IT Application Engineer – Physical Security Systems (OnGuard / Genetec Specialty) SME

Position Summary:

This IT Application Engineer will be responsible for the deployment, upgrade, maintenance, and modernization of enterprise-level Physical Security Applications, with primary responsibility for Lenel OnGuard and increasing technical ownership of Genetec Security Center as Chevron transitions toward a hybrid OnGuard / Genetec operating model over the next 3 to 4 years. The role will support Access Control, Video Management, Visitor Management, Badge

Management, Alarm Monitoring, and related identity and operational workflows while helping rationalize existing security applications into an integrated enterprise security platform. This role ensures system integrity, scalability, cyber compliance, and operational continuity while collaborating with security operations, IT infrastructure, vendors, and business stakeholders to deliver secure, reliable, and supportable solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploy, upgrade, and sustain Lenel OnGuard and related physical security applications across global facilities while supporting planned transition activities into Genetec Security Center. 

• Configure and maintain hybrid security system architecture across OnGuard and Genetec environments, including servers, databases, application services, clients, and integrations with third-party systems. 

• Provide hands-on engineering support for access control, alarm monitoring, video management, badge/visitor workflows, and related application components during the coexistence period between legacy and future-state platforms. 

• Document technical procedures, upgrade paths, hybrid-state architecture diagrams, migration dependencies, and operational runbooks for current OnGuard environments and emerging Genetec deployments. 

• Collaborate with security operations, IT infrastructure, database, networking, identity, and vendor teams to align deployments with enterprise standards, cyber requirements, and global security operating needs. 

• Perform system health checks, application troubleshooting, service validation, log review, and root-cause analysis to maintain high availability across mission-critical access control and security operations platforms. 

• Recommend and implement enhancements, process improvements, integration rationalization, and system optimizations that strengthen OnGuard stability while preparing capabilities for Genetec Security Center adoption. 

• Support application rationalization planning by identifying legacy security functions that can be absorbed into Genetec suites such as Synergis, Omnicast, Mission Control, ClearID, Data Exporter, Operations Center, AutoVu, and Sipelia where in scope.

 


Technical Skills:

Lenel OnGuard Expertise:
• Deep understanding of OnGuard architecture, including Communication Server, Application Server, SQL Database, OpenAccess API, DataConduIT, alarm monitoring clients, system administration, and enterprise/multi-region support models. 

• Experience with OnGuard Version 8.2 or later, including enhanced web modules, OpenAccess RESTful API, cloud-readiness considerations, client packaging, and upgrade dependency planning. 

• Define and maintain custom alarm priorities, escalation paths, event-to-action rules, graphical maps, and operational workflows supporting access control and alarm response. 

• Configure and support custom reports, card formats, badge types, permission groups, cardholder options, segments, access panels, access level groups, areas, intrusion panels, and related enterprise access-control objects. 

• Troubleshoot complex OnGuard issues across panels, COMM servers, services, databases, network paths, clients, integrations, and field-level security devices.

Genetec Security Center Expertise:

• Working knowledge of Genetec Security Center architecture and the role of its integrated suites in a unified physical security ecosystem. 

• Ability to support or learn hands-on configuration and administration of Synergis for access control, including alarms, access monitoring, and access-control hardware management. 

• Ability to support Omnicast video management capabilities, including video monitoring, playback, and video analytics integrations as part of the broader security operations workflow. 

• Foundational understanding of Mission Control for incident management, response orchestration, event correlation, and automated workflow design. 

Database Management:

• Proficiency in Microsoft SQL Server for backup, restore, query review, performance analysis, and disaster recovery planning for physical security applications. 

• Ability to optimize Microsoft SQL Server for performance and resiliency using appropriate enterprise patterns such as mirroring, AlwaysOn Availability Groups, maintenance jobs, and backup validation. 

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Operating Systems:

• Strong knowledge of Windows Server environments, IIS configuration, service accounts, certificate management, scheduled tasks, and Active Directory integration. 

• Experience supporting application clients, administrative tools, and server-side services in enterprise-managed environments, including packaging, patching, and controlled deployment practices.

 


Networking:

• Familiarity with TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, DNS, load balancing, firewall rules, and network segmentation for secure application communication across global sites. 

• Ability to troubleshoot connectivity across application servers, panels/controllers, readers, cameras, intercoms, clients, cloud-hosted components, and vendor-managed systems. 

Integration Skills:

• Implement and support DataConduIT and/or OpenAccess API integrations for real-time data exchange with HR, identity, reporting, and operational systems.  

• Experience integrating badge printers, biometric devices, handheld devices, alarm panels, access-control hardware, and related field devices with OnGuard or comparable enterprise security platforms. 

Leadership & Soft Skills:

• Ability to plan and lead global deployment, upgrade, stabilization, and migration activities while managing timelines, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder expectations. 

• Skilled at translating technical details into business-friendly language for leadership, security operations, and non-technical stakeholders. 

• Strong analytical skills for diagnosing complex system issues under pressure, leading root-cause analysis, and driving sustainable corrective actions.