Our client, a large-scale renewable energy generation and storage company headquartered in downtown Chicago, is seeking a Principal-level professional to lead NERC CIP cybersecurity compliance efforts. This senior individual contributor role blends deep OT/IT security expertise with regulatory program ownership, policy development, and stakeholder training.
What you'll do
- Take full ownership of planning, coordinating, and delivering compliance program workstreams, driving continuous improvement in internal controls and contributing to standards and policy advocacy initiatives.
- Apply specialized knowledge of operational and information technology, networking, SCADA systems, and cybersecurity principles to support the organization's regulatory compliance posture.
- Fulfill performance demonstration requirements for NERC Medium and High Impact assets, including obligations tied to regional transmission and grid operator programs.
- Manage and keep current the organization's suite of NERC CIP policies, procedures, and reference job aids.
- Design and deliver NERC-focused training programs for internal teams and external stakeholders.
- Monitor emerging trends in utility industry cybersecurity and benchmark against evolving regulatory developments.
- Serve as an internal subject-matter expert, fielding advanced technical questions and providing authoritative guidance across the organization.
- Perform additional duties as business needs evolve.
What you'll bring
- Undergraduate degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a closely related field with an engineering or power systems orientation.
- At least 10 years of hands-on IT/OT and cybersecurity technical experience.
- Minimum of 5 years implementing NERC compliance programs directly.
- Strong critical-thinking ability; comfortable identifying and resolving complex problems with a high degree of autonomy.
- Proven capacity to manage competing priorities and sustain performance in a fast-moving environment.
- Sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential information.
- Working proficiency with MS SharePoint, KPI tracking applications, firewall technologies, networking tools, and vulnerability scanning platforms.
- Willingness to travel approximately 10–20% of the time.
- Must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without requiring visa sponsorship at any point.
- Advanced knowledge of the NERC rules and regulatory framework is highly preferred.
- Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or CISA are desirable.
- Excellent organizational, written, verbal, and facilitation skills.
This search is handled by Zohrab Kejejian at talisman.