Enterprise Operational Technology; OT Architect

Enterprise Operational Technology (OT) Architect

Non-Union Position, IS Enterprise Architecture;
Portland, Oregon (US-OR)

Hybrid schedule available for Oregon & Washington residents. Regular FT, Exempt. Posting # 5547

At NW Natural, we offer more than rewarding career opportunities and a vibrant, inclusive work culture. We invite you to join us in providing safe and reliable utility services and renewable energy to better the lives of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be the leader in service excellence, innovation and environmental stewardship for our customers, while building on our strengths as a trusted energy provider and environmental leader for our industry.

In addition to environmental stewardship, we’re also deeply committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NW Natural. Our DEI Council started 21 years ago, and today we continue to foster a culture where all employees can experience a sense of belonging, shared purpose and possibility.

NOTE: Employees based at our Headquarters are required to work on-site a minimum of two days per week. Specific in-office days may vary by team and business needs. This hybrid schedule supports collaboration, connection, and engagement while also offering flexibility for remote work.

• Define, maintain, and govern NW Natural's Operational Technology (OT) architecture, supporting gas control, pipeline, distribution, storage, and field operations.
• Ensure OT systems are secure, resilient, highly available, and aligned with enterprise architecture standards and business objectives.
• Provide architectural leadership across the full OT lifecycle, including strategy, solution design, modernization, risk mitigation, and technology roadmaps.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architects, Solution Architects, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Operations, and Engineering teams to ensure consistent, standards-based OT solutions.
• Perform Solution Architecture responsibilities.

• Develop, document, and communicate the enterprise OT architecture strategy, including reference architectures, standards, roadmaps, and guiding principles.
• Define current state and future state OT architectures supporting gas control systems, pipeline monitoring, distribution operations, and field telemetry.
• Ensure OT architectures address safety, reliability, availability, scalability, and operational continuity requirements.
• Partner with Gas Operations and Engineering teams to translate operational requirements into architecturally sound OT solutions.
• Lead architectural design for OT initiatives, including system upgrades, modernization efforts, integrations, and lifecycle replacements.
• Ensure alignment between OT architectures and enterprise IT infrastructure, network, identity, and security strategies.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to incorporate defense in depth, segmentation, access control, monitoring, and risk mitigation into OT architectures.
• Provide architectural oversight and governance to ensure OT implementations adhere to approved standards, policies, and designs.
• Conduct architectural assessments, gap analyses, and risk assessments for OT environments and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Participate in vendor and technology evaluations, proof of concepts, and architecture trade‑off decisions for OT platforms.
• Develop and maintain architectural documentation, diagrams, and decision records.
• Communicate and present OT architecture concepts and solutions to technical and non‑technical stakeholders, including leadership.
• Provide architectural mentoring and guidance to project teams and technical staff supporting OT initiatives.
• Stay current with industry trends, regulatory expectations, and emerging technologies impacting utility OT environments.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 10 years of experience designing, architecting, and implementing technology solutions, with significant experience in Operational Technology or industrial environments, preferably within utilities.
• Demonstrated experience developing architecture strategies, reference…