Senior Manager, AV Engineering

People Inc•New York, NY

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, AV Engineering is a senior technical and people leader responsible for the strategy, design, and operational delivery of enterprise audiovisual systems across People Inc.'s office locations (New York, Des Moines, Birmingham, and others). This role leads a team of AV engineers and owns the end-to-end AV lifecycle — from long-range roadmap and capital planning through implementation, ongoing operations, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate brings deep, hands-on expertise designing and deploying AV solutions in complex, multi-site enterprise environments, combined with the leadership maturity to manage and grow a high-performing technical team. They are equally comfortable developing a multi-year AV architecture, negotiating vendor contracts, overseeing a major conference center buildout, and running a structured team operating rhythm. The Senior Manager, AV Engineering is a key partner to IT Infrastructure, Network Engineering, Platform Support, Facilities/Real Estate, and the Events team — and serves as the internal subject matter expert and escalation point for all AV-related strategy and operations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Audio/Visual Technology, Digital Media, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience
10+ years of progressive AV engineering experience, with demonstrated depth in designing and deploying AV solutions in complex, large-scale, or multi-site enterprise environments
3+ years in a people management role with direct reports; proven track record of building and developing technical teams
Significant experience owning and delivering CapEx programs from business case through commissioning
Experience working across a diverse portfolio of AV environments, including executive spaces, auditoriums, video walls, digital signage networks, and event production
Expert-level knowledge of enterprise conference room and auditorium AV systems, including Crestron/DM control and distribution systems, video conferencing platforms (Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams Rooms), and VC hardware (DTEN, Poly, Logitech, Cisco)
Hands-on experience designing and supporting video wall systems and controllers (e.g., Christie, Datapath), digital signage platforms (e.g., SCALA, Appspace), and room scheduling systems (e.g., Teem, Robin, Crestron Scheduling)
Strong command of AV signal distribution: DM/HDBaseT, Dante/AoIP, NDI, SDI, and fiber transport
Deep understanding of AV networking: PoE design, VLAN segmentation, IP provisioning, 802.1x, multicast, and QoS for AV traffic
Proven experience in live event and broadcast production environments: cameras, professional video switchers (e.g., Analog Way, Barco), streaming/encoding platforms, and live event workflows
Ability to produce and interpret complete AV design documentation: signal flow diagrams, rack elevations, structured cabling drawings, control system logic, and as-built documentation
Proficiency with ITSM and project management tools (Jira, Confluence, or equivalent); experience managing an AV engineering backlog and sprint cadence
Comfortable engaging technical and non-technical stakeholders — Facilities, Events, Finance, HR — and representing AV Engineering in IT leadership forums
Strategic thinker who can translate business needs and real estate plans into a coherent, forward-looking AV technology roadmap
Skilled people leader: inspires trust, develops talent, addresses performance issues directly, and retains top performers
Exceptional project management discipline: manages scope, budget, schedule, and stakeholder communication across multiple concurrent workstreams
Vendor management expertise: negotiates contracts, holds vendors accountable to SLAs, and builds productive long-term partnerships
Strong executive presence and communication skills; able to present recommendations and project status clearly to IT leadership and business stakeholders
Positive, highly collaborative work style; models professionalism and accountability for the team, as well as, high ownership in a matrixed environment

Nice To Haves

Industry certifications preferred (e.g., CTS, CTS-D, CTS-I, Crestron Certified Programmer, Extron AV Associate)
Prior experience in a matrixed, cross-functional IT organization preferred

Responsibilities

Leads, develops, and retains a team of 3+ AV engineers; sets clear expectations, provides ongoing coaching, and creates an environment of accountability and growth
Owns all aspects of the team's performance management cycle, providing continuous feedback throughout the year, including goal-setting, mid-year and annual reviews; partners with HR on compensation, promotions, and workforce planning
Sets team norms, reporting cadences, and escalation paths
Models and reinforces a high-accountability, service-oriented, and solutions-first culture within the team and across IT
Develops and owns the AV Engineering roadmap, aligned to the company's real estate, hybrid work, and technology strategy
Leads the evaluation, selection, and implementation of AV technologies across conference rooms, auditoriums, video walls, digital signage, and video collaboration platforms
Architects enterprise AV solutions across a range of environments — executive conference rooms, auditoriums, open collaboration spaces, video walls, event venues, and multi-site office locations — with a focus on scalability, reliability, and user experience
Establishes and enforces AV design standards and reference architectures across all office locations; ensures new buildouts and refreshes adhere to enterprise standards
Leads CapEx planning and drives delivery of major AV infrastructure programs including video wall replacements, conference room densification and refresh programs, digital signage platform migrations, and multi-site AV standardization
Evaluates emerging AV technologies and makes informed, business-case-backed recommendations for adoption
Operates with a high degree of autonomy; escalates to SVP for strategic alignment and budget approvals
Accountable for the uptime, performance, and user experience of all AV systems across the enterprise, including Zoom Rooms, Crestron/DM control systems, video walls, digital signage (SCALA), and room scheduling platforms
Oversees AV production and technical support for executive events, company all-hands, special activations, and client-facing events; ensures the team delivers a consistently high-quality experience
Manages complex, concurrent AV construction and restack projects in partnership with Facilities, Real Estate, and external contractors; maintains project visibility and stakeholder communication
Develops and maintains operational processes for incident management, change management, and continuous improvement; uses data to identify and address systemic issues
Partners with Network, Endpoint and other IT teams on AV equipment requirements
Owns relationships with AV vendors, integrators, and SaaS providers; manages contracts, SLAs, and renewals
Manages CapEx and OpEx budgets for AV Engineering; oversees purchase orders, asset tracking, and budget reporting
Conducts hardware and software evaluations; provides recommendations and business cases for technology investments
Ensures asset inventory is current and accurate