Lead Designer

Description

Position Summary

The Lead Designer of Technology Solutions (IT Infrastructure, Integrated Security and Audiovisual technologies) is a trusted senior member and manager, working under the direct supervision of the Project Manager. The Lead Designer works to manage project teams serves as an advisor to our clients providing valuable expert guidance around technology implementations, relocations or enhancements of their IT infrastructure, Integrated Security and Audiovisual technologies, including proactive recommendations to deliver ongoing success to our clients. In this role, the Lead Designer oversees all design team project functions, including surveys, calculations, selections & layouts, performs all project phases and is called upon to play a lead role in effectively communicating with peers, supervisors, vendors, consultants, clients & stakeholders. The Lead Designer is the top-level project escalation point for projects and is responsible for providing Project Initiation, Planning, Design, Execution and Close-out leadership throughout the project life cycle.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8yrs experience working as a Technology Project Manager under the direct or indirect supervision of company Management personnel.
• Minimum 5yrs experience managing and designing projects of various sizes and complexities.
• 4-year Engineering or technology degree or equivalent.
• Great interpersonal skills.
• Polished communication skills (both verbal & writing).
• Highly organized and composed under pressure.
• Must be able to manage strict timelines with multiple projects to meet deadlines under high-pressure environment.
• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Word.
• Advanced working knowledge of AutoCAD & REVIT.

Requirements

Expectations

Trade-Specific Competency – Information Technology, UTC

Level 4 (Functional Mastery)

• Can ably recognize even the most complex types of existing systems and apply solutions to the most complex engineering problems.
• Can independently design complex IT infrastructure, AV and security systems with inherent knowledge, minimal research & direction, and use of company standards & templates.
• With minimal supervision, can develop intricate room and system designs/layouts and selection of advanced equipment.
• With minimal supervision, can generate specifications based on company standard templates.

Core Competencies

Project Management

Level 4 (Functional Mastery)

Project Management

• Exhibits project process mastery with confidence and humility. Demonstrated ability to see the big picture and keep the team focused on key team & company goals, and on the client experience. Ensures effective collaboration between team members, understands the various personalities, and how they can best work together for the good of the whole. Habitually performs Project Manager responsibilities without assistance & with the highest degree of efficiency.

Relationship Management

• Fosters a collaborative culture, with demonstrated experience training & developing staff. Demonstrated ability to oversee team coordination with managers, clients and team members to set expectations, deliverables, and objectives. Delegates workload assignments effectively & inspires others.

Problem Solving

• Teaches the team to view problems as opportunities to grow & fosters a solution-based thinking culture, where the team brings ideas & solutions to the table. Enables the team to fill knowledge gaps through active & proactive research. Assesses team issues from different vantage points, thinks "outside the box", & formulates the most effective solution in addressing specific challenges. Takes a "prevent rather than intervene" approach by focusing on team quality and due diligence.

Customer Satisfaction

• Ensures that the team focuses on the client experience and keeps the customer perspective in mind. Teaches team to have a "customer is always right" approach. Elicits feedback from direct reports and creates strategies to help the team serve customers more effectively.

Job Captain

• Demonstrated ability to perform consistently satisfactory Job Captain responsibilities.

The Job Captain is counted on to:

Take Ownership

The Job Captain is responsible for taking ownership of the coordination of project deliverables and issuances with the project team. This means coordinating between the project team and other MGE groups on the timely and accurate set-up/issuance of project documentation. This means to:

• Quarterback the project start-to-finish. Seeing the project through and making sure it goes out correctly.
• Include the right stakeholders in your communication.
• Coordinate with all departments and take ownership of the process throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Apply Quality, & Ensure it

The Job Captain serves as an important quality control point, by checking project documentation for completeness and accuracy prior to submitting for issuance. This means to:

• Submit all completed checklists to the Project Manager.
• Provide final clearance on project issuance.
• Escalate concerns quickly and decisively.
• Ensure checklists, issue sheets and other pertinent documentation is accurately completed before sending.
• Make sure all pencils are down before submitting a set for issuance.
• Own the quality control process. Make sure the right engineers have checked their design before submitting it to you for issuance.
• Check the drawings for accuracy before they go out.
• Ensure backgrounds and xrefs are up to date.
• Coordinate the issuance of Project Manuals (Book Specifications) if applicable.
• Coordinate and check the Issued Drawings List for every drawing issuance.
• Double check to see if the backgrounds received from the architects are correct.
• Ensure the proper drawings are compiled and issued.
• Communicate the status of the issuance through completion.
• Follow-up with the client to ensure the package was received.

Ensure Project Documentation is Correct

The Job Captain ensures that proper project documentation is thoroughly, correctly, and consistently followed. This includes (but is not limited to):

• Correct drawing set-up.
• Correct folder structure set-up and ongoing maintenance.
• Correct and timely issue sheets.
• All changes are bubbled appropriately. If a drawing is being filed for the first time, there should be no bubbling.
• Delta in the revisions must match the Delta in the title block.
• The initials of the team members are on the title blocks for all drawings. XX does not work here.
• Be clear with the CAD/BIM group on project set-up expectations.
• Adhere to the company standard project folder structure.
• Check to see if drawings, folders, and issue sheets have been set-up correctly.
• Properly place project files into the correct folders within the drive.
• Notify Operations and Office Management that a project is confirmed for archiving.

Communication

Level 4 (Functional Mastery)

• Listen and ask questions to fully understand the scope of the project. Clearly conveys the focus and intent of the project to the team. Puts instructions into a framework that team members working on the project can understand. Explains how the project fits in with the overall scheme of the company and its ultimate objective.
• Through writing and speaking openly & honestly with appropriate body language and grammar, successfully inspires trust in both the stakeholders and the team members. Through honest feedback and clear direction, instills loyalty in the team, making it easier to deliver instructions, make changes and provide constructive criticism. Reports the team’s progress to the client with assurances that keep the client satisfied.

Leadership

Level 4 (Functional Mastery)

• Enables, motivates, and inspires the team to meet deliverables within project constraints by demonstrating commitment, expertise, confidence, genuine concern, and ability to help everyone solve challenges and achieve goals. Finds the key factors that motivate each team member, settles disputes, and effectively encourages the team to maintain its focus. Conducts timely and recurring career development and performance management for team.

Accountability

Level 4 (Functional Mastery)

Self-Direction & Sense of Urgency:

• Is personally invested in the success of the team by feeling that personal success is directly related to the success of the team. Embraces management, mentorship, and the ownership of the team’s workload, and ensures workload is delegated effectively. Takes advantage of opportunities to advance the brand of the team, initiates project, takes ownership of mistakes and gives credit to the team for their success. Takes leading action in the face of obstacles, freshly identifying what must be done and leading the implementation of the solution. Sets challenging goals for the team and demonstrates a strong sense of urgency & persistence about accomplishing them. Establishes plans that break projects into their component parts, each with its own timeline. Seeks & gives performance feedback to others, and addresses performance problems promptly.

Flexibility & Resilience

• Leads the team through ambiguous situations, teaches the team to reconsider strongly held ideas, and maintains teamwork efficiency. Ensures team members respond positively to a changing environment and enables them to come up with creative ideas. When the picture is unclear and much is unknown, remains calm and comfortable, accurately assessing risks and options, changing direction & reorienting quickly. Acts decisively at the right time.

Results Driven

• Sets the bar high for the team and raises team standards; sets challenging team goals and develops standards against which to measure behavior & performance of the group. Persists in the face of significant difficulties, takes risks, faces fears, and demonstrates a strong sense of urgency about achieving goals.