SCADA & Utilities Operational Technology Technician

Village of Tequesta•Tequesta, FL

1d•$73,830 - $110,745•Onsite

About The Position

Under the general direction of the Utilities Director or designee, this position serves as the Utilities Department’s technical resource for SCADA and process-control systems supporting the Water Treatment Plant and related water-production facilities. The role is responsible for programming, maintenance, troubleshooting, cybersecurity coordination, documentation, lifecycle support, and continuous improvement of SCADA, PLCs, HMIs, instrumentation, industrial communications, servers, workstations, and related control-system infrastructure. It performs hands-on technical work, coordinates with contractors and system integrators, supports capital improvement projects, and works closely with plant operations, maintenance, engineering, Information Technology, and the Village Electrician to maintain reliable, secure, and resilient treatment operations. The position reports to the Capital Improvement Project Manager and supervises no employees, although it may provide technical direction to contractors, consultants, and project teams. It supports SCADA and OT systems throughout their lifecycle, including project planning, procurement, installation, testing, commissioning, maintenance, cybersecurity, documentation, backup and recovery, and lifecycle replacement. It also provides technical guidance and training to plant operators and maintenance staff, and responds to operational and cybersecurity emergencies, including after-hours call-outs and storm or disaster assignments as required. Work takes place in an indoor office/control-room environment and at an active water treatment plant and related field facilities. The role may involve exposure to noise, wet or humid conditions, treatment chemicals, moving mechanical and electrical equipment, and outdoor weather. It may require climbing stairs or ladders, stooping, kneeling, reaching into control panels or equipment areas, and occasionally lifting or moving equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.

