Site Security Automation Cluster Lead

Location: Richmond, Virginia
Work Model: Onsite | Monday–Friday
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $140,000–$160,000 base
Relocation Assistance: Available
Travel: Quarterly travel to Long Island, NY

Northwest Talent Solutions (NWTS) has been retained to identify a Site Security Automation Cluster Lead for a highly respected global manufacturing organization with a significant U.S. footprint.

This is a high-impact opportunity for an accomplished automation and controls leader who understands that the modern manufacturing environment sits at the intersection of automation, operational technology (OT), cybersecurity, Industry 4.0, capital engineering, and digital transformation.

The organization is making meaningful investments in the modernization, security, connectivity, and resilience of its manufacturing operations. This leader will help shape and execute that agenda across a cluster of plants.

The Opportunity:

As the Site Security Automation Cluster Lead, you will own critical aspects of the automation and control-system environment across multiple manufacturing sites.

You will develop automation and digital manufacturing roadmaps, lead modernization initiatives, strengthen OT cybersecurity, support capital deployments, improve system reliability, and help ensure manufacturing technologies remain secure, resilient, and positioned for the future.

This is not simply a maintenance or controls-engineering position. We are looking for someone capable of leading transformation while remaining technically credible enough to understand the systems being transformed.

What You'll Lead:

• Develop and execute site and cluster roadmaps for automation modernization and digital manufacturing transformation.
• Lead cross-functional teams in the design, deployment, adoption, and optimization of automation and digital solutions.
• Provide leadership for automation and control systems across a cluster of manufacturing facilities.
• Drive OT/industrial cybersecurity practices and ensure plant automation environments align with enterprise security standards.
• Lead automation components of capital projects, including planning, execution, budget management, implementation, and benefit realization.
• Develop strategies for migrating obsolete automation hardware and software to modern, supported platforms.
• Support integration of automation technologies associated with new production lines and equipment.
• Develop and manage budgets for automation support, maintenance, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and lifecycle modernization.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex automation, controls infrastructure, and cybersecurity issues.
• Lead business-continuity and disaster-recovery planning for critical manufacturing automation systems.
• Partner with plant engineering, maintenance, technology, supply-chain, cybersecurity, and enterprise stakeholders.
• Advance Industry 4.0 capabilities, including greater connectivity, visibility, predictive capability, and adaptability across manufacturing operations.
• Build automation and cybersecurity capability across the plant cluster.

What We're Looking For:

The strongest candidates will bring 7–10+ years of relevant experience within manufacturing automation, controls engineering, operational technology, or a closely related discipline, along with:

• Strong knowledge of industrial automation and control systems.
• Experience within complex, highly automated manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated understanding of OT/industrial cy;bersecurity.
• Experience with IoT, Industry 4.0, connected manufacturing, or digital manufacturing transformation.
• Automation project engineering and capital-project experience.
• Experience developing automation modernization and technology lifecycle roadmaps.
• Understanding of manufacturing networks, control-system infrastructure, and plant connectivity.
• Experience supporting business continuity and disaster recovery for manufacturing or OT environments.
• Strong project-management and financial-management capabilities.
• Ability to influence effectively across engineering, operations, technology, cybersecurity, and senior leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechatronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automation/Controls Engineering, or a related technical field.

You must be able to work onsite in Richmond, Virginia and travel approximately quarterly to Long Island, New York.

Why Consider This Opportunity:

This role offers considerably more scope than a traditional plant automation position. You'll have the opportunity to influence the long-term automation, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and digital-manufacturing strategy of multiple facilities while working within the resources and scale of a major global enterprise.

The position offers a $140,000–$160,000 base salary, comprehensive benefits, and relocation assistance for qualified candidates.

Why Work With NWTS?

Northwest Talent Solutions brings more than 25 years of enterprise talent, executive search, workforce transformation, and technology recruiting experience to the candidates we represent.

We approach recruiting differently.

We believe candidates deserve to understand the opportunity, the expectations, and the environment they're considering—not simply receive a job description and a request for a résumé.

Our search methodology combines AI-enabled talent intelligence and market mapping with experienced human assessment, allowing us to identify specialized talent while maintaining the discretion and judgment required for senior and technically complex searches.

For this search, we're particularly interested in professionals whose careers sit at the convergence of:

Automation + Controls + OT Cybersecurity + Industry 4.0 + Capital Engineering + Digital Transformation

If you've built your career modernizing manufacturing environments—not simply maintaining them—we'd like to hear from you.

Northwest Talent Solutions (NWTS)
Transforming how organizations identify, understand and engage exceptional talent.