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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal IT Architect (Operational Technology) - **Company:** Xcel Energy Inc. - **Location:** Minneapolis, MN, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $156,100.0 - $195,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** ADMS (Software), Business Process Management, Cyber Security, Data Integrity, Enterprise Architecture Framework, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Identity and Access Management, Service-Oriented Architecture, Software Systems, Technical Debt, Firewalls (Computer Science), Togaf, Data Analytics, Real Time Data, Data Management - **Published:** June 27, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.juju.com/job/00000000gbdh2d ## About the Role Are you looking for an exciting job where you can put your skills and talents to work at a company you can feel proud to be a part of? Do you want a workplace that will challenge you and offer you opportunities to learn and grow? A position at Xcel Energy could be just what you're looking for., + Bachelor's degree in Technology, Science, Business or related field, or 4 years of experience equivalent to the position. + Ten years of related functional experience. + Excellent communication skills, effective with varying organizational levels and skill sets. + Excellent Relationship Management and collaboration skills, with a track record of working as one team cross-organizationally to drive innovation and business results. + Strong architecture acumen across multiple domains including network, infrastructure, software, hosting models, applications, data, mobile platforms, and security. + Strong knowledge of core aspects of enterprise architecture (Software, Hardware, Network, Integration, Data, hosting models, platform types, etc.). + In-depth expertise in at least two areas of: Architecture competency such as SOA, TOGAF, BPM, Data Analytics, standards & governance, or enterprise architecture frameworks. + Expertise on future technology trends within area of expertise. + Expertise in architectural review and technology lifecycle management disciplines. + Experience in a leading role in project delivery & solutions architecture. + Experience successfully owning and driving strategic roadmap planning, and simplifying technology eco-systems. Preferred Requirements + 5+ years of experience providing architectural leadership for real-time SCADA Systems. + Experience with Schneider Electric, ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION, GE EMS/ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION, or equivalent platforms. + Prior involvement in major OT upgrades or modernization initiatives. + Demonstrated ability to define, defend, and operationalize an enterprise-level OT architecture strategy aligned to utility reliability, regulatory, and cybersecurity constraints. + Proven experience developing platform-based roadmaps (not project-centric solutions) across OT domains such as ADMS, EMS/DEMS, SCADA, DERMS, OMS, and OT data platforms. + Experience providing architectural leadership for real-time integrations (e.g., SCADA, ICCP, telemetry, control flows) with an emphasis on performance, resilience, and determinism. + Architecture Design Authority + Security-Informed Architecture Thinking + Track record of raising the architectural maturity of teams through coaching, standards development, and design critique. ## Description The OT Subject Matter Expert (SME) serves as a deep technical and functional authority for Xcel Energy's mission-critical OT platforms, specifically Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, and Gas Distribution and Transmission. The role provides architectural continuity, operational insight, and cross-team coordination across design, integration, access, cybersecurity, and operational readiness activities. This role acts as a bridge between architecture, operations, cybersecurity, identity, network/firewall, and vendor teams, ensuring OT systems are designed, integrated, and operated in a manner that meets reliability, regulatory, and security requirements. Essential Responsibilities OT System Expertise & Ownership + Provide deep subject matter expertise for **ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION, ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION, and Gas Transmission and Distribution** environments across production, non-production, and regulated domains. + Serve as a consultative, trusted advisor during system upgrades, integration failures, and production incidents affecting OT reliability or compliance. + Maintain institutional knowledge of environment segmentation (CIP vs non-CIP, prod vs non-prod) and how those boundaries impact design and operations. + Set defend and operationalize a Clear OT Strategy that enables safe, reliable grid operations while modernizing the technology stack under strict regulatory and cybersecurity constraints. + The principal architect is required to develop platform roadmaps, not isolated projects. + **A Principal Architect ensures:** + OT data platforms evolve coherently. + Capabilities are reused, not duplicated. + Technical debt is retired deliberately, not deferred indefinitely. + Projects deliver outcomes; platforms deliver long-term operational stability and cost control. **Architecture & Design Collaboration** + Participate in and influence architecture and design discussions. + Author Operational Technology standards that serve as the building blocks for OT project implementation. + Ensure design decisions account for operational supportability and long-term maintainability, not just project delivery. **Integration & SCADA Interfaces** + Provide thought leadership and possess expertise of SCADA integrations, including: + ICCP integrations between ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION and ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION + Real-time data flows between various OT platforms + Validate that integration designs support real-time performance, data integrity, and operational resiliency. **Identity, Access & Cybersecurity Coordination** + Act as a key OT SME in complex **identity and access management (IAM)** scenarios involving: + User access provisioning for various OT Applications. + Certificate-based authentication. + Cross-domain trust and firewall constraints. + Consult with IAM, Network/Firewall, Cybersecurity, and Vendor teams to drive design solution where OT and IT boundaries intersect. + Partner across architecture, operations, cybersecurity, and IAM to define clear ownership for OT security integration issues that fall between teams. **Observability** + Incorporate observability standards into OT platforms, ensuring alerting and reporting designs are in place and validated prior to go-live. **Cross-Team Collaboration & Communication** + Engage regularly in Teams-based coordination with OT peers, architects, and operations leaders to clarify ambiguities (e.g., jump host usage, environment access patterns). + Translate highly technical OT concepts into clear, actionable guidance for leadership and non-OT stakeholders. ## Related Videos - [What makes Cybersecurity different for critical infrastructure?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/571-what-makes-cybersecurity-different-for-critical-infrastructure) - [Thinking Differently - How to Make Money from Cyber Attacks & Cheats](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/745-thinking-differently-how-to-make-money-from-cyber-attacks-cheats) - [Exploring 5 Key Applications of AI Abundance with Blockchain Assurance](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/971-exploring-5-key-applications-of-ai-abundance-with-blockchain-assurance) - [Remote Driving on Plant Grounds with State-of-the-Art Cloud Technologies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/251-remote-driving-on-plant-grounds-with-state-of-the-art-cloud-technologies) - [Cyber Security: Small, and Large!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/259-cyber-security-small-and-large) - [Startup Presentation: StorX - Future of Cloud Storage](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1176-startup-presentation-storx-future-of-cloud-storage) ## Related Articles - [A Guide to Green Tech and Green IT Careers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/374-a-guide-to-green-tech-and-green-it-careers) - [The Most Popular IT Jobs on the Market](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/376-the-most-popular-it-jobs-on-the-market) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [From developer to manager – what does it take to become an engineering manager?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/42-from-developer-to-manager-what-does-it-take-to-become-an-engineering-manager) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Top-Paying Tech Jobs (with Salaries)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/372-top-paying-tech-jobs-with-salaries)