Director of BMS & SCADA Systems

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $170,000 - $185,000

Position Summary

The Director, BMS & SCADA Systems Oversight serves as the senior technical advisor and governance lead for Columbia University Facilities & Operations' Building Management System (BMS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) environments. Reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer, Facilities & Operations, this position provides strategic oversight, technical guidance, cybersecurity leadership, and governance across multiple BMS and SCADA platforms supporting academic, research, utility, and residential facilities.

This is an advisory and oversight role, not a day-to-day operational support position. The Director will work closely with Facilities Operations, Residential Operations, CUFO‑IT, CUIT Cybersecurity, MDG, CPM, project teams, consultants, and external vendors to ensure BMS and SCADA systems are secure, reliable, supportable, and aligned with long-term institutional goals. The role will also help ensure that operational, cybersecurity, maintenance, and support requirements are appropriately incorporated during the design, construction, commissioning, and turnover phases of capital projects, with clear ownership and support models established prior to systems entering production.

Responsibilities

Strategic Oversight and Governance

• Provide enterprise-wide oversight of BMS and SCADA systems across Manhattanville, Morningside, Powerhouse, and Residential environments.
• Establish and maintain technical standards, architecture principles, and operational best practices.
• Serve as the senior subject matter expert for BMS, SCADA, and related infrastructure.
• Develop long-term modernization and lifecycle management strategies for BMS and SCADA platforms.

Cybersecurity Leadership

• Partner closely with CUFO‑IT and CUIT Cybersecurity teams to strengthen the security posture of OT environments.
• Ensure BMS and SCADA systems comply with institutional cybersecurity standards and risk management practices.
• Provide oversight of network segmentation, remote vendor access, vulnerability management, system hardening, and incident response preparedness.
• Identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with legacy systems, cloud-connected platforms, and third-party integrations.

Project Oversight and Operational Readiness

• Provide governance and technical oversight for BMS and SCADA capital projects, upgrades, and new implementations.
• Participate in project design reviews, technical evaluations, commissioning activities, and turnover processes.
• Ensure Operations teams are engaged throughout design, construction, commissioning, and handoff activities.
• Establish clear ownership, support responsibilities, documentation standards, and operational readiness requirements prior to project closeout.
• Provide oversight and guidance across active and planned BMS and SCADA initiatives.

Operational and Technical Advisory Support

• Serve as an advisor for complex technical issues, system integrations, and architectural decisions.
• Advise Operations teams on system reliability, resiliency, performance, and supportability.
• Promote standardization and knowledge sharing across campus BMS and SCADA teams.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, products, and vendor solutions.

Vendor and Stakeholder Management

• Provide oversight of vendor-supported BMS and SCADA platforms and related service providers.
• Coordinate with Facilities Operations leadership, Residential Operations, MDG, CPM, CUFO‑IT, CUIT, consultants, and external vendors to align technical decisions with institutional requirements.
• Review vendor proposals, designs, and implementation strategies.

Knowledge Management and Continuity

• Reduce institutional reliance on individual staff and vendor-specific knowledge.
• Promote documentation, training, succession planning, and operational knowledge transfer.
• Establish governance processes that support long-term sustainability and continuity.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience supporting, managing, or overseeing BMS, SCADA, Industrial Control Systems (ICS), or Operational Technology (OT) environments.
• Demonstrated experience with large, complex facilities, utility plants, higher education, healthcare, industrial, or critical infrastructure environments.
• Strong understanding of BMS platforms, SCADA architectures, PLCs, industrial networking, and systems integration.
• Experience working with cybersecurity requirements for Operational Technology environments.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives involving operations, engineering, construction, and IT organizations.
• Strong project governance, vendor management, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related discipline.
• Experience with platforms such as:
• Wonderware / AVEVA SCADA
• Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk View
• Allen‑Bradley PLCs
• Niagara Framework
• Schneider Electric EcoStruxure
• Other commercial BMS and SCADA platforms
• Knowledge of OT cybersecurity frameworks and best practices.
• Experience with commissioning, capital projects, and facility turnover processes

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.