Dairy Farmers of America · 4 days ago
Senior Operational Technology Engineer
Lenexa, KS
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level
5+ years expDairy Farmers of America is seeking a Senior Operational Technology Engineer to design, deploy, and manage Operational Technology Services. This role involves overseeing the installation and connectivity of ICS systems, supporting SCADA platforms, and providing technical guidance on complex projects.
AgricultureDairyDietary SupplementsFood Processing
Responsibilities
Lead OT projects, such as OT network design, OT server design, OT network migration, and OT server migration, with little to no oversight
Perform design review and provide feedback on OT engineer deliverables
Mentor and train IT staff on operation of DFA plant infrastructure and operation
Design, deploy, and manage Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE) standards in DFA manufacturing facilities
Serve as a technical resource to the plants and engineering group to support and deliver technical services and controls automation solutions to resolve complex manufacturing issues and improve operational performance
Act as a leader to drive IT/OT standards adoption and implementation across the manufacturing facilities
Administer and upgrade SCADA and DCS applications, including Rockwell FactoryTalk Suite and Inductive Automation Ignition
Support development, deployment, and management of containerized OT applications (e.g., Docker and Kubernetes) across plant environments
Lead OT application modernization projects including SCADA/DCS expansions, application migrations, system integrations, and deployment of containerized workloads with little to no oversight
Understand Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Windows based PC's and VM's, and industrial network architectures and how to effectively apply these technologies to a dairy manufacturing environment
Facilitate and support the numerous manufacturing process and control systems within operations, collaborating with engineering, IT, operations, and corporate management and vendor resources
Develop, plan, and execute technical solutions including equipment bills of materials, scope of work, and estimates; participate in proposal review and provide timely status updates
Ensure focus of improvement is automated, orchestrated, and autonomic wherever possible
Implement industry best practices and provide audit findings in shortcomings to be presented to operational network technology management and senior IT leadership
Maintain knowledge and understanding of compliance requirements for plant operations (USDA, GMP, SQF)
Qualification
Required
Undergraduate degree in telecommunications, computer science, information technology, business administration, electrical engineering, or related curriculum (or equivalent combination of experience and education)
5 or more years SCADA and Distributed Control Systems Engineering or related experience that includes SCADA and/or DCS administration and support
Experience administering industrial control applications (FactoryTalk, Ignition, or similar)
Familiarity of industrial networks including network switches, routers, firewalls, and VLANs
Solid skills in the specification, design, and configuration of virtualized server environments
Understanding of IT/OT security requirements
Certification and/or License – may be required during course of employment
Strong knowledge of financial budgeting and planning for ICS costs
Excellent knowledge of current protocols and standards
Understanding of system flow charts, data processing concepts, and telecommunications principles
Knowledge of applicable data privacy practices and laws
Vendor management skills
Analytical and problem-solving abilities
Able to communicate and translate complex technical topics into easy to understand concepts
Able to accurately articulate the requirements and priorities of both IT and OT stakeholders
Able to work with attention to detail and to accurately document work activities undertaken
Able to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing
Able to interact positively and work effectively with others (interpersonal skills)
Able to perform general mathematical calculations for the purpose of creating needs assessments, budgets, etc
Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment and make sound decisions in emergency situations
Able to demonstrate leadership qualities as a self-starter
Able to conduct research into networking issues and products as required
Able to plan work activities to achieve an outcome within an agreed time frame
Able to show strong customer service orientation
Able to work in a team-oriented, collaborative environment
Must be able to read, write and speak English
Preferred
Advanced technical knowledge of skills associated with IT/OT integration, Rockwell/Cisco CPwE, Purdue ICS model, and with broad knowledge of the IT organization
Experience in troubleshooting PLC and HMI solutions (i.e. AllenBradley / FactoryTalk)
Inductive Automation Ignition Certification
Experience with controls power distribution layouts, panel layouts, hardware specification
Experience with Containerization technologies (i.e. Docker / Kubernetes)
Company
Dairy Farmers of America
Dairy Farmers of America is a milk marketing cooperative owned and served by farmers across the nation.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Dairy Farmers of America has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (3)
2024 (6)
2023 (1)
2022 (2)
2021 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$45MKey Investors
U.S. Department of Agriculture
2022-09-15Grant· $45M
Leadership Team
Dennis Rodenbaugh
Chief Executive Officer
Daniel Jones
Division Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2025-12-15
Family Features
2025-11-04
Company data provided by crunchbase