Principal Technical Consultant - Operational Technology, Network Security

AHEAD

8d•$180,000 - $195,000

About The Position

AHEAD is seeking a senior technical leader and trusted advisor to serve as the primary technical resource for Operational Technology (OT) assessments and strategy, roadmap, design, and plan (SRDP) engagements. This hands-on role leads technical discovery, workshops, industrial-environment analysis, architecture and roadmap development, delivery-team guidance, and presentations to client leaders. The consultant works with audiences ranging from automation engineers and plant leadership to CISOs and CIOs, while shaping AHEAD’s OT capability and delivering client engagements across industries where uptime, safety, and resilience are critical. The role assesses OT and industrial control system (ICS) environments, including assets, networks, control systems, dependencies, ownership, operational constraints, and maturity across people, processes, and technology. It evaluates architecture and cybersecurity practices, identifies risks and lifecycle concerns, and produces current- and future-state architecture views, findings, maturity assessments, and prioritized roadmaps. Recommendations must account for safety, availability, production continuity, maintenance windows, performance, and long OT lifecycles. The consultant leads technical teams and engagement workstreams, reviews deliverable quality, mentors consultants, collaborates with project managers and other AHEAD practices, and helps develop repeatable methods and reference architectures. The role also contributes to business development through qualification meetings, scopes of work, estimates, proposals, and client-facing thought leadership. Travel to client sites is required as engagements require.

Requirements

10 or more years delivering complex technology, cybersecurity, network, or engineering solutions, with significant Operational Technology or ICS experience.
Demonstrated experience leading OT or ICS assessments, architecture, segmentation, cybersecurity, or modernization engagements.
Strong understanding of control-system architectures and industrial protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, or OPC UA.
Strong OT networking and security depth, including routing and switching, firewalls, industrial DMZs, segmentation, remote access, identity, and monitoring.
Ability to explain the operational impact of technical decisions where safety, availability, and production continuity are critical.
Experience producing architecture diagrams, maturity assessments, prioritized roadmaps, and executive presentations.
Experience facilitating workshops with stakeholders from the plant floor through executive leadership.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor complex material to the audience.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, delegate, review work, and mentor others.
Willingness to travel to client sites as engagements require.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with ISA/IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82, NIST CSF, NERC CIP, FDA, or other industry-specific requirements.
Background in manufacturing, energy, utilities, water, healthcare, transportation, chemicals, or pharmaceuticals.
Experience with OT asset discovery and passive monitoring platforms, industrial firewalls, secure remote access, or OT security operations.
Experience with IT/OT convergence, edge platforms, industrial wireless, private 5G, or OT data platforms.
Experience developing estimates, work breakdown structures, service briefs, or statements of work.
Certifications such as GICSP, GRID, CISSP, ISA/IEC 62443, or CCNP/CCIE.

Responsibilities

Serve as primary technical lead for OT assessments, OT strategy work, and SRDP workstreams.
Plan and facilitate discovery workshops, site visits, technical deep dives, and executive working sessions.
Establish safe, non-disruptive discovery approaches that respect production schedules, safety requirements, and change control.
Assess client assets, networks, control systems, dependencies, ownership, operational constraints, and maturity across people, process, and technology.
Identify risks, gaps, single points of failure, and lifecycle concerns affecting security, reliability, visibility, and resilience.
Produce current- and future-state architecture views, findings, maturity assessments, and prioritized roadmaps tied to business impact, investment, and sequencing.
Own the technical quality of deliverables and present findings to engineering teams, plant and operations leaders, and executives.
Analyze OT and ICS architectures, including PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, DCS, historians, MES, engineering workstations, safety systems, and connected edge environments.
Evaluate IT/OT connectivity, Purdue-aligned design, zones and conduits, industrial DMZs, segmentation, remote access, and third-party connectivity.
Assess asset inventory, passive visibility, communication flows, protocol use, legacy platforms, and compensating controls.
Evaluate identity and access, endpoint protection, vulnerability and patch management, monitoring, incident response, backup, and recovery practices.
Balance security recommendations against safety, availability, performance, maintenance windows, and long OT lifecycles.
Apply recognized standards, including NIST SP 800-82, ISA/IEC 62443, and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, as well as applicable regulatory requirements.
Provide technical perspective on secure remote operations, edge computing, industrial wireless and private 5G, cloud-connected OT, and OT data.
Lead and delegate work across technical consultants, engineers, and client resources on one or more workstreams.
Break complex problems into work packages with clear approaches, decision points, and acceptance criteria.
Coordinate with Project Managers, account teams, and other AHEAD practices to deliver integrated solutions.
Review technical work for accuracy and clarity, and mentor consultants on architecture, analysis, documentation, and client interaction.
Contribute repeatable methods, templates, and reference architectures for the OT practice.
Participate in discovery and qualification meetings as the OT subject matter expert.
Help shape scopes of work, estimates, work breakdown structures, assumptions, risks, and proposals.
Support technical solutioning and proposal presentations with senior client stakeholders.
Develop thought leadership, internal enablement, and client briefings that strengthen AHEAD’s OT brand.
Travel to client sites as engagements require.