Network Systems Engineer IT/OT & SCADA COMMUNICATION

Soffa Electric Inc•Folsom, CA

6h•$125,000 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Network Systems Engineer is responsible for the design, configuration, testing, commissioning, and ongoing support of communication networks and networked devices that enable both Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems. This role supports mission-critical infrastructure such as distributed telemetry networks, SCADA systems, Industrial Control Systems (ICS), and enterprise networks. The Engineer applies application-level engineering judgment to translate functional and operational requirements into secure, reliable, and high-availability communication and computing solutions. This role supports geographically distributed assets including plants, substations, control centers, and remote field installations, and collaborates closely with engineering, operations, application programmers, cybersecurity experts, and field teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
5+ years of experience designing, integrating, and supporting industrial or mission-critical communication networks.
Demonstrated experience with Layer 3 switching, VLAN segmentation, and routed networks.
Experience supporting SCADA, telemetry, or OT network environments.
Strong application engineering knowledge of industrial network topologies and redundancy models, Layer 2 and Layer 3 Ethernet switching, and VLAN and IP-based segmentation.
Proficiency in TCP/IP and UDP networking principles, and IP and serial communications and interfaces.
Working knowledge of virtualization and hypervisor technologies (VMware / Hyper-V / Proxmox).
Working knowledge of RF communication fundamentals and propagation.
Working knowledge of firewalls, VPNs, and secure gateways.
Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills across wired, wireless, and serial networks.
Ability to translate operational requirements into secure, reliable network designs and engineering solutions.
Detail-oriented with a focus on system availability, performance, and cybersecurity.
Effective written and verbal communication skills. Effective communicator with engineering, operations, and field teams.
Ability to work independently, as part of a multidisciplinary team, and collaboratively with professionalism and discretion.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other common business and collaboration tools.
Valid California Driver’s License.

Nice To Haves

Experience in water/wastewater, utilities, energy, or critical infrastructure environments.
Familiarity with industrial networking vendors (e.g., Cisco, Ruggedcom, Hirschmann, Moxa, Fortinet, Stratix, or equivalent).
Experience with RF propagation modeling tools.
Knowledge of OT cybersecurity standards and regulatory requirements.
Relevant certifications (CCNA/CCNP, Network+, Security+, radio, virtualization, or industrial networking certifications).

Responsibilities

Design, integrate, configure, test, and support industrial communication networks and telemetry systems supporting SCADA and OT environments.
Perform application engineering to ensure network solutions meet customer objectives, system requirements, performance targets, and environmental constraints.
Evaluate existing network and telemetry systems and recommend improvements or upgrades.
Integrate, configure, and support industrial network devices including core and edge Ethernet switches, Layer 3 switches and routers, firewalls, VPN appliances, secure gateways, radio transceivers, cellular modems, and telemetry devices.
Configure and maintain network equipment in accordance with internal standards and cybersecurity best practices.
Assist with equipment deployment, on-site configuration, and system troubleshooting.
Design industrial network topologies supporting reliability, redundancy, and deterministic communications.
Configure Layer 3 switches to support VLAN creation and segmentation, inter-VLAN routing, and traffic isolation and access controls.
Develop IP addressing schemes, subnetting strategies, and routing designs appropriate for OT environments.
Support secure IT/OT separation using firewalls, DMZ architectures, and VPN technologies.
Ensure proper integration of server rack infrastructure and network interconnection interfaces in accordance with project design, best practices, and engineering, safety, and documentation standards.
Establish physical and logical network interconnections between devices to support core network infrastructure and defined topologies.
Ensure rack and infrastructure builds align with cybersecurity, maintainability, and operational best practices.
Configure and assist with deployment of computer hardware including terminals, engineering workstations, and servers used to support SCADA and OT environments.
Install and configure hypervisors on physical hardware to enable secure, virtualized system implementations.
Deploy and configure operating systems in preparation for use by internal teams, including Automation Engineers responsible for SCADA application development and programming.
Collaborate with automation, controls, and IT teams to support development, testing, and deployment of SCADA applications.
Engineer and support distributed telemetry networks using wired and wireless communication paths.
Coordinate and perform radio feasibility studies and radio frequency (RF) assessments.
Analyze signal strength, interference, latency, throughput, and reliability issues.
Apply RF propagation principles to evaluate coverage, interference, throughput, and reliability.
Prepare formal documentation and reports for radio studies and system assessments.
Apply radio frequency (RF) propagation principles to design and troubleshoot wireless links.
Coordinate licensed and unlicensed radio systems and cellular communication paths.
Support IP-based and serial communication interfaces, including TCP/IP and UDP networking, Ethernet standards, and serial communications (RS-232, RS-485, RS-422).
Configure and troubleshoot industrial communication protocols such as DNP3, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU, and IEC 60870-5-104 or similar.
Ensure reliable end-to-end communications between field devices and control systems.
Utilize diagnostic and monitoring tools (e.g., SNMP, packet capture (Wireshark, traffic analysis)) to troubleshoot network and telemetry issues.
Apply cybersecurity best practices for industrial networks, including network segmentation, least-privilege access, secure device configurations, credential management, and encrypted communications and VPNs.
Support compliance with applicable standards and frameworks (e.g., NIST, IEC 62443, NERC CIP).
Collaborate with IT and cybersecurity teams to identify risks and implement mitigation strategies.
Develop and execute factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) for network and telemetry systems.
Support commissioning activities in substations, plants, control centers, and remote field locations.
Provide Tier II/III troubleshooting and operational support for network and telemetry issues.
Maintain accurate network diagrams, configuration records, and technical documentation.
Provide technical guidance and mentoring to engineers and technicians.
Support on-site customer and internal training as required.
Participate in ongoing training to maintain and expand knowledge of current and emerging technologies.
Collaborate with internal teams, customers, and vendors throughout the project lifecycle.