Solutions Engineer

Unlimited Technology • Herndon, VA

14h

About The Position

The Solutions Engineer III is a senior individual contributor and technical authority who partners with Business Development Account Managers on pre-sales designs, Bills of Material, and Scopes of Work for government, enterprise, campus, and mission-critical opportunities. The role handles complex or unusual construction and site conditions, resolves competing stakeholder requirements, designs nonstandard architectures, and exercises judgment where established labor tables do not fit the work. It also serves as a technical escalation point for Solutions Engineer I and II personnel and reviews other engineers’ deliverables.

The position independently owns complex pursuits from discovery through proposal submission, providing technical leadership, peer review, mentoring, and escalation support without direct personnel management responsibility. It develops and recommends reusable architectures and design standards, prepares review-ready proposal documentation, and coordinates closely with Business Development, Systems Engineering, Project Management, Operations, and the CAD and Design group. The role reports to the Solutions Engineering Manager and has no direct reports. Work is assigned through the Solutions Engineering Ticket Request Queue.

The role may involve visits to customer and project sites, including active construction sites, data centers, equipment rooms, and customer facilities. Employees must follow site-specific safety programs, maintain professional conduct in occupied, escorted, and secure environments, and protect confidential customer security information and design documentation. Travel may be up to 20%.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 8 years of experience in security systems design, solutions engineering, or systems integration, including enterprise, campus, and mission-critical environments.
• Advanced experience developing security system designs, Bills of Material, Scopes of Work, and proposal documentation, including access control, video management, intrusion detection, intercom, command and control/PSIM, structured cabling, and supporting network and server infrastructure.
• Experience with multiple enterprise platforms; examples include Genetec, Software House (CCURE), Hirsch, Gallagher, Lenel, AMAG, Milestone, Exacq, DMP, Radionix, BVMS, Mercury platforms, Hanwha, Axis, Verkada, Avigilon, Brivo, and Salient CompleteView.
• Advanced knowledge of networking, servers, and system architecture, including TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching, and high availability and redundancy considerations.
• Experience with design/build opportunities, general contractor construction projects, and complex bid and specification-based solicitations.
• Experience with and understanding of government opportunities and their requirements.
• Advanced manufacturer certification on primary supported platforms, maintained throughout employment, and demonstrated advanced proficiency across multiple supported technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, review technical deliverables, and serve as a technical escalation point.
• Strong executive presentation skills and ability to lead technical positioning on competitive pursuits.
• Proficiency with engineering design, documentation, and spreadsheet tools, including Bluebeam and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel up to 20%.
• Ability to meet applicable customer, site-access, badging, and background investigation requirements.
• Ability to hold a valid driver’s license and maintain an acceptable driving record.
• Ability to perform the described physical activities and work in the listed environments, including occasionally lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds; heavier items require assistance or mechanical aid.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery on complex pursuits and with senior customer stakeholders, resolving competing or conflicting requirements into a coherent technical solution.
• Design nonstandard and enterprise architectures, including multi-site, campus, cloud, and hybrid deployments, and place devices on plans supporting those designs.
• Design integrations between physical security infrastructure, identity management systems, external databases, and PSIM platforms.
• Evaluate products and technologies against technical requirements, performance, scalability, and lifecycle considerations, and recommend additions to the approved technology list.
• Assist Business Development with initial budgetary numbers on complex and enterprise pursuits.
• Develop Bills of Material and Scopes of Work for complex opportunities and resolve ambiguous or disputed scope before proposal release.
• Exercise judgment when established labor tables do not reflect actual site conditions, and document and justify deviations.
• Obtain manufacturer and vendor quotes supporting Bills of Material and pursue available discounts and program pricing.
• Determine, with the Operations Manager, the internal-versus-subcontracted approach on complex opportunities; prepare scope for subcontractor pricing and integrate returned pricing into the overall package.
• Lead technical content for complex RFP and solicitation responses, including requirements assessment and drawing takeoffs, and lead preparation of requests for information concerning specification conflicts and unresolved scope.
• Review other engineers’ deliverables for accuracy, completeness, and technical soundness.
• Partner with Business Development Account Managers as the technical voice on assigned pursuits from discovery through proposal submission.
• Communicate design intent, technical assumptions, exclusions, and identified risks to customers, Account Managers, and internal stakeholders.
• Set and meet design-turnaround expectations, and communicate proactively when requests need more time, information, a site survey, or customer input.
• Identify and request information needed to complete designs, and follow up until it is received rather than proceeding on unstated assumptions.
• Keep Business Development, Systems Engineering, Project Management, and the CAD and Design group informed of pursuit status, design changes, and impacts to scope, schedule, or deliverables.
• Escalate promptly and with context when requests exceed available capacity, authority, or technical scope, documenting findings so others can act without repeating work.
• Document assumptions, decisions, and customer commitments so design packages can be understood after award.
• Present solutions to executive and senior customer stakeholders and lead technical positioning on competitive pursuits.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for Solutions Engineer I and II personnel and coach and mentor the team.
• Develop and recommend reusable solution architectures, design standards, templates, and technical content.
• Deliver complete, review-ready documentation, including Bills of Material, Scopes of Work, and labor hours by discipline, before proposal submission; apply Systems Engineering feedback identified during pre-order review.
• Assist Systems Engineering and the CAD and Design group with programming sheets and port charts when requested.
• Maintain advanced manufacturer certifications across supported platforms, including recertification as platforms release new versions.
• Assume work from other engineers during absences, deadline pressure, or capacity constraints as assigned.
• Follow site-specific safety programs when visiting customer and project sites, and stop work and escalate when conditions are unsafe.
• Maintain professional conduct in occupied, escorted, and secure customer environments and protect confidential customer security information and design documentation.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Life insurance
• 401(k) with company match: 100% up to 3% and an additional 50% match of 2%
• Paid time off
• 11 paid holidays
• Company equity after 1 year

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior