Senior Specialist, Engineering (Control Systems)

Job Description

At Cheniere, we provide the world with safe, reliable energy. But more than that, we provide opportunities for our talented employees to impact their communities every day. Our diversity is key to our continued success and forges a path where our culture supports greater equity and inclusion for our employees, customers and beyond.

Position Overview

The Senior Specialist, Engineering reports directly to the Superintendent, Control Systems and is a technical expert for plant control systems networks and computing assets and industrial control systems cybersecurity best practices. The position is responsible for hands-on troubleshooting, administrating, supporting, maintaining, and improving control system networks, computers, applications, and cybersecurity initiatives including documentation. The Network and Cybersecurity Specialist will provide support for development and execution of ongoing infrastructure and cybersecurity projects.

This is a non-DOT position.

Responsibilities And Essential Duties

• Maintain, troubleshoot, and improve existing cybersecurity management systems including endpoint security, patch management, logging, asset monitoring, access control, IDS, Active Directory Group Policies and administration, firewall rules, and network configuration management.
• Support development of cybersecurity framework including creation/revision of policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures. Support development of practical ICS Asset Management KPIs and associated reporting
• Participate in ICS Security Incident Response
• Use sound engineering practices, plant standards, and specifications to ensure that documentation for the OT Controls System assets are maintained properly.
• Monitors the health of the workstations, servers, hosts, virtual machines, and laptops of the industrial control systems.
• Perform periodic backups of the workstations, servers, hosts, virtual machines, and laptops of the industrial control systems.
• Monitor the health of the network switches, firewalls, routers, and network assets of the industrial control systems.
• Perform periodic backups of the network switches, firewalls, routers, and network assets of the industrial control systems.
• Coordinate with technology security the monitoring for suspicious activities.
• Implement tools to track network and system health.
• Develop backups and restore procedures related with the assets of the OT industrial control systems.
• Maintains the OT Controls System assets inventory. Evaluate database/automated solutions to keep these up to date.
• Support execution and development of infrastructure/cybersecurity industrial control systems projects.
• Thoroughly understand the technical Management of Change (MOC) process and utilize it in support of capital projects and routine facility changes. Participate in Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR). Support development of risk assessment and cybersecurity Management of Change process.
• Work with multidisciplinary Process and Technical Services team to define problems, establish work scopes, prepare task budgets and schedules, plan work, provide technical direction, and report the work status to management.
• Reinforce safety and environmental awareness through frequent job observations and by interfacing with plant personnel.
• Work with Engineering and Construction department to provide support and assure O & M interests are represented on major projects. Participates in Controls Systems Cybersecurity factory acceptance tests (FATs), and site acceptance tests (SATs).
• Interact with and support IT, Technology Security, Regulatory Affairs, and other departments as required.
• The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.
  
  

Knowledge

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Understands all facets of industrial control systems cybersecurity standards/best practices and systems administration in an operating facility. Knowledgeable of secure network design and architecture, active directory management and GPO development, vulnerability management, systems hardening, network and asset monitoring and troubleshooting and backup and recovery systems. Knowledgeable of Windows, Linux, VMWare, Hyper-V and Cisco platforms. Knowledge of cyber risk assessment methodology and incident response. Knowledge of Yokogawa/BH/Allen Bradley systems is a plus.

Skills

• Strong leadership, teamwork and organizational skills.
• An acute sensitivity to safety issues in a hazardous environment.
• Exceptional written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels of an organization and with individuals and groups from different disciplines, industries, and governmental agencies.
• Able to work with a culturally diverse group of technical individuals whose skills cover the range required to engineer.
• Possess the personality and ability to relate to and to establish a mutually respectful relationship with 1) management, 2) peers and 3) the various facility level workers (Plant Manager, plant supervision and plant workers) whom are all responsible for ensuring good operations.
• Organized, planning skills, able to manage multiple activities and programs in timely fashion and with a high degree of accuracy, able to meet work deadlines.
• Exceptional problem solving and analytical skills.
• Computer savvy including Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, Access, Project and PowerPoint, and Phyton.
• Familiarity with industrial control systems (ICS) such as Yokogawa CENTUM VP is a plus.
• Familiar with virtualization technologies such vSphere, Hyper-V, etc.
• Knowledge of process data historians (AVEVA PI)
  
  

Education And Experience

Education, Training and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology or computer engineering preferred. Electrical Engineering background may be considered with adequate experience in IT/OT infrastructure environment. Security Certifications (GISCP, ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Expert, CISSP, GICSP, CCNA, CompTIA Network ) is a plus.
  
  

Experience

• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience.
• Must have experience as an IT/OT Cybersecurity Specialist. Recent experience with hydrocarbon processing operating facility is preferred, however, other critical infrastructure experience may be acceptable.
  
  

DIRECT REPORTS

None

FREEDOM TO ACT

The Senior Specialist, Engineering is proficient in their field and requires minimal supervision.

WORK CONDITIONS

• The Senior Specialist, Engineering is required to be available for stand-by duty on weekends and after hours.
• Occasionally, work may be performed from home, after normal work hours or on weekends.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is often required to stand, walk, sit, climb stairs, work at height above ground on stairs and catwalks, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk or hear, smell, type and write.
• Must be able to board a ship via a gangway, climb to the top of a tank (200 steps), scale vertical steel ladder up to forty feet or more in height, and lift and move objects weighting up to 50 pounds.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will work indoors and outdoors, and exposed to year around weather conditions, ocean environment, noise, and occasionally process gases and vapors.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Job is performed in an industrial plant environment, typical office environment, but is subject to time pressures and constraints, and is often dependent on input from others.
• Must maintain a Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) Card in good standing.
• Subject to drug and alcohol testing, per applicable federal regulations or as required by Cheniere.
  
  

Ada Job Requirements

Reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that the essential functions of the job can be performed and not hinder the employee's performance due to physical, mental or emotional disability.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Cheniere Energy is an equal opportunity workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected categories. This includes providing reasonable accommodation if requested for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices.

About Us

Cheniere Energy is a global leader in LNG providing flexible, reliable and affordable energy to the world while powering the transition to a lower-carbon future.

We are a values-driven company that focuses on teamwork, respect, accountability, integrity, nimbleness, and above all, safety for our employees, our communities, and our assets.

Cheniere Energy’s global impact is achieved through a diverse and passionate workforce that is invested in our company through our annual stock-grant program. Our high-performing employees are united by a shared mission, common goals and a culture of inclusion and caring.

Our comprehensive compensation and benefits offerings are competitive and strong, and they prioritize wellness and performance incentives that reward results. As an employee of Cheniere Energy, you will make an impact on our business and our communities.

A Fortune 500 company, Cheniere Energy is headquartered in Houston with U.S. offices in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Washington D.C.; production sites in Cameron, Louisiana and Gregory, Texas; and international offices in London, Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo.