Lead Operational Technology Cybersecurity Engineer

Role Purpose

Outline the purpose of the role within the organizational structure, including its core responsibilities and overall scope. Describe how the role fits within the wider function and organization. Highlight the level of stakeholder interaction, particularly where the role operates cross-functionally, across regions, or engages with senior leadership.

The Lead Operational Technology Cybersecurity Engineer is a senior technical role responsible for securing the systems, networks and technologies supporting Smurfit Westrock manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Senior Manager, OT Cyber Security, the role protects plant environments while ensuring cybersecurity controls support safety, reliability and production.

The role partners across cybersecurity, engineering, maintenance, operations, site technology and vendor teams, acting as a trusted technical adviser across a broad global manufacturing footprint.

Role Impact

Describe the business impact and enterprise scope, including how the role contributes to broader organizational objectives, operational continuity, or transformation initiatives.

Design and implement practical cybersecurity architectures for manufacturing systems, industrial networks and plant operations.

Advance OT segmentation, secure remote access, network monitoring, endpoint protection and risk remediation initiatives.

Maintain operational continuity by resolving firewall, connectivity, vendor-access and security-control issues without unnecessary impact on plant uptime.

Strengthen monitoring, escalation, investigation and response to cybersecurity events affecting manufacturing environments.

Embed cybersecurity across the lifecycle of manufacturing systems and contribute to standards, risk registers, audit readiness and compliance activities.

Key Results & Achievements

Define the key results and outcomes used to measure success in the role, and outline any mandatory requirements, including qualifications or certifications.

Deliver OT security deployments and improvement initiatives across manufacturing sites, including segmentation, secure access, monitoring and risk reduction.

Provide effective OT incident response and participate in the on-call rotation for troubleshooting and response support.

Maintain OT security appliances and monitoring platforms, addressing control gaps, missed alerts and configuration drift.

Produce clear technical documentation, network diagrams, standards, implementation guidance and troubleshooting procedures.

Assess and prioritize OT cyber risks according to business impact, safety, reliability and exposure.

Mentor engineers and analysts and provide subject-matter expertise in OT cybersecurity.

Mandatory:

• four or more years of cybersecurity experience, including hands-on support for manufacturing, industrial, OT or critical-infrastructure environments;
• strong networking and security-technology experience;
• ability to travel and work safely in industrial environments.

Relevant Quantifiable Measures

Outline the scale of the role using clear, measurable data (e.g. budget, financial impact, team size, operational scope, key metrics). Define the level of accountability, including ownership of outcomes, decision-making authority, governance responsibilities, risk management, and any end-to-end or lifecycle responsibility where applicable.

One replacement position supporting OT cybersecurity across a broad global manufacturing footprint.

Approximately 30-40% travel, depending on business and project requirements.

Participation in an on-call rotation for OT troubleshooting and incident response.

Four or more years of relevant cybersecurity experience required.

Accountable for technical design, implementation, troubleshooting, documentation and lifecycle support of OT cybersecurity controls and initiatives.

Key Skills and Capabilities

Capability/ Skill 1 - OT cybersecurity and industrial control environments

Hands-on expertise securing manufacturing, industrial, OT or critical-infrastructure systems. Understanding of plant operations, safety, uptime and reliability constraints.

Weighting 3-High > 25% of role

Mastery Level 3 Strong skills & significant practical experience

Capability/ Skill 2 - Networking, segmentation and secure remote access

Strong knowledge of routing, switching, firewalls, network segmentation and vendor remote access, with the ability to troubleshoot connectivity and policy issues.

Weighting - 3-High > 25% of role

Mastery - Level 4 Outstanding skills & comprehensive practical experience

Capability/ Skill 3 - Security technologies, monitoring and incident response

Experience with firewalls, intrusion detection, endpoint security, monitoring or log-management platforms, plus OT incident-response practices.

Weighting - 3-High > 25% of role

Mastery -Level 3 Strong skills & significant practical experience

Capability/ Skill 4 - Cross-functional delivery and technical leadership

Ability to lead multi-site security improvements, advise stakeholders, mentor colleagues and work effectively with cybersecurity, engineering, maintenance, operations and vendors.

Weighting - 2-Mid 16%-25% of role

Mastery - Level 2 Good skills & can apply their practical experience

Capability/ Skill 5 - Risk, governance and technical documentation

Ability to assess and prioritize risk, contribute to standards and audit readiness, and produce clear diagrams, procedures and implementation guidance.

Weighting - 2-Mid 16%-25% of role

Mastery - Level 3 Strong skills & significant practical experience