Automation & Operations Technology Engineer

Danone•Jacksonville, FL

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Automation & Operations Technology Engineer will be the single point of contact for Operational Technology Cybersecurity strategy, improvement, and maintenance. This role will also act as a liaison between plant operations and regional and global IT and Cybersecurity teams. The position will be responsible for Danone plants in Jacksonville, FL and Minster, OH. The primary responsibility will be to use cybersecurity tools (Claroty, Hackuity, Qualys, Firewalls, Beyond Trust, Factory Talk Security) for threat mitigation, vulnerability management, alert monitoring, preventing unauthorized access, and remote access management. The role aims to maximize the availability of industrial automation systems, including hardware, network, SCADA software, databases, and the integration of new components and solutions. The Automation & Operations Technology Engineer will collaborate with operations and engineering teams on corporate and plant initiatives, ensuring all cybersecurity policies are followed. This role will also support automation improvement projects, actively participate in patching campaigns during planned shutdowns, and assist in recovery efforts during outages caused by cybersecurity incidents. The candidate must be able to lift a minimum of 30 lbs, have stamina and endurance for occasional long hours, be willing to travel stateside & abroad, and be available for on-call duties and flexible hours during special projects.

Requirements

Experience and working knowledge in OT Cybersecurity program management
Experience and working knowledge in Industrial networking and communication protocols (OPC-UA, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP, IO Link, AS-i)
Rockwell/Siemens/Schneider PLC programming
Basic Electrical knowledge and comfort working with 24VDC, 120VAC and 480VAC control systems and their associated components
Auto Cad and Microsoft Visio
Familiarity with the following SCADA or HMI systems is a plus: Ignition Wonderware Factory Talk View SE/ME
Familiarity with programming languages and SQL programming is a plus
Microsoft Office suite and Microsoft server environments
Must be self-directed and able to work independently as well as part of a team
Must be organized and self-disciplined to accommodate the management of concurrent projects
Excellent conflict resolution and interpersonal skills
Experience in IT and OT network segregation using Purdue model
Fast learner, open to learn new things (attending training & certification related to the role as needed) and adapts to change
ISA/IES 62443 or any other Cybersecurity Certification is a plus
Must speak English
5+ years of job experience in automation and operations technology
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with a minimum of 5 years of experience in manufacturing related to automation and operations technologies OR minimum of 10 years of experience in food manufacturing related to information systems and automation technologies in lieu of degree.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with the following SCADA or HMI systems is a plus: Ignition Wonderware Factory Talk View SE/ME
Familiarity with programming languages and SQL programming is a plus
ISA/IES 62443 or any other Cybersecurity Certification is a plus

Responsibilities

Enforce Danone Global OT cybersecurity policies and standards
Daily health check on all OT systems
Continuous improvement of Cybersecurity KPI (Vulnerability, Cybersecurity alerts, Backup systems management, PLC Security)
Formal monthly reporting of Cybersecurity KPI’s to plant directors, automation director and regional security officer
Report high priority incidents related to cybersecurity to automation director and regional cyber security
Replace and plant leadership team Industrial legacy system migration related obsolete operating system, database and automation software
Industrial Automation Asset Management and data contextualization using Claroty xDome
Management of vendor remote access to OT systems
Management of vendor onsite wireless access to OT systems
Participate in Cybersecurity audits and maintain audit reports
Continuous improvement of industrial automation systems
Maintain and update industrial automation architecture drawings and network monitoring software (HiVision, PRTG)
Industrial automation hardware life cycle management (obsolescence)
Organize windows patch install in industrial automation servers and workstations with the Americas server infrastructure team
Master plan development for industrial networking and industrial applications roadmap
Share knowledge and learnings through Danone North America networking
Enforce Danone North America automation standards and specifications as part of plant initiatives and projects
Facilitate meetings with the regional IT teams regarding continuous improvement of system performance, reliability, and obsolescence
Monthly travel required to Jacksonville or Minster (estimated travel ~30% - 40%), to be managed by the candidate based on business needs