OT Administrator

City of Manhattan Kansas•Manhattan, KS

12d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the direction of the Network Coordinator and Treatment Plant Superintendents, the Operational Technology (OT) Administrator is responsible for the secure, reliable, and continuous operation of OT systems that support the Water and Wastewater facilities. This position administers, monitors, and troubleshoots OT networks and endpoints, while also assisting with the City’s virtual server environment and enterprise backup and recovery platforms.

Requirements

Associates Degree in information technology, computer networking/network engineering, management information systems (MIS), computer science, cybersecurity, or a related field.
1-3 years of experience with security applications, programming, monitoring and incident response, vulnerability management, systems support, network & server technology experience required.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered as meeting the minimum qualifications.
Valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree in information technology, computer networking/network engineering, management information systems (MIS), computer science, cybersecurity, or a related field.
3-5 years of experience with security applications, programming, monitoring and incident response, vulnerability management, systems support, network & server technology experience required.
A+, Network+, or Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

Responsibilities

Administer and support SCADA servers, HMIs, historian, alarm/notification services, and engineering workstations.
Maintain communications between SCADA system, PLCs/RTUs, and process networks, including EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU via gateways, and serial-to-IP where applicable.
Monitor alarms, events, and system health; coordinate with operators on troubleshooting and operational impacts.
Support reliable connectivity to remote sites, including booster stations, lift stations, reservoirs, and wells, using fiber, licensed/unlicensed radio, cellular VPN, or leased circuits.
Troubleshoot network and communication path issues impacting telemetry, control, and time synchronization.
Coordinate with instrumentation/electrical staff and integrators for I/O mapping, addressing, and communications validation without inadvertently changing process logic.
Implement OT-specific hardening (account management, least privilege, service control, application allowlisting where possible).
Manage anti-malware/EDR deployment strategies appropriate for OT environments, including testing, compatibility review, and maintenance window coordination.
Maintain OT vulnerability management practices, including asset inventory, risk-based patching, compensating controls when patching is not feasible.
Plan and execute OT patching and upgrades in coordination with operations, including maintenance windows, testing, and rollback planning.
Maintain firmware/software lifecycle plans for SCADA components, hypervisors, and network equipment.
Use controlled change management processes for OT changes and document approvals, testing, and outcomes.
Maintain current asset inventories for hardware and software, network diagrams, backups/restore runbooks, and standard operating procedures.
Support cybersecurity assessments aligned with sector practices (e.g., NIST-based controls and internal City policies).
Track and maintain records related to user accounts, access reviews, and system/configuration backups.
Manage backup systems for OT servers, workstations, and critical configurations, including SCADA databases, historian data, alarm configurations, PLC programs where policy allows, and firewall/switch configurations.
Operate and monitor backup and replication jobs for supported systems and infrastructure.
Perform routine restore testing and assist with disaster recovery and continuity planning for key services.
Maintain offline or immutable backup protections, ensure backup infrastructure access is restricted, and monitor backups for timely remediation of failures.
Provision and decommission virtual machines.
Manage compute, storage, network resources supporting the virtual server environment.
Patch and maintain host firmware, drivers, hypervisors, and management applications within approved maintenance windows.
Apply secure baselines and monitor performance and availability; troubleshoot and remediate issues.

Benefits

Boot, Clothing and Vehicle Allowances, if applicable.
City issued Cell Phone, if applicable.
Retirement/Pension - City employees are required by statute to contribute to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). Voluntary retirement contributions are offered with Nationwide, Mission Square, and Empower KPERS 457.
Medical, Dental, Vision - The City offers an excellent benefits package that includes wellness, medical, vision, dental, and prescription drug benefits.
Paid Holidays – 10.5 paid holidays per year plus one additional floating holiday.
Paid Vacation - 12 to 26 days per year based on years of service.
Paid Sick Leave - 12 days per year.
Paid Parental Leave - up to 6 weeks of paid leave.
Education Reimbursement, Professional Development. Certifications/Licensure - The City will reimburse up to $8,000 per calendar year for tuition and fees. Professional Development funds are based on department budget. Certification/licensure may be reimbursed by the City.
Other Benefits - Long-term disability, employer paid group life insurance, basic life insurance, employee assistance program and an array of voluntary benefit options.