Senior Industrial Automation Engineer – OT Threat Research Lab (Contract)

Role Description

This role is a contract assignment at Palo Alto Networks. Contractors will not be employed by Palo Alto Networks but through our trusted staffing partners.  

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a skilled Automation Engineer (Contractor) to join the OT Threat Research Lab, where we replicate real-world industrial environments to support threat research and enhance OT cybersecurity products. You will be responsible for building and maintaining OT systems that generate realistic protocol traffic and device behavior, enabling our research and product teams to improve OT visibility, threat detection, and device classification.

You will collaborate with security researchers and product engineers who analyze PCAP data — your role is to design and operate the industrial setups that produce this traffic under realistic operational conditions.

• Location - Santa Clara, CA (Hybrid)
• Duration -  12 months 

Your Impact

• Design and Build OT Testbeds:
  Set up and configure PLCs, HMIs, SCADA software, and other industrial components to replicate control system environments across verticals like energy, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure.
• Simulate Industrial Processes and Protocols:
  Implement logic and control flows to produce representative OT protocol traffic (e.g., Modbus, DNP3, PROFINET) that supports security research and device visibility efforts.
• Support Threat Research and Product Development:
  Work closely with security researchers and product engineers by providing realistic environments, traffic, and configurations for their PCAP analysis, detection validation, and feature testing.
• Maintain and Improve Lab Infrastructure:
  Ensure OT devices and virtualized setups are fully functional, documented, and aligned with current and future use cases across research and engineering teams.
• Document and Share:
  Maintain configuration records, logic diagrams, and setup documentation to support repeatability and integration with research workflows.

Your Experience

Required

• 5 –7 years of experience in industrial automation or control systems engineering
• Hands-on experience with PLCs (e.g., Siemens, Allen-Bradley), HMI configuration, and SCADA systems
• Solid understanding of industrial communication protocols (Modbus, DNP3, OPC, PROFINET, etc.)
• Experience simulating or operating real-world industrial processes in a lab or production setting
• Ability to collaborate effectively with security researchers, engineers, and cross-functional teams

Preferred:

• Familiarity with OT cybersecurity concepts or ICS network architectures
• Experience in a research lab, product development, or R&D environment
• Basic scripting knowledge (e.g., Python or PowerShell) for configuration or automation tasks

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields:
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Industrial Automation
  • Mechatronics
  • Control Systems Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Or a related technical discipline

Alternatives:

• Equivalent industry certifications or military training in automation and control systems, combined with substantial hands-on experience, may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Our Team

Our team runs the OT Threat Research Lab at Palo Alto Networks, where we conduct cutting-edge research to position the company as a thought leader in the OT security industry. We focus on real-world control systems, including PLCs, HMIs, fully automated operational systems, and demo platforms. In addition to showcasing our research to clients at global conferences and industry events, we collaborate closely with cross-functional teams — including Product, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and GTM — to help drive innovation, inform product development, and amplify our market impact.

Compensation

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location.  For candidates who receive an offer, this is the pay range that Magnit (the staffing agency) reasonably expects to pay for this position: $55/hour to $62/hour. Please note that the compensation information in this posting reflects the hourly wage only and does not include benefits.  Magnit offers Medical, Dental, Vision and 401K. Magnit is not able to provide assistance to candidates requiring sponsorship or a visa for this position.     

Information about Palo Alto Networks

At Palo Alto Networks®, everything starts and ends with our mission:
Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
We have the vision of a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. These aren’t easy goals to accomplish — but we’re not here for easy. We’re here for better. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.