Patch Engineer (Operational Technology / OT)

Location: Detroit, MI Salary: $48.00 USD Hourly - $52.00 USD Hourly Description:
Patch Engineer (Operational Technology / OT)

Location: Detroit, MI (Hybrid)
Work Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday onsite | Monday and Friday remote
Employment Type: Long-Term Contract (2+ Years)

Visa Sponsorship: Not available. Candidates requiring OPT, CPT, or F-1 sponsorship are not eligible.
About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Patch Engineer to support patch management and cybersecurity initiatives across an Operational Technology (OT) environment. This role is responsible for planning, coordinating, deploying, and validating security and system patches across OT infrastructure, including industrial control systems, SCADA environments, PI infrastructure, servers, and workstations.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in OT cybersecurity, vulnerability management, and industrial control systems, with the ability to balance cybersecurity requirements while maintaining operational reliability and system availability.
Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, and execute patch management activities across OT environments.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, cybersecurity, IT teams, site leadership, and vendors to schedule patch deployments.
• Communicate maintenance windows, patching plans, potential risks, and deployment requirements to stakeholders.
• Obtain necessary approvals and ensure compliance with change management procedures.
• Evaluate security updates, operating system patches, and vendor-recommended fixes for applicability and risk.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments and patch compliance reviews to identify remediation requirements.
• Deploy approved patches to OT servers, workstations, control systems, and supporting infrastructure.
• Place systems into maintenance mode when required and follow established operational procedures.
• Perform post-deployment validation to verify system functionality and operational readiness.
• Execute vulnerability scans following patch deployment to confirm successful remediation.
• Maintain accurate patch management records, deployment documentation, and compliance artifacts.
• Support antivirus updates, system upgrades, and related OT cybersecurity initiatives.
• Assist with backup, recovery, and rollback processes associated with patching activities.
• Coordinate activities during planned outages and maintenance windows.
• Support audit readiness and regulatory compliance documentation requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience supporting Operational Technology (OT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), or critical infrastructure environments.
• Strong knowledge of SCADA systems, Distributed Control Systems (DCS), and PI infrastructure.
• Hands-on experience with patch management processes and deployment tools.
• Experience conducting vulnerability assessments and managing remediation efforts.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices and vulnerability management principles.
• Experience working within structured change management environments.
• Proven ability to assess, deploy, test, and validate patches in production systems.
• Strong documentation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional technical and operational teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting utility, energy, power generation, manufacturing, or other critical infrastructure organizations.
• Knowledge of NERC CIP compliance requirements.
• Experience with vulnerability scanning tools and remediation programs.
• Strong understanding of Windows Server and Windows workstation environments.
• Experience supporting PI infrastructure and OT cybersecurity programs.
• Familiarity with backup, disaster recovery, and system rollback procedures.

Key Skills

• Patch Management
• Operational Technology (OT)
• Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
• SCADA
• Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
• PI System Administration
• Vulnerability Management
• Cybersecurity
• NERC CIP
• Windows Server
• Change Management
• Compliance & Audit Readiness
• Infrastructure Support
• Risk Assessment

Success Measures

• Patches deployed within established compliance windows.
• Minimal operational impact during maintenance activities.
• Successful post-patch system validation and testing.
• Complete and accurate documentation of all patching activities.
• Adherence to cybersecurity and change management requirements.
• Audit-ready compliance and patch management records.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an OT Infrastructure Engineer, OT Cybersecurity Engineer, ICS Engineer, SCADA Engineer, or Control Systems Engineer with hands-on experience managing patching activities across industrial environments. This individual understands how to balance cybersecurity mandates with operational uptime, leveraging structured testing, approvals, maintenance windows, validation, and rollback procedures to ensure successful deployments in critical production environments.

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