Operational Technology Solutions Architect - Oahu

We recognize our competitive advantage — our people. We believe in our employees, who share our vision of meeting the needs of customers and communities while carrying out the continued success of the company. Our employees are committed to foundational values: integrity, excellence, teamwork, environmental stewardship, and community commitment. In turn, we invest in our employees, providing opportunities for challenge and advancement and offering a competitive compensation package.

About the role

The OT System Architect is a senior technical leader responsible for planning and implementing the Company’s OT Energy Management System (EMS) architecture. This architecture encompasses the Energy Management System (EMS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Outage Management System (OMS), Generation Dispatch, application software, and enterprise IT platforms that enable monitoring, control, and automation of real-time grid operations. The goal is to ensure safe, reliable, and resilient operations while minimizing implementation and lifecycle costs. This role directly supports real-time grid operations and is critical to ensuring safe, reliable, and resilient energy delivery.

The architect provides company-wide technical leadership, guiding strategic decisions, project planning, and integration of the OT ecosystem that supports EMS operations. Leads initiatives to improve system resilience (including loss-of-control scenarios), technology direction, acquisition planning, migration strategies, data integrity, documentation, cybersecurity, and standardization across the EMS ecosystem. This includes close collaboration with telecommunications and cybersecurity architects to support safe and reliable grid operations.

As a grid modernization subject matter expert, the solutions architect enhances the Company’s grid monitoring and control capabilities in alignment with strategic goals, ensuring contingency plans for loss of monitoring/control are embedded in system design.

Responsibilities

• Company-Wide Impact: Develops and oversees architecture for core OT systems including Energy Management System (EMS), SCADA, Outage Management System (OMS), Generation Dispatch, and supporting IT platforms. These systems are foundational to grid monitoring, control, and automation.
• Define and maintain system interfaces and integration requirements with OMS, SCADA, generation dispatch, and IT systems.
• Provide support to develop, maintain, and update procedures and guidelines for the loss of real-time monitoring and control of the EMS.
• Work with stakeholders and subject matter experts to identify single points of failure in the OT system architecture or within processes/people.
• Provide technical input in the development and updates to metrics to capture operational risk using knowledge of the EMS ecosystem architecture and dependencies.
• Strategic Leadership: Develops processes and programs to enhance operational performance and reliability. Provides technical direction across departments, influencing long-term technology planning, acquisition strategies, and modernization initiatives aligned with corporate goals (reliable/resilient/efficient).
• Generate short-term (1-3 year) and long-term (5+ year) plans for the OT infrastructure, which may include deployment of new technology, reconfiguration of existing technology, and decommissioning of old technology as appropriate.
• Develop an end-to-end strategy/plan based on the CIO and operating units’ technological direction, covering hardware, software, operating systems, application systems, platforms, networking, interoperability, contingency arrangements, and directions for acquisition of technology resources.
• Advise client and project teams on how to integrate with and leverage existing IT/OT architecture.
• Provide high-level strategic business consultation including organizational alignment and business process development.
• System Integration & Resilience: Ensure seamless integration and clear boundaries between EMS and adjacent systems. Lead efforts to enhance system resilience, including contingency planning for loss of automation or control.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance: Collaborate with cybersecurity and telecommunications architects to embed security, standardization, and documentation across the OT ecosystem.
• Modernization & Innovation: Serve as subject matter expert for OT modernization, driving improvements in grid visibility, control capabilities, and incident response readiness.
• Provide analysis of both short-term (3 year) and long-term (5+ year) outlook of EMS ecosystem needs and requirements.
• Evaluate the viability of new projects. Represent OT division in project planning meetings that may impact the EMS and/or interconnected systems/platforms.
• Maintain a holistic view of the EMS ecosystem to ensure projects under consideration are planned, aligned with lifecycle management projects, and risks to operational capabilities are documented and communicated to stakeholders and senior-level management.
• Develop and evaluate alternative utilization or configuration options. Collaborate with stakeholders to develop technical solutions with pros and cons weighing cost/risk/impact for senior management and executive-level review.
• Using engineering system knowledge of the current system, identify and evaluate vulnerabilities and single points of failure, operations knowledge of current system usage, new system requirements, and engineering analysis of new system impacts.
• Determine what OT resources and projects will be required and when. Work closely with management and CIO staff to analyze existing and emerging technologies. Recommend pilots, prototypes, and/or adoption.
• Develop plans to help determine which technology directions are appropriate for the business and CIO units to achieve company and CIO goals, including migration strategies of infrastructure, application, and hardware components.
• Provide functional guidance, technical guidance, training, and quality assurance/quality control to personnel.
• Work solely or in concert with others to author requisite documentation to meet a variety of company needs, including text for rate case or project filings, responses to information requests from interveners, decision synopses, department/team strategies, etc.
• Participate in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including any activities required to prepare for such emergency response.

