OT / ICS Security Engineer Recruiters

No upfront fee
Pay only if you hire
Technology only
We reach engineers who aren't on job boards
Replacement guarantee on standard searches

ICS Security AnalystSCADA Security EngineerICS Security AnalystSCADA Security Engineer

What this hire really comes down to

OT ICS Security Engineers operate at the critical intersection of physical industrial machinery and digital defensive controls. You protect high stakes environments where downtime is not just costly but potentially hazardous to life and infrastructure. This role requires work through specialized protocols and the Purdue model to segment sensitive plant networks from external enterprise traffic effectively while ensuring constant operational visibility.

Your mission involves bridging legacy industrial hardware with modern security monitoring platforms to prevent unauthorized access or system manipulation. Your hire will audit existing configurations against stringent compliance frameworks and implement defense in depth strategies across heterogeneous production sites. The daily work demands deep technical rigor and an ability to translate complex risk indicators into actionable remediation plans for stakeholders.

What we check before you see anyone

Industrial Protocol Expertise
We evaluate your direct hands on experience with legacy industrial communication protocols common in manufacturing and utility environments. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in securing traffic across Modbus or DNP3 networks while understanding the potential risks posed by unsecured field devices. You should articulate how you maintain visibility without interrupting sensitive production timelines or causing unintended latency within the critical plant operations.
Compliance Framework Proficiency
Depth in work through IEC 62443 standards and NERC CIP regulations is non negotiable for this function. We look for evidence of your experience performing comprehensive gap assessments and audit preparation within demanding energy or manufacturing contexts. You must clearly explain how you map these regulatory requirements to specific architectural changes that effectively improve the security posture of an interconnected OT environment.
Purdue Model Application
Applying the Purdue model for industrial control systems is essential to isolate and protect sensitive assets effectively. We require candidates to show how they have architected network segmentation strategies that prevent lateral movement between enterprise IT tiers and production OT layers. You must explain your design philosophy regarding firewalls and data diodes while maintaining secure remote access for necessary maintenance functions.
Specialized Tool Proficiency
Your experience with OT specific monitoring tools such as Dragos Claroty or Nozomi is a primary indicator of operational readiness. We test the candidate's ability to configure these platforms for anomaly detection in noisy industrial environments. Candidates must describe their process for tuning these tools to distinguish between routine maintenance traffic and malicious threats to avoid overwhelming operations teams with false alerts.
GICSP Certification Validation
The Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional certification represents a foundational baseline for the technical rigor we expect here. We explore how your pursuit or maintenance of this credential aligns with your practical application of defense tactics in field deployments. Discussions will cover specific modules of the certification and how you have utilized that formal training to solve real world infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Incident Response Capability
Industrial incident response requires a distinct methodology compared to standard IT forensics. We assess how you prepare for and mitigate threats in time sensitive production settings where standard isolation tactics might be catastrophic. Your evidence should focus on previous contributions to tabletop exercises or real event management where you prioritized process integrity alongside system protection under significant operational pressure.

Send Us Your Open Role Book a 15-minute call with Ivan Call 305-306-4829

Where we find them

We identify professionals by targeting experts embedded within major utility providers, energy management firms, and heavy manufacturing organizations. Our search focuses on individuals currently managing industrial networks and hardened security perimeters where the margin for error is razor thin. We prioritize practitioners who actively participate in specialized industrial security conferences and contribute to open source projects focused on OT protocols.

Private networks of experienced implementation consultants and system integrators serve as another primary channel for finding this niche talent. We engage with engineers who have spent years work through the unique challenges of retrofitting aging plant hardware with modern protective overlays. These individuals are often discovered through their deep technical presence in manufacturing technology forums and focused industrial control system forums.

Mistakes we see

Treating a credential as the answer
Do not let industrial protocol expertise become a keyword filter. You should articulate how you maintain visibility without interrupting sensitive production timelines or causing unintended latency within the critical plant operations.
Leaving the actual scope out
Put the responsibility for compliance framework proficiency in the brief, including who helps the hire and who decides. Depth in work through IEC 62443 standards and NERC CIP regulations is non negotiable for this function.
Waiting until the offer to discuss the work
Discuss what the person will own in purdue model application before the interview loop. You must explain your design philosophy regarding firewalls and data diodes while maintaining secure remote access for necessary maintenance functions.

The search in three steps

Agree the brief
The evaluation process starts with a technical audit of your past work on network segmentation and protocol analysis. We move quickly to scenario based discussions where you address real world architectural challenges found in power grids or assembly lines. Your hire will speak directly with senior engineering leadership about balancing security upgrades against the reality of continuous industrial uptime requirements.
Find and speak with people
Final stages involve a deep dive into your methodology for assessing regulatory compliance and your experience in conducting security reviews within complex, multi vendor environments. We examine your approach to risk communication, ensuring you can explain technical security trade offs to operational management. This stage confirms the candidate's ability to integrate into a team that values both extreme precision and stability.
Introduce the people who fit
We send a written brief on each person you meet, including why the work fits and the questions still worth asking about incident response capability. You decide who to interview. We help with the conversations through the offer.

Questions about this search

When will we see a shortlist?

We agree the search plan after checking your requirements for industrial protocol expertise and compliance framework proficiency, rather than promising a date before the brief is clear. We evaluate your direct hands on experience with legacy industrial communication protocols common in manufacturing and utility environments.

What if a candidate gets a counteroffer?

We ask what would make someone leave work involving industrial protocol expertise, and what could make them stay. Before you invest in interviews, we discuss whether your offer changes the problem they want to leave, including the responsibility for incident response capability.

Should this role be remote or on site?

Experience with industrial protocol expertise and compliance framework proficiency does not settle the location question. Tell us what access and supervision the work needs, including who owns decisions about incident response capability, so we approach people who can accept the arrangement.

How will you check fit before we interview?

We evaluate your direct hands on experience with legacy industrial communication protocols common in manufacturing and utility environments. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in securing traffic across Modbus or DNP3 networks while understanding the potential risks posed by unsecured field devices. Depth in work through IEC 62443 standards and NERC CIP regulations is non negotiable for this function.

How does the fee work?

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Agree the fee and the responsibilities covering industrial protocol expertise and compliance framework proficiency in the recruiting agreement before the search proceeds.

What if the hire does not work out?

We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Make sure the agreed scope includes what you expect of incident response capability, rather than leaving that discussion until after the start.

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