Senior AV Engineer

I. Job Summary | Major goals and objectives.

Reporting to the Lead, AV Systems Engineering & Support the Senior AV Engineer will manage AV initiatives throughout the organization with an emphasis on supporting the Des Moines location. The Senior AV Engineer will also be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining advanced audiovisual (AV) systems for a variety of environments. This role requires an expert-level understanding of audio, video, and networking technologies, as well as strong troubleshooting and project management skills. The Senior AV Engineer Will support our internal customers with AV support issues, onsite as needed and also collaborate with internal teams and external vendors to ensure successful AV integration and provide Tier III support for complex issues. This role will require occasional travel to the various DDM contiguous US locations. 

In-Office Expectations: This position is fully in-office due to the nature of the work being done.

II. Essential Job Functions

Accountabilities, Actions and Expected Measurable Results

• Partner with Lead, AV Systems Engineering & Support on various AV projects

• Proactively monitor and maintain AV systems across the organization

• Identify and resolve AV issues, including potential after-hours/weekend support for critical events

• Serve as an escalation point for complex AV technical problems and SME for Video Conferencing, Live Event production, and Digital SIgnage

• Provide support for conference room and Zoom support

• Track and analyze incident trends to prevent future occurrences

• Collaborate with stakeholders to automate AV workflows, reducing manual processes

• Lead efforts to enhance system efficiencies and implement new tools or software

• Evaluate and suggest improvements for video conferencing, live events, and digital signage systems

• Train and mentor junior AV Engineers and support staff

• Establish clear guidelines and protocols within the team, including best practices and contributing playbooks

• Oversee the execution of AV projects, from initial design and planning to implementation

• Manage and own relationships with vendors for procurement, support, and repairs

• Regularly audit hardware inventory and ensure accurate asset tracking

• Own the RMA process and warranty tracking for AV equipment

• Ensure the AV infrastructure is up-to-date, minimizing downtime and enhancing user experience

• Maintain and update documentation related to event support and AV infrastructure

• Monitor and maintain AV incident ticketing system to ensure timely resolution

• Analyze incident data to identify recurring issues and work toward long-term solutions

III. Minimum Qualifications and Job Requirements | All must be met to be considered.

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

Experience: Minimum of 8 years of experience in an AV Technical support role, 4 years of AV Engineering

Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills to clearly explain technical concepts at all levels of understanding, with the ability to communicate effectively with team leads and senior leadership to ensure project success

• Expert at reading and interpret schematics, floorplans, and rack elevations

• Experience designing, testing, and implementing both simple and complex AV systems. Creating wiring diagrams when necessary is also required, as well as participating in the vendor selection process and providing redlines and as-builts

• Ability and desire to solve complex problems

• Skilled at troubleshooting advanced AV issues, identifying root causes, and acting with a sense of urgency during high-pressure situations

Audio Engineering

• Comprehensive understanding of core audio principles, including noise floor, signal-to-noise ratio, and dynamics processing (such as compression, equalization, limiting, gating, and filtering).

• Skilled in time-based processing, including reverb, RT60, delay, and chorus. Additionally, the candidate must have a strong grasp of signal flow, patching, gain staging, and sample rate conversion, as well as experience with A/D and D/A conversion, frequency spectrum analysis, and Nyquist theory.

• Familiarity with jitter, transient response, proximity effect, and impedance is also essential.

• Proficient in operating both analog and digital mixing boards, as well as audio recorders

• Experienced in microphone operation and technique, and adept at troubleshooting audio hardware and software. 

• Expertise in DSP configuration, operation, and troubleshooting is required, alongside skills in cable management and maintenance.

• Proficient in configuring and operating wireless microphones and using HTML-based DSP software such as IntelliMix. Knowledge of sound reinforcement principles, including proper gain structure and placement to avoid audio feedback, is vital. Experience using spectrum analyzers for room tuning is a plus.

Visual Engineering

• An advanced understanding of visual principles such as color balancing, contrast ratio, screen resolution, scaling, frame rate, alignment, and aspect ratio and strong familiarity with projector operation

• Extensive experience with video distribution hardware and video troubleshooting, as well as proficiency in setting up and maintaining digital signage hardware

• Proficient in operating and troubleshooting video matrix switchers and PTZ cameras and experience setting up equipment for broadcast and live streaming applications

AV Control Systems & Networking

• Strong knowledge of AV control processors and peripherals, including systems like Crestron, Extron, and Q-SYS (Tx/Rx, extenders, DM switchers, touch panels)

• Skilled in troubleshooting these systems using tools such as Crestron Toolbox, Extron Toolbelt, and Q-SYS Designer

• In-depth knowledge of streaming protocols such as NDI, RTMP, RTSP, and HLS, along with familiarity with SMPTE standards and a strong understanding of industry-standard streaming encoders, both in software and hardware formats

• A solid understanding of networking principles is required, along with expertise in Audio over IP (AoIP) protocols such as DANTE, AVB, and Ravenna and be familiar with IPTV systems and their operation

% Travel Required (Approximate): 15-20%