Consultant (Operational Technology)

Job Summary

We are seeking a seasoned Operational Technology (OT) Consultant to lead and support strategic advisory engagements for industrial clients in Electric Generation, Refining, and optionally Pharmaceutical and Data Center sectors. This role is focused on providing client-facing advisory services to assist organizations to assess, plan, and modernize their control system environments, including DCS, PLC, and SCADA, while aligning with business goals, regulatory requirements, and cybersecurity standards.

This is a high-impact role for professionals who thrive at the intersection of technology, strategy, and client engagement. You’ll help industrial organizations navigate complex modernization efforts, improve operational resilience, and unlock long-term value from their control systems.

Key Responsibilities

•    Serve as a trusted advisor to client engagements guiding OT strategy, modernization, and risk mitigation effectively leading internal & client project teams, along with system vendors, through the full automation lifecycle from conceptual design to site startup and client handover.
•    Facilitate workshops and stakeholder interviews to define control philosophies, functional requirements, and system objectives.
•    Lead assessments of existing control system architectures (DCS, PLC, SIS) and develop actionable roadmaps for upgrades, migrations, and integrations.
•    Lead design, specification, and selection of OT / ICS systems.
•    Lead testing, troubleshooting, and optimization of control systems to ensure performance and reliability.
•    Provide expert input to ensure control systems are scoped and aligned with project goals.
•    Support proposal development, client presentations, and strategic planning for high-value engagements.
•    Document system designs, test plans, and results for internal and client use.
•    Assess compliance with regulatory, safety, and cybersecurity standards (e.g., NERC CIP, NIST, API, TSA, ISA/IEC 62443).
•    Collaborate with internal teams and external vendors to ensure cohesive and technically sound solutions.
•    Continuously enhance technical knowledge through training, mentorship, and innovation.
•    Mentor junior consultants and contribute to the development of best practices and standards.

Consulting Capability:

• Ensures individual contributions are aligned with client needs and consistent with overall engagement objectives

• Understands and consistently meets client expectations within scope of engagement role by responding promptly and professionally to their inquiries

• Applies methods or recognized equivalent as appropriate to meet the specific needs of the client and engagement demands

• Conducts situation analysis through client interviews and documents research to determine the business strengths and weaknesses to identify preliminary engagement priorities

• May have matrix management responsibilities for resources on a project 

Industry Knowledge Capability:

• Applies detailed knowledge of a distinct area of expertise to produce work products

• Develops and presents recommendations and alternatives to the client by leveraging technical or functional knowledge or prior experience in the chosen business area

• Uses expertise to integrate findings from research and develops alternative solutions

• Presents alternatives and recommendations to client or team

• Proactively develops additional knowledge applicable to the area of expertise 

Project Delivery:

• Manages the delivery of at least two stages of an engagement using the assigned methodology

• Identifies and assess risks and participates in developing mitigation strategies. Escalates significant issues to appropriate engagement management

• Contributes to the development of a project plan for team or sub-engagement

• Raises scope change concerns to management based on the contractual terms of the engagement  

Scope:

• Billable Hours target established in annual goal setting process. Generally works on 1-4 concurrent projects at a given time. 

Management Responsibility: Does not have management responsibility for the people to whom they provide work direction. Positions receiving work direction: Analyst, Consulting & Sr. Analyst, Consulting.

Management Responsibilities

Preferred Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree in engineering, technology, or related field.
•    Direct experience supporting electric generation or refinery control system environments in either a prior advisory role or as a direct employee.
•    10+ years of experience in control systems consulting or engineering, with a strong advisory focus.
•    Deep familiarity with multiple DCS and PLC vendor products and platforms 
•    Knowledge of OT DAQ and historian systems
•    Knowledge of OT cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., NERC CIP, ISA/IEC 62443), alarm management, and safety systems.
•    Strong Stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution skills
•    Strong verbal and written communication skills, with ability to influence and collaborate across teams, translate technical concepts into business value.
•    Experience in Pharmaceutical or Data Center environments is a plus.
•    General project scheduling ability

•    Master’s degree in engineering, business, or another related field
•    PE license or relevant certifications preferred.
•    PMP Certification
•    Experience with FEL/FEED project phases and capital project planning.
•    Prior industrial operations experience in addition to controls experience.
•    Asset Management Industry Practices
•    Experience with SIS, Safety Instrument Systems.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree or relevant work experience. 4+ years experience in a business/consulting environment.  All applicants must be able to complete pre-employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include any/all of the following: criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Certifications

Certifications related to area of expertise, where applicable preferred.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

Normal office environment

Competencies

Salary Plan

Job Grade