Senior OT Network Engineer 1

Apt; Georgetown (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Apt is seeking a Senior OT Network Engineer to design, implement, secure, and support OT and enterprise networks across manufacturing environments. You will collaborate with IT, engineering, automation, production, and operations to ensure highly available solutions.

The role is onsite in a plant setting, requiring hands-on leadership and deep OT networking expertise to minimize downtime and protect critical production systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Network Engineering.
• Strong hands-on experience supporting OT, industrial, manufacturing, or plant-floor networks.
• Solid understanding of enterprise LAN/WAN architecture and network security.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and support OT and industrial network infrastructure.
• Serve as primary onsite network engineer for OT projects.
• Develop secure and reliable network solutions for manufacturing environments.
• Support connectivity for plant-floor equipment and edge-connected devices.
• Participate in deployments, migrations, and maintenance activities while minimizing downtime.
• Ensure changes are implemented with minimal disruption to production.

Skills

Routing & Switching

VLANs

Firewalls

Secure Connectivity

High Availability

LAN/WAN

Wireless Networking

Monitoring & Troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Electrical Engineering / related field

Tools

CCNA/CCNP

CISSP (preferred)

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Senior OT Network Engineer to join our System Solution team. This individual will play a key hands‑on role in designing, implementing, securing, and supporting network infrastructure across industrial and manufacturing environments.

The ideal candidate should have strong experience working with Operational Technology (OT) networks, plant‑floor systems, and enterprise network infrastructure. This role will work closely with IT, engineering, automation, production, maintenance, and operations teams to ensure that network solutions are secure, reliable, highly available, and implemented with minimal impact on manufacturing operations.

This is an onsite role and requires someone who is comfortable working directly in a plant or manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

OT Network Design and Implementation

• Design, deploy, and support OT and industrial network infrastructure.
• Serve as a primary onsite network engineering resource for OT‑related projects and initiatives.
• Develop secure and reliable network solutions for manufacturing and plant environments.
• Support connectivity for plant‑floor equipment, automation systems, controls, and edge‑connected devices.
• Participate in network deployments, migrations, cutovers, maintenance activities, and operational readiness planning.
• Ensure all network changes and implementations are completed with minimal disruption to production environments.

Network Security and Architecture

• Design and implement secure network architectures for OT and enterprise environments.
• Implement network segmentation, VLANs, access controls, and secure connectivity between IT and OT networks.
• Support and maintain Industrial DMZ (IDMZ) architecture.
• Configure and troubleshoot firewalls and other network security components.
• Apply high‑availability, redundancy, and resiliency principles to critical network infrastructure.
• Contribute to network architecture standards, technical documentation, deployment procedures, and implementation guidelines.
• Ensure OT cybersecurity requirements are incorporated into network design and deployment activities.

Network Support and Troubleshooting

• Provide advanced technical support for complex OT and enterprise network issues.
• Troubleshoot problems related to routing, switching, VLANs, wireless networks, firewalls, connectivity, and network performance.
• Monitor network performance and identify potential reliability or capacity concerns before they impact operations.
• Work with internal IT teams, plant personnel, engineering teams, and external vendors to resolve technical issues.
• Support planned maintenance windows, network upgrades, and cutover activities.
• Provide after‑hours support when required for critical production or network activities.

Collaboration and Technical Leadership

• Act as a technical bridge between enterprise IT and plant engineering teams.
• Work closely with production, maintenance, automation, engineering, and operations teams to understand business and manufacturing requirements.
• Translate operational requirements into secure and scalable network solutions.
• Provide technical guidance and support to local IT and operational teams.
• Mentor and train support personnel on OT networking standards, troubleshooting techniques, and best practices.
• Take ownership of assigned projects and technical initiatives and drive them through successful completion.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Network Engineering.
• Strong hands‑on experience supporting OT, industrial, manufacturing, or plant‑floor network environments.
• Strong understanding of enterprise LAN/WAN architecture and network security.

Hands‑on expertise with:

• Routing and Switching
• VLANs
• Firewalls
• Secure Connectivity
• Network Redundancy and High Availability
• LAN/WAN Networks
• Wireless Networking
• Network Monitoring and Troubleshooting
• Experience supporting production‑critical or high‑availability network environments.
• Experience with network deployments, upgrades, maintenance windows, migrations, and cutovers.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex network and connectivity issues in fast‑paced operational environments.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to independently manage technical tasks and take ownership from planning through implementation and completion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in manufacturing, automotive, industrial, or plant‑floor environments.
• Strong understanding of OT cybersecurity principles and best practices.
• Experience with Industrial DMZ (IDMZ) and OT network segmentation strategies.
• Experience supporting automation, controls, industrial equipment, or edge‑connected systems.
• Experience working on large‑scale OT network deployments, plant expansions, or modernization projects.
• Experience collaborating with production engineering, maintenance, automation, and plant operations teams.
• Experience developing network standards, architecture documentation, deployment procedures, or technical guidelines.
• Relevant networking or security certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, CISSP, or equivalent certifications.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a senior‑level, hands‑on Network Engineer with substantial experience in OT and manufacturing environments. This is not a traditional corporate IT networking role.

The successful candidate should have a strong combination of technical expertise in OT networking, LAN/WAN, routing and switching, firewalls, network segmentation, IDMZ, industrial connectivity, high availability, and troubleshooting.

The ideal candidate will also be comfortable working directly in a manufacturing plant and collaborating with both enterprise IT and plant engineering teams. They should be capable of acting as a technical liaison, understanding production requirements, and delivering secure and reliable network solutions while minimizing operational downtime.