Requirements

• Knowledge Requirements:
  • Extensive knowledge of real-time operational systems, data, and operational technology management normally acquired through college-level courses and work experience.
  • Protocols and middleware that enable interoperability between disparate systems.
  • Integration of hardware and software components across OT and IT. Understanding the nuanced similarities/differences between OT and IT.
  • Programming and scripting for automation and system logic. Scripting for configuration and deployment tasks.
  • Experience with documentation, change control, compliance tracking, and metrics.
  • Creating clear system diagrams, data flow maps, and interface definitions.
  • OT cybersecurity.
• Complex Decision-Making: Operate at a high level of autonomy, making strategic decisions that affect real-time operations and long-term infrastructure investments. Balance technical depth with cross-functional coordination, influencing both engineering and executive stakeholders. Navigate evolving regulatory, cybersecurity, and operational requirements in a dynamic energy environment.
• Leadership & Influence: Lead cross-functional teams and external vendors in the design and deployment of OT solutions. Advise senior leadership on technology direction, risk mitigation, and investment priorities.
• Working knowledge of utility business, business and/or engineering principles & practices.
• Ability to develop system configuration standards and guidelines.
• Ability to identify system constraints or gaps in business requirements and effectively communicate issues/risks to management.
• Ability to keep abreast of ever-evolving and emerging information technologies.
• In-depth knowledge of people, processes, and technologies in use within multiple teams within the division.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical design and maintain comprehensive technical documentation.
• Familiarity with network design, segmentation, and secure communication protocols.

Skills

• Attention to detail and ability to dive in when needed while remaining cognizant of the bigger picture.
• Ability to remain flexible in a demanding work environment and adapt to rapidly changing priorities.
• Effective communication with all levels of the organization, both verbal and written.
• Leadership skills and ability to work with a variety of individuals, occasionally dealing with sensitive, difficult, or confrontational issues.
• Strong interpersonal skills to influence and persuade various groups or individuals.
• In-depth analytical, organizational, and conceptual skills to handle various projects and programs.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical design and maintain comprehensive technical documentation.
• Ability to develop system configuration standards and guidelines.
• Ability to identify system constraints or gaps in business requirements and effectively communicate issues/risks to management.
• Demonstrated ability and motivation to learn new tools and products independently.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop other team members.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or other scientific or technical discipline directly related to the labor category + five (5) years specialized experience; OR
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or other scientific or technical discipline directly related to the labor category + ten (10) years experience, of which at least eight (8) years must be specialized; OR
• Fifteen (15) years experience, of which at least fourteen (14) years must be specialized.

Specialized experience includes expert-level experience in one or more of the following areas: real-time monitoring and control, energy management system, supervisory control and data acquisition, multilevel systems integration, system integration design and implementation strategies, large-scale network performance monitoring, communications systems design and operation. Several (3-5) years’ managerial/supervisory experience is highly desirable.

About Hawaiian Electric Companies

Hawaiian Electric Companies provide electricity and services to 95 percent of the state's 1.4 million residents. The company is also one of the state's leading employers and a major contributor and supporter of community and educational programs.

Pay

The hiring range for this position is $120,600.00 to $156,700.00. The selected candidate will be placed according to skills and qualifications.