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Senior Principal Engineer - Operational Technology - Columbus, OH OR Abbott Park, IL

Abbott · IL · $113,300–$226,700 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 9, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a large OT standard or architecture you set across multiple sites. How did you get plants to adopt it?

What they are checking: Whether they can drive a standard across sites that each believe their setup is special.

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a plant leader about a technical risk. How did it end?

What they are checking: Whether they can hold a technical position with operations leaders while still keeping the relationship.

How do you keep up with OT security threats and standards like IEC 62443?

What they are checking: Whether their knowledge is current and tied to recognized frameworks rather than habit.

What would you do

A plant runs a control system on an unsupported operating system that can't be patched. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they use compensating controls and a realistic migration plan instead of demanding an immediate shutdown.

Walk me through how you'd respond to suspected malware on a production historian or HMI.

What they are checking: Whether they balance containment against keeping a running line safe, and know who must be in the room.

This role can sit in Columbus or Abbott Park. How do you lead engineers at sites you rarely visit?

What they are checking: Whether they can set direction and build trust remotely across a spread-out plant network.

About the work

Abbott makes nutrition products like Similac and Ensure. What operational technology risks matter most in a plant like that?

What they are checking: Whether they connect OT design to product safety and uptime in food and infant formula manufacturing.

How do you design network segmentation between the plant floor and the business network?

What they are checking: Whether they know Purdue-style zones and conduits well enough to keep control systems reachable but protected.

How do you approach validation and change control for OT systems in a regulated manufacturing site?

What they are checking: Whether they understand that a network or system change on the floor can require formal validation before release.

What's your experience with MES, historians and SCADA integration, and where do those projects usually go wrong?

What they are checking: Whether they have real integration scars and can name the common failure points before they happen.

How do you decide what to build as a reusable OT pattern versus what to let each site solve locally?

What they are checking: Whether they think at the principal level about where standards help and where they just add overhead.

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The full job description

As published by Abbott.

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 122,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. JOB DESCRIPTION: About Abbott Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology. Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, and Glucerna® – to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life. Working at Abbott At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to: • Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of. • Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO • An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution • Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree. • A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune. • A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists. • The stability of a company with a record of strong financial performance and history of being actively involved in local communities WHAT YOU’LL DO As the Senior Principal Engineer – Operational Technology within Abbott Nutrition’s Manufacturing Technology team, you will provide expertise to: • Lead the development and execution of an IT/OT convergence roadmap for the global manufacturing environment that supports Abbott’s journey through Industry 4.0, coordinating with manufacturing, engineering, quality, data science, advanced analytics and IT resources. • Develop and implement standards, best practices, and guidelines for governance of manufacturing asset structures for secure data collection and contextualization. • Develop a global strategy for real-time manufacturing data visualization and reporting • Provide technical leadership on Front End Planning (FEP) activities on multiple concurrent medium- to large-size projects and programs within the global Abbott Nutrition network (Americas, Europe and Asia) – determining provisional scope, design, manufacturability, cost, capital, risk and schedule considerations while working with cross-functional teams • Use knowledge of a wide range of hardware and software for manufacturing equipment, control systems, and data systems to conceptualize complete, innovative solutions for novel or complex problems, including: • IoT devices and edge computing • Visualization or dashboard applications (e.g., PI Vision, ProcessBook, Seeq, Power BI) • SCADA systems (e.g., Ignition, FactoryTalk, iFIX) • Asset management platforms (e.g. Maximo) • Industrial networks and communications (HART, Fieldbus, Modbus, DeviceNet) • Accessing relational databases (Oracle, SQL) • Asset monitoring servers • Manufacturing system software databases • Communicate, promote and justify solutions and programs with senior leadership • Mentor others by sharing technical expertise and providing feedback and guidance • Provide technical support to Abbott Nutrition’s global production network, including existing system issues as well as design improvements/new designs as part of continuous improvement, and act as a technical influencer to senior leadership and stakeholders for business initiatives. • Experience modernizing legacy control systems and integrating them with contemporary OT/IT architectures • Proven ability to lead change in legacy manufacturing environments, influencing cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders to adopt new technologies and processes • Experience designing and implementing data governance frameworks for manufacturing systems, including contextualization of time-series data and integration with enterprise platforms • Lead validation for manufacturing software systems in compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 • 25% - 50% travel is expected as part of the role EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU’LL BRING • A Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or closely related discipline, or equivalent technical experience plus demonstrated competence • 10+ years of significant engineering (OT systems or controls), IT, and/or operational experience • Familiarity with International Society of Automation (ISA) standards • A post-graduate education / degree may contribute towards the desired years of experience. • Has demonstrated competency within the area of manufacturing IT systems • Experience presenting and communicating with all levels of an organization; plant production personnel through senior leadership • Has a technical background in health care, nutritional products, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, or similar industries (preferred) Apply Now Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity. Connect with us at www.abbott.com , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. The base pay for this position is $113,300.00 – $226,700.00 In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted. JOB FAMILY: Engineering DIVISION: ANSC Nutrition Supply Chain LOCATION: United States > Columbus : 2900 Easton Square Place ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS: United States > Abbott Park : AP06C WORK SHIFT: Standard TRAVEL: Yes, 25 % of the Time MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE: No SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES: Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Keyboard use (greater or equal to 50% of the workday) Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans. EEO is the Law link - English: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_English.pdf EEO is the Law link - Espanol: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_Spanish.pdf

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