Freelance Operational Technology Engineer Jobs in California

Company Overview:

Company Overview:

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) is on a mission to restore the full rare earth supply chain to the United States of America. From electric cars to wind turbines and drones, rare earths are essential to the low-carbon, electrified technologies that power modern life. We hire ambitious, mission-driven people motivated to solve problems and affect change. Our values are grounded in teamwork, resiliency, and integrity, with an enduring commitment to our employees, community, and the environment. In the coming years, MP Materials will grow from a core materials and chemical processing company into a large industrial manufacturer. Our employees will lead this exciting transformation and grow professionally with us.

Position Overview:

The ideal candidate will have experience in industrial automation, SCADA systems, data acquisition platforms, and secure industrial networking. As a OT Systems Engineer, you will help design, deploy, and maintain the facility’s digital backbone for collecting and distributing real-time and historical data from all automated systems. You will also collaborate closely with IT, controls, and operations teams to enable seamless, secure integration across platforms.
Position Responsibilities:

• Design, configure, and maintain SCADA/HMI systems, including GE iFix, Ignition, FactoryTalk View, or similar platforms.
• Support the configuration and ongoing deployment of AVEVA PI (OSIsoft PI) for data collection, asset historian, alarming, and reporting.
• Implement and maintain local git repository or similar systems for version control, device management, and audit tracking.
• Integrate field devices, PLCs, HMIs, and sensors into the OT network, ensuring standardized communication and robust data flow.
• Develop and maintain secure, segmented industrial network architectures, including VLANs, Layer 2/3 switches, firewalls, and routing strategies.
• Support real-time and historical data aggregation from multiple sources—PLCs, SCADA, sensors, databases—into centralized historian platforms.
• Configure and support industrial communication protocols such as Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP, OPC UA/DA, and MQTT.
• Collaborate with IT and cybersecurity teams to establish OT/IT boundary controls, security protocols, and compliance standards.
• Participate in system commissioning, including Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), Site Acceptance Tests (SATs), installation, and startup activities.
• Provide troubleshooting support for SCADA systems, data historians, and network infrastructure during operational events.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation: network diagrams, data flow schematics, control narratives, and system configuration files.
• Work with capital projects team to review and validate system infrastructure designs.
• Work with contractors to install, modify, and test physical network infrastructure throughout the site.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Operational Technology systems in a manufacturing or process environment.
• Proficiency with SCADA/HMI platforms such as Ignition, FactoryTalk View, or similar.
• Experience with PLC programming and integration (Rockwell platform).
• Familiarity with AVEVA PI (OSIsoft PI) or similar data historian platforms.
• Hands-on experience with industrial networking, including VLANs, managed switches, and firewall configurations.
• Working knowledge of industrial protocols: OPC UA/DA, MQTT, Ethernet/IP, Modbus.
• Familiarity with ISA-95, ISA/IEC 62443, or other OT/ICS security standards.

Desired Qualities:

• Experience integrating OT platforms with cloud services, edge devices, or IoT infrastructure.
• Familiarity with virtualization environments such as VMware, Hyper-V, or Nutanix.
• Exposure to MES or ERP systems and experience with data flows between systems.
• Ability to analyze structured datasets and develop dashboards or visualizations for operations and performance tracking.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to communicate solutions clearly to cross-functional teams (from operators to senior management).
• Solid documentation and organizational skills for maintaining system records and change logs.
• Advanced user of Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel and Visio.

MP Materials is Proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer - EEO is The Law

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Underrepresented groups/Women/Disabled/Veterans are encouraged to apply. Candidates whose disabilities make them unable to meet the position’s requirements will still be considered qualified if they can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation.

Your Right to Work – In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment verification document form upon hire.

For Assistance with Application - Alternative methods of applying for employment are available to individuals unable to submit an application through this site because of a disability. Contact Human Resources Department at 702-625-5679; 1700 South Pavilion Center Dr. 8th Floor, Las Vegas, NV 89135 to discuss reasonable accommodation.

Safety Provision - Employees are responsible for following all company, industry and regulatory procedures and laws to ensure a safe work environment for themselves and the company. Employees must have a willingness to promote safety among the workforce, participate in Process Hazard Analysis procedures and Pre-Startup Safety Reviews.

(PPE) Personal Protective Equipment is required when performing work in a mine, manufacturing, outdoor, or plant environment. Required PPE may include, but is not limited to, hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, safety footwear, respirator, rubber steel-toe boots, protective clothing, gloves, and any other protective equipment as required.

Working Conditions - Our facility sits at an elevation of 4,700 feet. Employees may be subject to extreme weather conditions when working in an outdoor setting (heat and cold, wind). Work is at an open pit mine or manufacturing/chemical plant setting, which may include exposure to moving mechanical parts, toxic chemicals, risk of electrical shock, explosives, fumes, or airborne particles.

Physical Demands - Manual dexterity; sense of touch; sense of smell; speaking clearly; hearing-speech range; hearing – all ranges; seeing, reading and comprehensions; seeing – distant/near; depth perception; color vision. While performing the job responsibilities, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to stand and use their hands and fingers, to handle or feel and to manipulate laboratory equipment. The employee is occasionally required to walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision. Employees must pass a full-face respiratory fit test. Employees must be able to lift 50 lbs. Must be able to work in PPE level C. These requirements are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the knowledge, skill, and ability required of the employee.