Requirements

One of the following education and experience combinations: bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology, computer science, information technology, instrumentation and controls, electronics, automation, or a closely related field and two years of experience in industrial control systems, SCADA, PLC programming, or process controls; associate degree in a related technical field and three years of experience in industrial control systems, SCADA, PLC programming, instrumentation, or process controls; or high school diploma or equivalency and five years of progressively responsible experience in these areas.
Valid Florida driver’s license and safe driving record.
National Incident Management System (NIMS) certification in accordance with Village policy.
Obtain VTScada Level 1 Configuration Certification within 12 months of employment and VTScada Level 2 Configuration Certification within 24 months, or complete comparable manufacturer training designated and approved by the Village within the same timeframes.
Advanced knowledge of SCADA, HMI, PLC, remote I/O, instrumentation, telemetry, industrial communications, data historians, alarm systems, and process-control principles.
Knowledge of PLC programming methods such as ladder logic and function block programming, and ability to analyze, modify, test, and document control logic.
Knowledge of industrial network architecture, Ethernet-based control networks, serial communications, switches, routers, firewalls, radios, remote-access systems, and commonly used industrial communication protocols.
Knowledge of OT and industrial control-system cybersecurity principles, including network segmentation, least-privilege access, secure remote access, backups, recovery, patch and firmware management, asset inventory, and incident response.
Knowledge of water-treatment instrumentation, including flow, pressure, level, analytical, chemical-feed, and process-monitoring devices, and ability to troubleshoot signal and communication issues.
Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, electrical and control schematics, network diagrams, control narratives, equipment submittals, plans, and technical specifications.
Ability to diagnose complex control-system problems, identify root causes, develop safe corrective actions, and restore critical systems under time-sensitive conditions.
Ability to understand water-treatment processes and evaluate how control-system changes may affect process performance, water quality, regulatory compliance, and plant reliability.
Ability to establish technical standards, maintain accurate documentation, and apply disciplined change-management practices to mission-critical systems.
Ability to manage multiple technical priorities, coordinate with contractors and consultants, prepare technical scopes and specifications, and communicate project status and recommendations to management.
Ability to train operators and staff and explain complex technical issues clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Utilities staff, Information Technology, Public Works, engineers, contractors, vendors, regulatory agencies, and other Village departments.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, protect sensitive infrastructure information, and maintain confidentiality of system architecture, credentials, and cybersecurity information.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting water or wastewater treatment, water production, or other continuous-process industrial facilities is strongly preferred.
Experience supporting technical projects and coordinating with contractors, system integrators, vendors, or multidisciplinary project teams is preferred.
ISA Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST), Certified Automation Professional (CAP), industrial cybersecurity certification, or similar technical certification is preferred.
Florida drinking water treatment operator license or demonstrated municipal water-treatment process experience is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Administer, monitor, maintain, and support the Water Treatment Plant SCADA and process-control environment, including VTScada applications, servers, workstations, historians, alarm notification systems, databases, communications equipment, and related interfaces.
Develop, modify, document, test, and deploy PLC programs, HMI screens, control logic, alarm logic, trends, reports, scripts, and other automation functions.
Troubleshoot and resolve failures involving SCADA software, PLCs, remote I/O, instrumentation, communication networks, industrial switches, radios, modems, protocol converters, variable frequency drive communications, control panels, and related OT equipment.
Monitor system performance and availability, perform preventive maintenance, identify recurring or emerging issues, and implement improvements to reliability, functionality, and maintainability.
Maintain OT network architecture and communications in coordination with Information Technology, including network segmentation, addressing, switches, firewalls or security appliances, secure remote access, and connectivity between control-system components.
Coordinate SCADA and OT cybersecurity practices with Information Technology and specialized vendors, including access and account management, backups and restoration testing, updates, vulnerability mitigation, logging, incident response, and continuity and disaster-recovery planning.
Maintain current backups of SCADA applications, PLC programs, configurations, server images, databases, and other critical OT assets, and establish restoration procedures for failures, cyber incidents, and emergencies.
Establish and maintain change-management practices and technical documentation, including network diagrams, control narratives, I/O lists, PLC and HMI version records, software-license inventories, device configurations, equipment lists, maintenance records, and redline drawings.
Provide technical review and support for capital improvement projects involving treatment equipment, automation, instrumentation, communications, electrical controls, or SCADA integration; review plans, specifications, submittals, control narratives, and programming requirements for compatibility with Village standards and existing systems.
Participate in factory acceptance testing, field testing, startup, commissioning, and performance verification of new or modified process-control equipment and SCADA systems, and coordinate correction of deficiencies.
Support SCADA and process-control projects from planning through implementation, including scopes of work, technical specifications, cost estimates, schedules, procurement, vendor coordination, testing, commissioning, documentation, and closeout.
Serve as the Utilities Department liaison to SCADA integrators, instrumentation vendors, engineers, consultants, Information Technology staff, and other technical service providers; coordinate support and evaluate contractor performance.
Maintain an inventory of critical SCADA/OT spare parts, software licenses, support agreements, specialized tools, and replacement equipment, and recommend budget needs for maintenance, upgrades, and lifecycle replacement.
Analyze alarms, trends, historian data, and control-system performance to assist Operations staff with process optimization, troubleshooting, regulatory compliance, and reliable treatment performance.
Protect operational data used for regulatory reporting, operational decision-making, and historical records, and assist with data retrieval and technical reporting.
Provide technical training and guidance to Water Treatment Plant operators and maintenance staff on SCADA functionality, alarm response, automated controls, basic troubleshooting, and operational changes.
Coordinate with the Village Electrician and qualified electrical personnel; perform or support low-voltage control and instrumentation work within training and authorization, and refer high-voltage work and major electrical installations to qualified personnel.
Evaluate SCADA, PLC, instrumentation, networking, and OT technologies and recommend standards and improvements supporting reliability, cybersecurity, efficiency, and maintainability.
Respond to SCADA/OT failures, alarms, cybersecurity events, communication outages, and other operational emergencies, including after-hours response, emergency call-out, and storm or disaster assignments as required.
Communicate professionally and coordinate work with co-workers, management, Village officials, engineers, contractors, vendors, regulatory agencies, and others to minimize disruption to plant operations.
Comply with Village policies, safety requirements, cybersecurity procedures, operational standards, and regulatory requirements.
Attend meetings, conferences, workshops, and technical training as assigned.
Assist with technical budgets, specifications, procurement documents, reports, and recommendations related to SCADA and OT systems.
Perform other related duties and assume other responsibilities as required or delegated.