Principal Operational Technology Systems Engineer - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Abbott Laboratories is seeking a Principal OT Systems Engineer to lead the design, integration, and lifecycle management of Operational Technology for biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing. In this role, you will architect secure, reliable OT/ICS environments, oversee PLC/SCADA/DCS integrations, and ensure compliance with GxP and cybersecurity standards. You'll partner with manufacturing, quality, and IT to deliver robust automation solutions that improve safety, efficiency, and product quality while mentoring engineers and driving global best practices across sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, design, and implementation of OT/ICS systems for biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Integrate PLC, SCADA, and DCS platforms with plant equipment and enterprise systems.
• Ensure OT cybersecurity, network segmentation, and compliance with ISA/IEC 62443 and corporate standards.
• Support Gx
• P/FDA compliance through validation, documentation, and change control for OT systems.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, IT, and global engineering to optimize reliability and performance.
• Drive standardization and best practices for OT across sites and lead complex OT projects.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and key technical contributors in OT technologies and processes.

Required Skills

• Operational Technology (OT) architecture
• Industrial control systems (ICS) and SCADAPLC/DCS programming and integration
• Industrial networking (Ether
• Net/IP, Modbus, Profibus)
• OT cybersecurity and ISA/IEC 62443
• System validation in regulated environments (FDA/Gx
• P)
• Automation of biotech/pharma processes
• High-availability and disaster recovery design
• Technical project leadership
• Cross-functional collaboration and documentation