OT Network & Security Engineer

About the role

Position: OT Network & Security Engineer, Magnet Manufacturing

Vulcan Elements is engaged in the production of American rare-earth permanent magnets, supplying essential materials for defense, aerospace, and automotive sectors. The company is constructing a large-scale manufacturing facility and is seeking an OT Network & Security Engineer to secure the operational technology backbone for this expansion. This role is central to ensuring a resilient and secure high-technology manufacturing environment.

Location and Engagement

The position is based at the manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. It is a high-ownership role requiring deep expertise in industrial networking and operational technology security. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and defending the OT network for a 1 million square foot facility expansion. The annual compensation range for this position is $140,000 to $170,000.

Core Responsibilities

The engineer will own the design, implementation, and security of the OT network infrastructure. This includes producing the network architecture for a large-scale industrial facility. Key tasks involve defining the Medium Distribution Frame (MDF) and Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF) locations, fiber backbone topology, switching and routing design, IP schema, and resilience strategy.

A critical responsibility is the creation and maintenance of the IEC 62443 zone-and-conduit architecture. The engineer will freeze IDF locations, pathways, and enclosure requirements into construction drawings aligned with the project schedule. This work forms the basis of the facility's firewall policy and security zones.

Security requirements must be written into all equipment packages prior to Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT). The engineer will author these requirements and later verify controls alongside Controls Engineers during acceptance testing. This ensures that security is integrated from the outset and validated before full deployment.

The role also involves designing and operating the remote access architecture for both internal OT network access and OEM support connectivity. This includes establishing per-vendor approval and session control mechanisms to manage secure access to OT environments.

The engineer will coordinate the enterprise boundary with the IT department. Responsibilities in this area include defining DMZ services, WAN demarcation points, and identity architecture. The position requires generating evidence for CMMC and CUI compliance related to U.S. government partnerships.

Ongoing operational duties include conducting protocol and traffic analysis to detect anomalies. This analysis ensures network behavior supports resilient manufacturing operations and that configurations remain aligned with design intent. The engineer will verify configurations through methodical checks, closing any gaps between requirements and deployed infrastructure.

Maintaining up-to-date design rationales and network records is also essential. This documentation enables continuity and facilitates rapid response during facility changes or security incidents.

Qualifications and Requirements

Candidates must hold hands-on experience designing and securing industrial control networks within complex environments. A strong understanding of IEC 62443 zone-and-conduit concepts is required, with the ability to apply these concepts to real OT infrastructure.

Applicants should be capable of reading and influencing construction drawings related to pathways, enclosures, and MDF/IDF placement. Proven experience in writing security requirements for network equipment and validating these controls during factory acceptance testing is necessary.

Comfort with remote access architectures, session control, and vendor approval processes for OT systems is mandatory. Candidates must be able to collaborate with government frameworks such as CMMC and handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) considerations in network design.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with magnet manufacturing or specialized industrial processes is a significant advantage. Familiarity with the unique requirements of rare-earth manufacturing environments will be valuable.

Skills and Tools

Proficiency with ICS and SCADA environments is essential. Candidates must possess knowledge of IEC 62443 standards, IT/OT convergence strategies, and network segmentation techniques. Experience with specific tools and technologies is required, including Cisco and Fortinet networking equipment, Wireshark for protocol analysis, and enterprise network documentation standards.

Next Steps

This role represents a key opportunity to build critical national security infrastructure in a high-growth manufacturing sector. Please Applications should demonstrate a clear commitment to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency as defined by Vulcan Elements.