Senior Manager, Operations Technology

Company Overview

Treaty Oak Clean Energy, LLC (Treaty Oak) is a clean energy independent power producer (IPP) focused on developing, commercializing, building and operating utility-scale solar plus battery storage projects in targeted US energy markets. Our mission is to create a sustainable future by providing clean, low-cost energy solutions to the grid benefiting energy consumers, communities, and generations to come. Treaty Oak is a wholly-owned portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management (Macquarie), pairing Treaty Oak’s renewables development expertise with Macquarie’s capital backing.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Treaty Oak’s portfolio consists of 20 GW of in development and in construction utility scale renewable projects across the United States. Treaty Oak features an experienced management team with a track record of developing and commercializing 9 GW of utility-scale power projects and a collective 100 years’ experience across critical competencies, including power markets, offtake structuring, design, engineering and real estate.

The Role

Treaty Oak is seeking a Sr. Manager, Operations Technology. This role could be a Director, Operations Technology depending on experience level. The role will be responsible for planning, implementation and management of the operations technology (OT) needs of renewable energy power plants including network architecture, coordinated design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of the SCADA and OT infrastructure.

OT Infrastructure consists of all components that act as the foundation for access, operation, and function of the SCADA systems. This includes firewalls, networking equipment, servers, virtual environments, storage and telecommunications.

The role will work closely with Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) teams, as well as third-party vendors, to set up key grid integration technologies, including the Internet Service Provider (ISP) infrastructure, OT networks, Power Plant Controllers (PPC), Energy Management Systems (EMS), Data Acquisition Systems (DAS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The role will also be responsible for the cybersecurity and cyber resilience of the OT network and assets in compliance with NERC CIP standards. The position reports to the Senior Vice President of O&M and Asset Management and coordinates closely with both the Vice President of Construction and the Director of Information Technology.

Key Responsibilities

• General
• Develop, publish, implement and maintain the system technology requirements in coordination with corporate policies, procedures, and processes
• Communicate, enforce and track site technology architecture requirements for implementation with contracted vendors
• Evaluate Vendors’ Cyber security maturity levels against industry standard; evaluate risks, and build cyber risk mitigation strategies to minimize risk in OT platforms.
• Develop and manage project timelines, budgets, and resources for building out the ISP and OT infrastructure at renewable energy power plants.
• Provide OT infrastructure specifications to the Construction and Procurement teams for budgeting and planning purposes
• Collaborate with EPC teams to define and align on technical requirements for the SCADA, PPC, DAS, and EMS systems during the project planning and execution phases.
• Manage relationships with third-party vendors to ensure the timely and cost-effective delivery of products and services while ensuring compliance with project specifications and industry standards including communicating and implementing site technology architecture requirements
• Monitor and audit vendor Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) of SCADA hardware and software prior to shipment as well as final Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) during commissioning
• Construction Management and Operational Technology Support
• Facilitate the setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance of the ISP and OT infrastructure to support reliable and secure communication between the plant substation, O&M building, and the Remote Operation Center (ROC)
• Ensure the seamless integration and commissioning of these systems to support the efficient operation, monitoring, and control of renewable energy power plants.
• Review NERC technical updates, including implementation of any necessary changes. Support the NERC GO and GOP compliance requirements in coordination with the asset management team internally and any asset management and operational third-party service providers
• Implement and maintain robust cybersecurity measures to protect OT networks, PPC, EMS, and SCADA systems from cyber threats, ensuring compliance with NERC CIP & NIST standards
• In coordination with the GOP, operating technicians, and the Asset Manager, provide long-term management and maintenance support for the SCADA, PPC, and EMS systems during the projects' Operations phase, including patching, monitoring, troubleshooting and recovery of OT.
• Develop and enforce policies and procedures to secure electronic access points, manage access and authentication, protect sensitive data, maintain the integrity of the control systems, and ensure the use of encrypted communication channels, secure authentication methods, and role-based access controls.
• Collaborate with internal and external audit teams to prepare for and conduct NERC CIP audits, ensuring full compliance and readiness.
• Ensure communication and networking operational status is maintained including troubleshooting and recovery when necessary.
  
  

Education And Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Business Management or a related field.
• 6 years of experience in the setup and management of grid integration products and services in the power generation sector (preferably renewable energy and energy storage) in ISO/RTO markets.
• Solid understanding of NIST Certifications and Cyber security controls (i.e. ISO, NIST, IEC) with 5 years of experience
• In-depth knowledge of relevant industrial standards (e.g. IEC 61850 an IEC 104), network protocols (e.g., Modbus, DNP3, TCP/IP, OPC, SEL), and network architecture (e.g. LAN/WAN).
• Experience with switches/routers, dataloggers (e.g. Campbell Scientific CR1000/CR3000), RTUs (e.g. GE D20, Siemens TG5700, SEL3350), databases, and communication processors (e.g. RTAC)
• Familiarity with power plant control systems and energy management strategies,
• Extensive knowledge and experience in cybersecurity best practices, specifically focusing on NERC CIP compliance for critical power-generating infrastructure.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Final title will be dependent upon experience.
  
  

Our Values

These five fundamentals guide how we achieve value:

• Integrity: We do what we say we are going to do.
• Collaboration: We know that we are better together.
• Ambition: We embrace challenge and excellence.
• Adaptability: We find solutions and never quit.
• Safety: We effectively identify and manage risk.
  
  

Employee Benefits

• The salary for this position is highly competitive and commensurate with experience.
• We offer competitive benefits, including unlimited paid time off, paid holidays, cell-phone stipend, 401K and a fully paid health benefits plan for employees, including Medical, Dental, and Vision.
  
  

Treaty Oak is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diverse backgrounds and thoughts and welcome everyone to apply for employment with us. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive, transparent, and collaborative. Mutual respect is central to how Treaty Oak operates, and we believe the best solutions come from diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills. We embrace our differences and know that we are stronger working together.