Title: Electric SCADA Engineer
Client location: New Smyrna Beach, Florida (Onsite role)
Duration: 12 months
Job Description
Must be available for on-site assessments, workshops, testing and commissioning; the balance of remote and on-site work will be agreed.
Role overview
Seeking a senior electric utility SCADA consultant or specialist engineering firm to serve as the owner’s engineer for an electric SCADA and System Operations control room modernization. The subcontractor will represent the utility’s interests, define requirements, guide vendor selection, review designs and oversee testing and commissioning while preserving reliable operations. The architecture must support future grid automation and self-healing capabilities.
A firm may propose a named lead supported by OT cybersecurity and other specialists. The proposed team must collectively cover the full scope, with clear accountability for technical leadership and delivery.
Key responsibilities
Assess existing SCADA systems, assets, data architecture, operating procedures and control room layout; recommend practical modernization improvements and develop coordinated IT/OT requirements.
Document existing outage management system (OMS) and automation control interfaces, future integration needs and system specifications.
Prepare the SCADA vendor RFP, including maintenance, support and supply chain security requirements; evaluate bids, conduct technical interviews and support award negotiations.
Review vendor designs, technical submittals, cybersecurity controls and database configurations with the utility team; develop acceptance criteria and witness factory acceptance testing when required.
Oversee site acceptance testing, commissioning and cutover while keeping the existing system operational until commissioning is complete. Validate primary-to-backup failover, replication, recovery objectives and backup control center operation.
Plan migration and validation of point lists, calculation logic and alarm thresholds; establish configuration control, change approvals and secure legacy master station and hardware decommissioning.
Develop operator and engineering/IT documentation, alarm response procedures, one-line navigation guides and training; manage punch lists, as-built records and operational handover.
Lead scope, schedule, risks, issues, change control, quality, vendor coordination and stakeholder communications throughout the engagement.
Cybersecurity and operational readiness
Translate OT security and the solicitation’s NERC CIP requirements into measurable vendor specifications, including remote access controls, MFA, session termination, centralized logging, patch management and vulnerability disclosures.
Document security boundaries, threat assessments, approved security baselines and vendor-independent compliance evidence. Apply requirements proportionately to the utility’s low-impact asset profile.
Define disaster recovery and ICS incident response procedures, support cybersecurity tabletop exercises and assist with the utility’s NERC CIP recertification process.
Deliver an operating compliance calendar, including the specified 35-day remote access log reviews, remote access alert testing and annual access recertification and training. Develop a maintenance and lifecycle plan addressing five-year growth.
Required qualifications
Demonstrated leadership of electric utility SCADA replacement or modernization projects, covering requirements, procurement, design review, FAT/SAT, migration and commissioning. Experience protecting continuity of live utility operations is essential.
Deep knowledge of electric SCADA functionality, master stations, substation interfaces, control room operations, databases, redundancy, maintenance and OMS integration.
Practical expertise in DNP3, Modbus and IEC 61850; OT network segmentation, the Purdue Model, security perimeters, vendor remote access and centralized security logging.
Working expertise in the frameworks named in the solicitation: NERC CIP-003-9 and low-impact controls, CIP-013 supply chain practices, NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3, ISA/IEC 62443 and NIST CSF; familiarity with Florida municipal cybersecurity obligations under Section 282.3185.
Ability to distinguish asset and access-control boundaries, including BES Cyber Systems, EACMS and PACS, and translate technical requirements into clear procurement and acceptance documentation.
The proposing firm must be properly registered to practice its profession in Florida; personnel must hold licenses applicable to their assigned services.
Strong written and verbal communication with system operators, substation engineers, IT/cybersecurity teams, vendors and utility leadership. Provide references for comparable utility projects.
Preferred qualifications and submission
Preferred: municipal or public power utility experience; Florida PE licensure in a relevant discipline; prior owner’s engineer assignments; relevant OT cybersecurity credentials; and local delivery capacity. No particular SCADA vendor platform is specified in the solicitation.
