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About the job

RWE Americas, LLC To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

Functional area: IT / Digital Remuneration: Exempt

The Lead Network Engineer provides advanced technical leadership for the design, implementation, operation, and security of OT network infrastructure across multiple sites and geographies.

The role serves as a senior technical escalation point and leads complex network and security initiatives, including architecture, troubleshooting, modernization, resiliency, and standards development. The engineer works closely with Network Engineering, SCADA, field operations, infrastructure, vendors, and OT Cybersecurity to deliver secure, scalable, and highly available solutions.

The position provides technical direction, mentoring, and project leadership to engineers and technicians but does not require formal people-management responsibility.

Role Responsibilities:

Design and implement scalable, secure, and resilient OT network infrastructure across multiple sites and geographies

Lead complex troubleshooting and high-severity incident resolution using advanced analysis, diagnostic tools, and cross-functional coordination

Develop and maintain network architecture standards, configuration baselines, and security requirements to improve consistency and reduce operational risk

Lead network performance tuning, capacity planning, traffic optimization, and proactive upgrades to improve availability and performance

Design and validate segmentation, firewall, access-control, secure remote-access, and intrusion-detection solutions in partnership with OT Cybersecurity

Develop high-availability, redundancy, and disaster-recovery solutions for critical OT and SCADA systems

Lead greenfield deployments, site retrofits, technology refreshes, and modernization initiatives from design through implementation and validation

Act as the technical escalation point for complex network, firewall, VPN, SCADA connectivity, and security-related incidents

Lead root-cause analysis sessions and develop corrective actions to prevent recurring incidents

Create, review, and maintain SOPs, engineering standards, work instructions, and change-control procedures

Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and peer review to engineers and technicians

Review technical designs and implementation plans for compliance with architecture, security, and operational standards

Support hardware and software lifecycle planning, procurement, and technology selection

Conduct technical reviews of network configurations and security controls to support NERC CIP and other applicable requirements

Identify opportunities to improve automation, monitoring, reliability, standardization, and operational efficiency

Coordinate with vendors and technology partners on complex technical issues, escalations, and solution design

Job Requirements and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related discipline; or an equivalent combination of education, technical training, industry certifications, and relevant professional experience

Candidates should demonstrate advanced hands-on experience, formal training, or relevant industry certification. Certifications are preferred but may be substituted with equivalent technical knowledge and demonstrated practical experience

Minimum 5 years of experience in network engineering, network security, infrastructure, telecommunications, or related technologies

Demonstrated experience designing and supporting complex, distributed network environments

Experience leading technical projects, major implementations, or complex incident resolution

Experience mentoring or providing technical direction to engineers and technicians

OT, SCADA, ICS, utility, renewable energy, manufacturing, or industrial experience preferred

Strong enterprise networking or security experience with demonstrated ability to work within operational environments will be considered

Experience with Cisco routing, switching, wireless, and network services; CCNP or equivalent experience preferred

Experience with Palo Alto Networks or Fortinet firewalls, including policy, VPN, threat prevention, segmentation, and secure connectivity

Experience designing high-availability and redundant network architectures

Familiarity with network monitoring, performance management, and automation platforms

Working knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and standards such as NIST, ISA/IEC 62443, NERC CIP, or ISO 27001

Equivalent experience with comparable enterprise networking and security technologies will be considered

Functions independently with minimal oversight

Leads large technical projects, site-wide deployments, and multi-site initiatives

Provides day-to-day technical direction and mentoring to engineers and technicians

Reviews technical work and provides guidance on design, implementation, and troubleshooting

Serves as a technical team lead but does not have formal personnel-management responsibility

Owns assigned technical activities from planning through implementation, validation, and documentation

Lead individual technical workstreams or site activities

Mentor junior staff but does not have formal personnel-management responsibility

Strategic thinker with strong operational execution skills

Demonstrated desire to learn about the Company and the renewables space Sets enterprise-wide OT standards, governance, and best practices

Commitment to safety, resilience, and regulatory readiness

Work Environment:

This position is an office-based role with some travel and visits to other RWECE office and field locations. The employee must be able to sit, walk, or stand for long durations of time and lift 25 lbs

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. RWE Americas is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.

Pay range: The annual base salary range for this position in Illinois or New York is $127,000 - $171,000. The listed salary range represents our good faith estimate for this position and represents the range for new hire salaries across all U.S locations. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. RWE considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s education & work experience, training & certifications, and key skills as well as market and business considerations at the time of the offer.

Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. Eligible employees also participate in short-term incentives, in addition to salary.

Apply with just a few clicks: ad code 93910. Any questions? Contact HR: rwe_americas_recruiting@rwe.com

We look forward to meeting you. Of course, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Xing, too.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

RWE Americas, a subsidiary of RWE, is a US-based energy company that is helping to meet the growing demand for energy across the United States. Backed by RWE’s 125-year global legacy of managing diverse power assets, RWE Americas operates approximately 13 GW of power projects across 27 states. With a talented workforce of 2,000 employees, RWE Americas develops, constructs and operates wind, solar and battery storage projects that safely deliver affordable, reliable electricity to our customers. Committed to responsible development, RWE Americas invests in local and rural communities, creating jobs and partnering with stakeholders to support and strengthen the places where we live and work. Learn more about how RWE Americas is generating impact at americas.rwe.com.

At RWE Americas, we foster a culture defined by our Essential Behaviors – Have Courage, Create Impact and Actively Collaborate. We encourage bold thinking and continuous learning, and we value ownership, resilience and inclusion in everything we do. When you join us, you become part of a team that supports your development, respects your contributions and celebrates shared success. This is a place where you can grow your career and make a meaningful difference.