Job Description

Job Title: Senior OT Security Specialist

Function: Technology

Reports to: ICT Security manager

Location: Dublin

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Ornua is a leading dairy co-operative which sells premium dairy products globally on behalf of its Member Co-operatives, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers.

Ornua has revenues of €3.4 billion and is supported by a global team of approximately 2,800 employees. The Group operates as a commercial organisation across 10 business units, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.

The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold. Consumer markets are served by production facilities in Ireland, Germany and the UK and by in-market Sales & Marketing Teams in Asia, Germany, Ireland, MEA, Poland, Spain, rest of Europe and North and Latin America.

It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility. These activities are supported by production facilities and in-market teams in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.

WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE:

We are hiring an OT Security Specialist to work in our growing group IT Security team.

The role will monitor and manage our OT security software solutions, segmentation between IT & OT networks, document OT security processes and practices, monitor and respond to potential security risks, issues and breaches.

This OT Cybersecurity Specialist will play a key role in protecting the integrity, safety, and availability of Ornua’s OT (Operational Technology) infrastructure food and dairy production environments from cyber threats and vulnerabilities. This role bridges the gap between industrial automation and cybersecurity, ensuring that digital systems—from milk pasteurization and cooling to high-speed packaging—remain resilient against threats that could lead to product contamination, spoilage, or large-scale recalls.

Leveraging the candidates background from an industrial or OT environments and expertise in cybersecurity, to contribute to the development and implementation of robust security control measures to address risks and safeguard group’s industrial operations.

We are looking for individuals with a strong passion and understanding of industrial control systems, OT processes and security knowledge around intrusion detection and response capabilities. As an OT Security Specialist, you will be working with a global security team to identify and remediate threats to the group’s industrial operations.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Provide on-going support in assisting group IT security team in the execution, managing and monitoring of global OT cybersecurity program activities across group industrial sites.

• Manage up-to date documentation of existing OT security controls, solutions, network architecture and processes to ensure compliance with global IT & OT security policies and applicable regulatory standards.

• Monitor and manage group security approved specialised OT Security passive discovery solution providing identification of assets, traffic flows, vulnerabilities and threat / anomaly detection.

• Conduct security risk analyses on segmentation of traffic flows between IT and OT network segments and vulnerabilities identified in the OT systems and components (e.g. SCADA, PLCs, HMIs, workstations, handheld and other special purpose devices).

• Monitor and manage the use of identity and access management and endpoint related security controls including hardening and USB controls/inspection.

• Ensuring all types of staff or vendor remote access into the OT networks is identified, documented and deployed using group approved secure OT remote access solution.

• Coordinate with OEM vendors to apply security updates during scheduled sanitation windows.

• Facilitate and foster cross collaboration between group IT security and local plant operations teams on new implementations to ensure a resilient OT infrastructure. Bridge the gap between IT security requirements and OT engineering realities, fostering a culture of shared responsibility.

• Monitor OT environments for security incidents, analyse security logs, and investigate alerts to detect and respond to cyber threats in a timely manner.

• Provide OT cybersecurity awareness training and support to Operations and engineering personnel to promote a culture of security awareness and compliance.

• Supporting execution of routine internal and external OT security assessments projects.

• Stay updated on the latest developments in industry 4.0 concepts, cybersecurity threats, trends, and technologies, and apply this knowledge to improve OT security posture.

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial automation/instrumentation, computer science, Information Security, or a related field is preferred but not mandatory.

• 5-6 years of experience working in an OT or industrial environments (preferrable in Food & Diary manufacturing) with a focus on cybersecurity is preferred.

• Understanding of specialised OT Security solutions for OT asset discovery, vulnerability identification and anomaly / threat detection.

• Understanding of OT/industrial processes, protocols (Modbus, OPC UA, OSI Pi, SL7, MQTT etc.) and systems (e.g. SCADA/DCS, PLCs, HMIs, etc.) typically used in food & diary manufacturing.

• Familiar with Safety and Hazard analysis on OT processes.

• Familiarity with cybersecurity standards and regulations, such as NIS2, ISA/IEC 62443, ISO 27001 and NIST OT Security guidelines.

• Understanding in network security concepts, tools, and technologies, including firewalls, encryption, IDS/IPS, and VPNs.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyse complex security incidents and recommend effective countermeasures.

• Knowledge of Microsoft Security suite (MS O365 Defender, Azure ATP, O365 ATP and CAS etc..) would be an advantage.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to interact with technical and non-technical stakeholders effectively.

• Industry certification like GICSP, ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecurity expert, Certified SCADA Security Architect (CSSA), or CISSP are a plus.

Closing Date: Monday 8 June 2026

Accessibility at Ornua

Ornua is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We will make every effort to provide for any reasonable accessibility needs you may have during your employment with us. If you require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know — we’re here to support you.