Solutions Engineer

Unlimited Technology · Herndon

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The Solutions Engineer III is a senior technical resource routinely relied upon to partner with Business Development Account Managers on pre-sales designs, Bills of Material, and Scopes of Work for government, enterprise, campus, and mission-critical opportunities, including those with unusual construction or site conditions. This is the Architect, Lead and Advise level.

The position resolves competing stakeholder requirements, designs nonstandard architectures, exercises judgment where established labor tables do not fit the work, and serves as the technical escalation point for Solutions Engineer I and II personnel. The Solutions Engineer III also reviews the deliverables of other engineers and develops and recommends reusable architectures and design standards.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

This position reports to the Solutions Engineering Manager and has no direct reports. Work is assigned through the Solutions Engineering Ticket Request Queue. The Solutions Engineer III escalates to the Solutions Engineering Manager and works closely with Business Development Account Managers, Systems Engineering, Project Management, and the CAD and Design group. Engineering levels are cumulative. This position performs the full scope of Solutions Engineer work across all levels of opportunity complexity; the responsibilities below reflect the highest level of independent work expected of this position.

EXPECTED LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE

Works as a senior individual contributor and technical authority, providing technical leadership, peer review, mentoring, and escalation support without direct personnel management responsibility. Independently owns government, enterprise, campus, and mission-critical pursuits, and serves as the assigned escalation point for Solutions Engineer I and II personnel.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Discovery & Solution Design

• · Lead discovery on complex pursuits and with senior customer stakeholders, and resolve 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.

BOM, Quantities & Scope of Work

• Develop Bills of Material and Scopes of Work on complex opportunities, and resolve ambiguous or disputed scope prior to proposal release.
• Exercise judgment where established labor tables do not reflect actual site conditions, and document and justify deviations.
• Obtain manufacturer and vendor quotes supporting the Bill of Materials, and pursue available discounts and program pricing.
• Determine, in coordination with the Operations Manager, the internal-versus-subcontracted approach on complex opportunities, prepare the scope used to obtain subcontractor pricing, and integrate returned numbers 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 on specification conflicts and unresolved scope.
• Review the deliverables of other engineers for accuracy, completeness, and technical soundness.

Communication & Coordination

• 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 clearly to customers, Account Managers, and internal stakeholders.
• Set and meet expectations on design turnaround, and communicate proactively when a request will take longer, requires additional information, or depends on a site survey or customer input.
• Identify and request the information needed to complete a design, 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 anything affecting scope, schedule, or deliverables.
• Escalate promptly and with context when a request exceeds available capacity, authority, or technical scope, providing documented findings so the receiving party can act without repeating work already performed.
• Document assumptions, decisions, and customer commitments so the design package is understandable to whoever picks it up after award.

Customer Engagement & Technical Leadership

• 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 provide coaching and mentoring across the team.
• Develop and recommend reusable solution architectures, design standards, templates, and technical content.
• Deliver complete, review-ready documentation, including the Bill of Materials, Scope of Work, and labor hours by discipline, prior to proposal submission, and apply feedback from Systems Engineering identified during pre-order review.
• Assist Systems Engineering and the CAD and Design group with programming sheets and port charts where requested.
• Maintain advanced manufacturer certifications across supported platforms, including recertification as platforms release new versions.
• Assume work from other engineers within the team during absence, 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 the confidentiality of customer security information and design documentation. Other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• 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, which may 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 required and maintained throughout employment, combined with 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 the ability to lead technical positioning on competitive pursuits.
• Proficient with engineering design, documentation, and spreadsheet tools including Bluebeam and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel up to 20% and meet applicable customer, site-access, badging, and background investigation requirements.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Technical Leadership – Provides sound direction on complex technical issues.
• People Development – Coaches and develops technical talent.
• Customer Focus – Prioritizes system reliability and customer satisfaction.
• Problem Solving – Drives issues to root-cause resolution.
• Communication – Clearly communicates with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaboration – Partners effectively across Engineering, Service, Operations, Installation, Business Development, and Project Management.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer; must communicate effectively in person, by phone, and through virtual platforms.
• Access to active construction sites, data centers, equipment rooms, and customer facilities; ability to stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, reach, and climb ladders, work in elevated or confined spaces, wear required PPE, and navigate uneven terrain and outdoor conditions. Must be able to lift and carry up to 20 pounds occasionally, with assistance or mechanical aid for heavier items, and hold a valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.

This description defines the scope of the position. Assignment to and advancement between levels is determined by the Manager based on sustained demonstrated performance, business need, and available position, and is not established by performing individual tasks described at a higher level.

This description is not an exhaustive list of all duties or skills required, and incumbents may be assigned additional duties. Unlimited Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

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