Specialist Telecom and Networks

Independent Electricity System Operator

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The IESO is committed to ensuring Ontario’s electricity system meets the province’s needs today and into the future. We are charged with purpose, delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity for homes, businesses, and communities across the province. We are energized to grow, embracing opportunities to shape the future of a dynamic and evolving energy sector while advancing our careers. We are powered by teamwork, supported by diverse and passionate colleagues who foster respect, celebrate successes, and thrive on shared achievements. At the IESO, it’s not just what we do—it’s who we are!

Our central role includes managing the provincial power grid in real-time, overseeing and evolving Ontario’s electricity market, engaging with government, municipalities and Indigenous communities, and planning for Ontario’s future electricity needs. Our employees play a key role in driving grid innovation, protecting the system from threats, advancing the province’s energy conservation programs, and forecasting and procuring the electricity resources we’ll need in the decades to come.

This is a unionized position that falls within the IT Operations Division in the Information & Technology Services Business Unit.

The energy sector is rapidly evolving, offering exciting new opportunities for those who want to make a difference.

As a Specialist, Telecom & Networks, you will be working as part of a dynamic team in a real-time environment, providing technical expertise for the IESO’s enterprise network and security infrastructure. The successful candidate will coordinate the implementation of all Network LAN, WAN, and Cyber Security Infrastructure components. This person is a technical expert, providing advice, direction, and solutions to infrastructure issues.
This individual will be responsible for providing project management support, technical leadership, and system expertise to projects and teams involved in the development, testing, and implementation of infrastructure facilities. You will investigate and evaluate new infrastructure components, monitor problems, and coordinate repairs with other technical/vendor support staff. You will also evaluate and coordinate all the customer’s infrastructure needs (storage, data, voice, etc.) to ensure an efficient infrastructure, and set up and present training seminars through lectures and hands-on training.
This position will involve 24x7 on-call support work.

IESO common infrastructure is composed of the following:

Telecommunications Facilities consist of data/voice communication networks supporting the following areas: collect and provide field data and control functions for power system operation, Market Participant Networks, Market Services, settlement services, call centre and office telephone systems.
Network Facilities are tightly integrated and linked with other IESO and non-IESO facilities, consist of a complex network of routers, switches, servers, gateways, firewalls/security devices and office WAN links. This infrastructure uses a number of platforms and protocols (Load Balancers, VPN, Wi-Fi, Web Proxy, Intrusion Prevention System, Advance Malware, Linux, Ethernet, TCP/IP, OSPF, BGP, DNP3, ICCP, MPLS, VoIP, PRI, Network Performance Monitoring, Diagnostics and Automation/Orchestration scripting.)

Requirements

• Requires knowledge of electronic theory, science, physics, applied mathematics, computer science and programming to carry out technical, or analytical studies related to the data/voice systems, network and network security systems used in the IESO infrastructure as it relates to the installation, inspection, maintenance or modification of equipment as well as provide advice and guidance to others.
• Requires knowledge of technical writing to prepare effective reports, procedures, and training materials.
• Requires considerable exposure to IESO business processes as might be acquired through experience in positions related to the power system, energy market operation, diagnosis and troubleshooting techniques, network communications equipment and cyber security device operation/maintenance.
• Requires experience in field metering and relaying, computer security and/or voice/data network communications work to become familiar with the installation, testing, servicing, troubleshooting and maintenance of IESO infrastructure equipment.
• Requires specific experience as applicable to the particular specialty of the group. Experience will be related to the fields of: (a) bulk power system/energy market operations pertaining to SCADA/RTU systems, (b) voice/data LAN/WAN networking, (c) network switches and routers (d) firewalls and security devices, and (e) storage and backup infrastructure (f) IT infrastructure services, including DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (IPAM).
• Requires a good knowledge of English to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, to interact with customers, train staff and prepare and update documentation.
• Such expertise will be in the areas of: (1) design concepts as they relate to troubleshooting, inspection and maintenance of IESO infrastructure components, (2) diagnostics and the application of voice/data solutions to meet IESO needs, (3) familiarity with IESO infrastructure and how it is used in IESO business processes, (4) network security theory and implementation, (5) concepts of power system/energy market operation pertaining to technical facilities as well as data/voice interchange between external systems.
• The successful candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada and will be subject to applicable background checks.

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of Cisco switches and routers, including Cisco VSS, IOS and NX-OS would be an asset.
• Working experience with Security infrastructure, specifically Checkpoint Firewalls, TippingPoint IPS, Symantec Antivirus, Forcepoint Web Filtering, F5 Application Security Manager, LogRhythm SIEM, Pulse Secure, FireEye, Qualys, Ansible, NetScout, SentinelOne and RSA Secure Authentication would be an asset.
• Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA): Experience implementing Zero Trust principles in enterprise environments.
• Extended Detection and Response (XDR): Familiarity with integrated threat detection and response platforms.
• Cloud Networking: Experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP networking (e.g., VPCs, ExpressRoute, VPNs).
• Hybrid Connectivity: Proficiency in SD-WAN and secure cloud interconnects.
• Software-Defined Networking (SDN): Hands-on experience with Cisco ACI, VMware NSX, or similar platforms.
• Network Automation: Proficiency in Python, Ansible, or Netmiko for automating network tasks.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Familiarity with Terraform or Ansible for network provisioning.
• Advanced Monitoring & Observability: Experience with tools like ThousandEyes, Grafana, AppDynamics, or NetScout.
• 5G and Private LTE: Awareness of enterprise use cases and integration strategies.
• VoIP & Unified Communications: Experience with SIP trunking and modern collaboration platforms.
• Incident Response Leadership: Experience leading or participating in major incident response and root cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Install, commission, maintain, operate, modify and upgrade IESO network and telecommunication infrastructure to maintain the existing standards and to meet the changing business needs.
• Evaluate, plan, and develop upgrade/enhancement proposals related to IESO network and telecommunication infrastructure. These proposals are based on assessments of new and emerging user requirements, NERC CIP compliance, analysis of systems and equipment performance data.
• Develop evolutionary voice/data design infrastructure solutions to meet IESO business requirements and liaise with internal/external counterparts, contractors and suppliers. In conjunction with others, provide solutions from concept, through technical evolution and feasibility to final implementation.
• Action or direct work of assigned team members for specific projects. Organize and assign work with degree of instruction deemed necessary. Provide advice and guidance during work progress. Assist in resolving work problems and negotiate plan changes or priorities with users.
• Document procedures for administering networks and telecommunication infrastructure.
• Act as a teacher or mentor to associates to advance their learning and facilitate problem solving within their respective areas of expertise.
• Conduct actions for the technical and operational support (Tier 2 and 3) for IESO network and telecommunication infrastructure.
• Conduct the implementation of IESO security policies by creating and configuring firewalls, routers and other network security equipment. Evaluate risks and the effectiveness of systems in enforcing these policies. Investigate security issues, recommend and implement changes to mitigate/reduce known risks.
• Conduct necessary actions for support and consulting services to meet IESO business needs pertaining to network and telecommunication operation and administration. This involves a sound understanding of the design, implementation, operating philosophy, various network and telecommunication products and equipment used in data/voice. Analyze and respond to problems and provide maintenance support including equipment configuration.
• Perform other duties as required.

Benefits

• Best-in-class benefits and long-term support in the form of a defined benefit pension plan.
• Compensation packages that are regularly reviewed to remain competitive and to best accommodate the diverse needs of our employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level