Telecom Innovations

Position Summary:

The AV Design Engineer is responsible for developing technically accurate, competitive, and complete audiovisual system solutions during the pre-sales and pre-construction phases of a project. This role works closely with customers, Sales, Estimating, manufacturers, consultants, and internal engineering teams to understand customer needs and translate those requirements into system designs, technical documentation, Bills of Material, budgets, scopes of work, and customer proposals.

The AV Design Engineer serves as the primary technical resource for AV opportunities before project award. This position is responsible for ensuring proposed systems meet customer objectives, Telecom Innovations standards, manufacturer requirements, applicable codes, and industry best practices. Once a project is awarded, the Design Engineer conducts a thorough technical turnover to the Project Engineer and Project Manager to support successful project execution.

Key Responsibilities:

Customer Needs Analysis & Technical Discovery

• Collaborate with customers, consultants, Sales, and other stakeholders to understand operational needs, system objectives, technical requirements, budget considerations, and project expectations.

• Conduct customer site visits, field surveys, and existing-condition assessments as required.

• Evaluate existing audiovisual systems, infrastructure, pathways, power, network availability, room conditions, and installation constraints.

• Identify missing, unclear, or conflicting project information and develop requests for information as needed.

• Provide technical recommendations based on customer needs, intended system use, facility conditions, and available technology.

• Participate in customer meetings, design discussions, demonstrations, and technical presentations.

• Communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

System Design

• Develop complete audiovisual system designs for commercial environments, including conference rooms, training rooms, divisible spaces, classrooms, auditoriums, digital signage systems, collaboration spaces, and other specialized AV applications.

• Develop system architecture, signal flow, device placement, rack requirements, network requirements, control requirements, and user-interface concepts.

• Select equipment and materials that meet project performance requirements, customer standards, budget objectives, and product availability considerations.

• Ensure designs are compatible with the customer’s existing systems, network environment, security requirements, and operational needs.

• Verify that proposed systems comply with Telecom Innovations installation standards, manufacturer requirements, applicable regulations, and AV industry best practices.

• Incorporate appropriate allowances for cabling, connectors, mounts, racks, accessories, power supplies, licensing, miscellaneous materials, and other components required for a complete and operational system.

• Perform value engineering and recommend alternative solutions when needed to meet customer budgets without compromising required system performance.

• Remain current on AV products, emerging technologies, manufacturer solutions, and industry design practices.

Technical Documentation

• Create and maintain technical design documentation, which may include:

o System one-line and signal-flow diagrams

o Floor plans and reflected ceiling plans

o Device layouts and mounting details

o Wall and furniture elevations

o Rack elevations

o Wiring and termination diagrams

o Equipment schedules

o Network and IP address requirements

o Equipment and system specifications

o Control and programming narratives

o Scope narratives and system descriptions

• Develop and maintain accurate project Bills of Material.

• Ensure all equipment, accessories, licenses, cables, connectors, mounting hardware, and miscellaneous installation materials are included in the design and BOM.

• Maintain organized engineering files and project records in accordance with company standards.

• Revise designs and documentation in response to customer feedback, addenda, RFIs, scope changes, or value-engineering decisions.

Estimating, Budgeting & Proposal Support

• Collaborate with Sales and Estimating to develop accurate project budgets and customer proposals.

• Perform technical reviews of RFPs, RFIs, consultant drawings, specifications, bid documents, and customer-provided scopes.

• Participate in project takeoffs, design reviews, and pricing discussions for bid projects, design-build opportunities, and consultant-led opportunities.

• Provide the technical information necessary to estimate labor, programming, commissioning, training, travel, freight, and other project requirements.

• Review vendor and manufacturer pricing and confirm that selected products meet project requirements.

• Assist in identifying project risks, exclusions, assumptions, alternates, and potential scope gaps.

• Develop clear technical scope descriptions for inclusion in customer proposals.

• Create or support the preparation of professional customer proposals using company-approved templates and letterhead.

• Participate in bid/no-bid discussions and provide technical input regarding complexity, risk, resource needs, and solution feasibility.

• Support Sales in presenting proposed solutions and answering customer technical questions.

Project Turnover & Internal Coordination

• Conduct a complete technical turnover to the assigned AV Project Engineer and Project Manager after project award or receipt of notice to proceed.

• Provide the final approved design package, BOM, proposal, scope, pricing assumptions, customer requirements, survey information, correspondence, and other relevant documentation.

• Clearly communicate design intent, system functionality, project risks, exclusions, alternates, customer commitments, and unresolved technical items.

• Participate in project kickoff meetings and initial design reviews as needed.

• Assist the Project Engineer in resolving questions related to the original design intent or pre-sales commitments.

• Support evaluation and pricing of significant customer-requested design changes when pre-sales engineering involvement is required.

• Incorporate lessons learned and field feedback into future designs and company engineering standards.

Quality Assurance & Process Improvement

• Review designs and proposals for technical accuracy, completeness, constructability, and alignment with customer requirements.

• Verify that the final proposed BOM supports the complete system design and scope.

• Follow established design review and approval processes before proposals or technical documents are released.

• Develop and maintain reusable design standards, system templates, equipment standards, drawing details, and engineering tools.

• Identify opportunities to improve AV design, estimating, documentation, and turnover processes.

• Collaborate with Project Engineers and Field Engineers to evaluate completed projects and improve future system designs.

• Maintain accurate records of design revisions, approvals, and customer decisions.

General Responsibilities:

• Represent TI professionally during customer, consultant, manufacturer, and partner interactions.

• Collaborate effectively with Sales, Estimating, Project Management, Engineering, Programming, Operations, and Field Services.

• Maintain confidentiality of customer information, pricing, designs, and company intellectual property.

• Manage multiple opportunities and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and responsiveness.

• Complete required documentation, administrative tasks, and internal updates accurately and on time.

• Follow all company policies, procedures, safety requirements, and quality standards.

• Perform other duties as assigned to support company operations and project success.

• Travel to customer sites as required for surveys, meetings, presentations, and design activities.

Qualifications & Education:

Required

• Associate degree, bachelor’s degree, technical certification, or equivalent professional experience in AV technology, engineering, electronics, information technology, construction technology, or a related field.

• 3 or more years of experience designing, engineering, estimating, installing, programming, or commissioning commercial audiovisual systems.

• Strong understanding of commercial AV system architecture, equipment selection, signal flow, and installation requirements.

• Knowledge of audio, video, control, conferencing, digital signage, networked AV, and collaboration technologies.

• Ability to read/interpret architectural drawings, reflected ceiling plans, electrical drawings, specifications, consultant documents, and technical schematics.

• Experience developing Bills of Material and technical system documentation.

• Working knowledge of AV-over-IP, network requirements, device addressing, bandwidth considerations, and managed network environments.

• Strong attention to detail and the ability to identify scope gaps, compatibility issues, and project risks.

• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and customer-service skills.

• Ability to manage multiple opportunities and priorities in a deadline-driven environment.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and applicable AV design, drawing, estimating, and documentation software.

• Valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record.

Preferred

• AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist certification.

• CTS-D certification.

• Manufacturer certs from Q-SYS, Biamp, Crestron, Extron, Dante, Shure, Logitech, Microsoft, Zoom, or similar AV technology providers.

• Experience with AutoCAD, Revit, Visio, Bluebeam, or comparable design and markup software.

• Experience designing systems for corporate, healthcare, education, government, data center, or other commercial environments.

• Experience supporting design-build, consultant-led, and competitive-bid opportunities.

• Knowledge of applicable AV standards, accessibility and electrical requirements, and construction coordination practices.