams.
• Analyze and validate real-time data streams to ensure absolute system telemetry integrity and accuracy.
• Continually monitor for environmental, network, or hardware conditions that could negatively impact grid control reliability.
• Conduct, document, and actively participate in mandatory safety meetings and comply with all utility safety standards.

Minimum Qualifications - (Education, Experience, Certification, & Licensing)

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical, Computer, or IT Engineering field.
• Directly related experience may substitute for education
• Five years of directly related work experience in utility-scale SCADA, EMS, or ADMS administration