Ignition Lead support Engineer - Remote

About Us:

Cognizant is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating, and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build, and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant, a member of the NASDAQ-100, is ranked 195 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com.

About Cognizant’s IoT Practice:

Intelligent, IoT-enabled products will soon result in the proliferation of data and disrupt virtually all industries. To be successful, both large and small companies must leverage IoT capabilities by designing modern products that fundamentally connect people with processes. Within Cognizant IOT, we engineer industry-aligned, IoT-enabled products that merge industry needs with human drivers. Our intelligent products will revolutionize experiences and result in exciting, transformative outcomes. Without human-centered thinking, connected products are just standalone things-but with it, our modern connected products facilitate a unified way of life enjoyed by all.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Act as the primary support contact for production issues across Ignition and IIoT systems
• Troubleshoot incidents across the full stack:
  • Shop-floor devices → OPC-UA/Kepware → Ignition → MQTT/Kafka → Cloud
• Monitor and resolve issues impacting:
  • Data availability, latency, and integrity
  • Gateway performance and connectivity
• Handle incidents via ITSM tools (ServiceNow/Jira) with SLA adherence
• Perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and implement preventive measures
• Support multi-site and multi-gateway environments (local + cloud gateways)
• Administer Ignition Gateway (Edge & Enterprise deployments):
  • Installation, upgrades, patching, and configuration
• Manage Tag historian and store-and-forward systems, Alarms, reports, transaction groups, and MES modules
• Monitor Gateway CPU, memory, tag execution rates, OPC connections and tag health
• Perform Backup & disaster recovery drills
• System audits and performance optimization
• Support PLC/DCS integrations via OPC-UA, Modbus, DNP3, and other industrial protocols
• Maintain and troubleshoot database connections (MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL)
• Collaborate with network engineers to maintain firewall rules, VPN tunnels, and VLAN segmentation for OT/IT networks
• Assist in integrating Ignition with ERP/MES systems (SAP, Oracle, Plex) via REST/SOAP APIs
• Develop and maintain Python scripts within Ignition for automation, data processing, and alarm management
• Create and modify Perspective/Vision screens for operational dashboards and operator displays
• Build and maintain transaction groups, named queries, and stored procedures for historian data
• Partner with process engineers and plant operators to gather requirements and implement improvements
• Participate in change management processes and ensure proper testing before production deployments
• Contribute to on-call rotation for 24/7 production support coverage

Required Skills & Experience:

• 7+ years of hands-on experience with Inductive Automation Ignition (v8.x)
• Proficiency in Python scripting within the Ignition environment
• Strong understanding of industrial communication protocols: OPC-UA, Modbus TCP/RTU, DNP3, MQTT
• Experience with relational databases: SQL Server, MySQL, or PostgreSQL (query writing, stored procedures)
• Familiarity with PLC/DCS platforms (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, Honeywell, DeltaV)
• Working knowledge of networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VLANs, firewalls, and OT/IT convergence
• Experience working in a production or manufacturing plant environment
• Ignition Core Certification
• Experience with Ignition MES, Sepasoft modules (OEE, SPC, Track & Trace)
• Knowledge of ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecurity standards for Industrial Control Systems
• Knowledge of ISA-95, ISA-88 architectures
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices applied to OT/SCADA environments
• Experience with cloud-connected SCADA or IIoT architectures (AWS, Azure IoT, MQTT Sparkplug B)
• Exposure to historian platforms such as OSIsoft PI, Canary, or InfluxDB
• Experience with multi-site IIoT deployments, OEE and manufacturing KPIs

Compensation: - Base + COLA and this position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans. Application will be accepted by 10/8/2026