IT OT Engineering Specialist

Thermo Fisher Scientific•Whitby, ON

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Pharma Services Group (PSG) IT/OT Engineering Specialist, you will serve as the on-site IT/OT bridge for the Whitby site, pulling together shared services support, local execution, and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver secure, compliant, and reliable IT/OT services for manufacturing and QC laboratory operations in a regulated (GxP) environment.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in IT infrastructure and/or IT/OT support in a regulated manufacturing and/or laboratory environment.
Relevant experience may include co-op/internship or new graduate roles where scope included hands-on support and incident troubleshooting.
College diploma or University degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
Equivalent combinations of education, training, and relevant work experience may be considered.
Demonstrated ability to own end-to-end troubleshooting for IT/OT issues impacting lab and manufacturing operations, using a structured approach to isolate root cause and drive permanent fixes.
Strong capability to operate within a shared-services and limited-privilege model by collecting evidence locally, escalating effectively to the correct resolver group, and following through to closure.
Working knowledge of regulated (GxP/GMP) expectations as they apply to IT/OT support, including documentation discipline, audit readiness, and risk-based decision making.
Experience supporting or coordinating backup, retention, storage/capacity, and recovery readiness for lab and OT workloads; comfortable verifying logs, test restores, and addressing gaps proactively.
Ability to define technical requirements for lab and OT connectivity (ports/protocols, access needs, performance expectations) and coordinate implementation across global/shared service teams (e.g., Networking, Cybersecurity, IAM, Server/Windows, VMware/Virtualization, Storage/Backup, End User Computing) and vendors.
Working knowledge of Windows administration fundamentals and enterprise identity concepts (e.g., Active Directory groups/access patterns) and the ability to troubleshoot authentication and authorization issues.
Experience with virtualization platforms and concepts (e.g., VMware), including diagnosing issues spanning host, VM, network, network, storage, and application layers.
Practical understanding of network fundamentals (switching/routing concepts, VLANs, DNS/DHCP, firewall rule intent) sufficient to troubleshoot connectivity issues and request correct changes from network/security teams.
Familiarity with lab and manufacturing system environments (e.g., LIMS/CDS/instrument connectivity, SCADA/HMI/historian ecosystems) and the ability to work with vendors and SMEs to restore service quickly.
Strong documentation skills, including producing clear incident notes, RCA summaries, connectivity requirements, and maintaining asset/CMDB accuracy.
Effective planning and prioritization skills across concurrent incidents and project work, including stakeholder communication, expectation-setting, and escalation based on business risk.
Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical issues into business impact and risk language for non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Be the on-site technical SME and primary point of contact for the Whitby IT/OT support function, acting as the bridge between site stakeholders (QC, Engineering/Automation, Manufacturing) and global/shared IT teams.
Deliver site IT services including business application and infrastructure support, end-user support (desktop, access & administration), and regulated environment support (Quality, SOX, GxP), including customer-specific data delivery where applicable.
Own end-to-end incident troubleshooting for lab and manufacturing systems, using a structured approach (verify device/client/services/network), documenting findings, and driving resolution to root cause rather than temporary workarounds.
Operate effectively within a shared-services and limited-privilege model by gathering evidence locally, identifying the correct resolver group or vendor, escalating with clear technical detail, and following through to closure.
Lead the definition of technical requirements for lab and OT connectivity (ports/protocols, access needs, performance expectations), and coordinate implementation with the appropriate global/shared services teams (e.g., Networking, Cybersecurity, IAM, Server/Windows, VMware/Virtualization, Storage/Backup, End User Computing) and vendors as required.
Support and maintain lab and manufacturing system availability by proactively managing common operational risks such as storage/capacity constraints, backup integrity, retention, and recovery readiness for OT and lab workloads.
Coordinate patching, antivirus, and maintenance activities for regulated systems using a risk-based approach, ensuring appropriate testing, stakeholder alignment, and documented evidence consistent with GxP expectations.
Drive disciplined intake and work management by ensuring requests and incidents are captured via formal ticketing, prioritized with stakeholders, and sequenced across support and project workstreams.
Create and maintain audit-ready documentation including system inventories, support runbooks, diagrams/data-flow descriptions as needed, and CMDB/asset records to ensure clear ownership and traceability.
Use ServiceNow for incident/request/change records and CMDB accuracy, and follow TrackWise (or the applicable Quality process) for GxP-impacting changes, ensuring clear scope, testing evidence, approvals, and formal closure.
Provide coordination and smart-hands support for physical IT/OT infrastructure when required (computer rooms, IDFs/MDFs, basic equipment deployment support), working with the appropriate infrastructure teams for configuration changes.
Support segmentation and security-zoning initiatives for OT and lab environments (aligned to ISA-95/Purdue concepts where applicable) by coordinating required access patterns and resolving issues introduced by segmentation controls.
Collaborate with Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Global IT on industrial cybersecurity and IIoT-related site initiatives as applicable, including asset visibility, risk remediation, and implementation support.
Follow all Environmental Health & Safety Policies and Procedures.
Work collaboratively with fellow team members, modelling positive team principles and partnering to meet project and departmental objectives.
Perform all duties within strict compliance to Patheon quality systems Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Maintain workspace in a clean and orderly fashion.
Effectively engage in and adhere to departmental systems to maintain a smooth and efficient workflow (visual management, scheduling systems, etc.).
Always be client and patient conscious.
Understand Key Performance Indicators and strive to improve the performance of the team by identifying areas for system improvements and engage in problem solving.
Model positive thinking and is open to change, motivating the team to adapt to shifts in priorities and new ways of working.
Proactively identify areas for improvement in the execution of procedures.
Communicate risks to timelines in an initiative-taking manner.
Consistently strives to improve skills and knowledge in related field.