Senior / Principal Security Architect (OT)

Xcel Energy Inc; Denver, Minneapolis, Amarillo (CO, MN, TX); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Pharmacy Plan

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Pension

401(k) plan

Paid time off (PTO)

Holidays

Job summary

Xcel Energy Inc, a leading utility in the United States, is seeking a Senior/Principal Security Architect to design and deliver secure IT and OT solutions for critical infrastructure. The role emphasizes collaboration with operations, engineering, and security teams to implement robust security controls across substations, generation sites, and associated OT assets.

The role requires hands-on experience in ICS/OT security and strong communication.

Qualifications

• 8+ years IT experience, including 5 years in IT engineering and cybersecurity.
• Strong verbal/written communication and presentation skills.
• Experience collaborating with internal stakeholders, 3rd parties, and management.
• Ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience with technology implementation projects for enterprise-scale organizations.

Responsibilities

• OT/ICS Security Architecture: Define security patterns and reference architectures for industrial control environments (e.g., SCADA, DCS, PLC/HMI).
• Network Segmentation & Remote Access: Define segmentation, secure remote access, and monitoring for OT networks and vendor connectivity.
• Governance & Standards: Develop security baselines, hardening standards, and exception processes for OT assets and infrastructure; manage compliance drift.
• Operational Collaboration: Partner with controls engineering, field technicians, plant operations, and maintenance to implement security improvements.
• Incident Readiness: Improve detection and response for OT environments, including logging/telemetry, playbooks, and tabletop exercises.
• Documentation and Reusability: Create use cases and implementation patterns.
• Regulation and Compliance: Ensure adherence to NERC CIP and TSA directives for OT and IT/cloud services.

Skills

IT experience

IT engineering & cyber security

Communication skills

Stakeholder collaboration

Influence without authority

Enterprise-scale projects experience

Job description

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) is a leading energy provider and Fortune 500 company, dedicated to serving millions of electricity and natural gas customers across eight states: Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Texas. We make energy work better for our customers, helping them thrive every day. That means always raising the bar – delivering better service and providing more reliable, resilient, and sustainable energy.

Xcel Energy supports a hybrid work model to enable collaboration and flexibility. Many roles are expected to work onsite three days per week (Tuesday–Thursday); however, work location expectations vary based on role, team, and business needs.

Position Summary

The security architect ensures that Xcel’s technology services are designed and delivered securely across both Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) environments. This role emphasizes security for industrial and critical infrastructure facilities such as electric substations, gas compressor stations, and generation sites. This is an opportunity to partner with operations and engineering teams to define practical security approaches that protect reliability and safety while enabling business outcomes. A successful candidate will bring hands‑on experience in roles such as controls engineering, field technician/field operations, or industrial control system (ICS) design or operations, along with strong security architecture skills. They will advise stakeholders on security methods and practices, champion best practices and standards that reduce risk across Xcel’s footprint, and collaborate with peers across security, technology, and business teams.

Essential Responsibilities

• OT/ICS Security Architecture: Work with the business to define security patterns and reference architectures for industrial control environments (e.g., SCADA, DCS, PLC/HMI).
• Network Segmentation & Remote Access: Define and govern segmentation (zones/conduits), secure remote access, and monitoring strategies for OT networks and vendor/contractor connectivity.
• Governance & Standards: Develop security control baselines, hardening standards, and exception processes for OT assets and supporting infrastructure; ensure compliance drift is managed.
• Operational Collaboration: Partner with controls engineering, field technicians, plant operations, and maintenance teams to implement security improvements that work in real-world operating environments.
• Incident Readiness: Improve detection and response for OT environments, including logging/telemetry requirements, playbooks, and tabletop exercises with operations.
• Documentation and Reusability: Create products such as use cases and implementation patterns.
• Regulation and Compliance: Ensure adherence to regulatory frameworks such as NERC CIP and TSA Security Directive 2, including applicability to OT facilities and supporting IT/cloud services where used.

Minimum Requirements (Senior Security Architect) – comp range: $112,200 - 159,400

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in IT, including 5 years’ direct experience in IT engineering and cyber security.
• Demonstrated verbal/written communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with internal stakeholders, 3rd parties, and management.
• Ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience with technology implementation projects for enterprise-scale organizations.

Minimum Requirements (Principal Security Architect) – comp range: $129,000 – 183,200

• 5 years of experience in systems architecture or systems engineering.
• 10 years of experience in Information Security.
• 3 years of experience designing complex systems.
• 3 years of experience with systems integration and engineering.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Must be able to understand and respond to clients' business needs.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with internal employees, third parties, and management to develop solutions and ensure stakeholder buy-in.
• Ability to influence without direct authority.
• Preferred: Information Security experience in the electric utility industry.
• Preferred: Experience with technology implementation projects for enterprise-scale organizations.

Preferred Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in security architecture, cybersecurity engineering, or control systems engineering, including work that interfaces with industrial/OT environments.
• Hands-on experience with OT/ICS technologies and environments (e.g., SCADA, PLC/HMI, DCS) and the operational constraints of critical infrastructure.
• Knowledge of network segmentation concepts and secure remote access patterns for OT/vendor connectivity.
• Experience with OT security frameworks and guidance (e.g., IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82) and applying them pragmatically in operating environments.
• Experience working with vendors/contractors supporting industrial equipment and control systems, including secure access and support models.
• Certifications such as GICSP, CISSP, CCSP, CCSK, or AWS Certified Security.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations and compliance requirements such as NERC CIP, TSA, and 10 CFR 810.

Our culture is grounded in shared values and employee commitments that guide how we work, support one another, and grow together.

Our Values

Connected, Committed, Trustworthy, Safe

Our Employee Commitments

• Work that makes a difference
• A team you can count of
• Opportunities to grow
• Rewards that help you thrive

The anticipated starting base pay for this position is: $130,000.00 to $183,200.00 per year

This position is eligible for the following benefits:

• Annual Incentive Program
• Medical/Pharmacy Plan
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Savings Account (HSA) (if enrolled in eligible health plan)
• Limited-Purpose FSA (if enrolled in eligible health plan and HSA)
• Transportation Reimbursement Account
• Short-term disability (STD)
• Long-term disability (LTD)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Fitness Center Reimbursement (if enrolled in eligible health plan)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Transit programs
• Employee recognition program
• Pension
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Holidays
• Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO)
• Parental Leave

Benefit plans are subject to change and Xcel Energy has the right to end, suspend, or amend any of its plans, at any time, in whole or in part.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information including but not limited to dates of school attendance and graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Deadline to Apply: 11/01/26

All Xcel Energy employees and contractors share responsibility for protecting the company's information and systems by adhering to cybersecurity policies, standards, and best practices, recognizing that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.

Accessibility Statement

Xcel Energy endeavors to make https://www.xcelenergy.com and https://jobs.xcelenergy.com accessible to any and all users. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, now or at any time in the future, please complete the Applicant Accommodation Request Form. For any other application related questions, including application follow‑ups or technical issues, please use our Recruiting Assistance, Electra, for assistance. Electra can be found in the lower right-hand corner of our Xcel Energy Careers site.