Senior OT Network Engineer - Secure Industrial SD-Access

Kforce Inc; Liberty (NC); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Kforce is seeking a hands-on Senior OT Network Engineer in Liberty, NC to join their System Solution team. This onsite role bridges IT and plant engineering, designing secure industrial networks using Cisco SDA and microsegmentation to prevent unplanned downtime across manufacturing environments.

You will lead OT infrastructure deployment, implement zero-trust designs, and mentor IT staff on OT security. The role requires proven expertise in SDA, IDMZ, macro- and micro-segmentation, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive network engineering experience.
• OT security expertise with zero-trust, IDMZ, and segmentation.
• Strong hands-on experience troubleshooting routing, switching, and fabric-based issues in high-availability environments.
• Active certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, CISSP, or GICSP.

Responsibilities

• OT Infrastructure Delivery: Lead deployment, modernization, and lifecycle management of OT network infrastructure.
• Zero-Trust Network Design: Architect secure industrial networks with IDMZ, macro-segmentation, and granular microsegmentation across Purdue Model layers.
• SD-Access Implementation: Drive adoption of Cisco SD-Access within OT environment to automate fabric deployment and enforce identity-based access.
• Operational & Escalation Support: Provide tier-3 troubleshooting for complex network incidents and coordinate major cutovers, upgrades, and maintenance windows.
• Mentorship & Collaboration: Translate production requirements for IT and plant teams, while mentoring local IT support on OT network and security fundamentals.
• Enterprise LAN/WAN and industrial OT network environments.
• Cisco SD-Access (SDA) fabric architectures, DNA Center/Catalyst Center, and Cisco ISE.
• Microsegmentation (identity-based policies, host-level security, or software-defined firewalls).
• VLANs, routing, switching, redundancy, and Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW).
• Industrial wireless networks and high-availability design.

Skills

OT Security

Fabric troubleshooting

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

10+ years in network engineering

Tools

Cisco SDA

DNA Center

Catalyst Center

Cisco ISE

Job description

Kforce is seeking a hands-on Senior OT Network Engineer in Liberty, NC to join their System Solution team. This onsite role bridges IT and plant engineering, designing secure industrial networks using Cisco SDA and microsegmentation to prevent unplanned downtime across manufacturing environments.

You will lead OT infrastructure deployment, implement zero-trust designs, and mentor IT staff on OT security. The role requires proven expertise in SDA, IDMZ, macro- and micro-segmentation, and