Job Description

Rare direct opportunity for an AV Design Principal who will accountable for all central AV design services and designs across our client’s sites. They will provide leadership and expertise in our client’s learning space technology, design and use. They will be Service Owner (SO) for the AV Design for service covering over 500 spaces, many high profile and prestigious.

Through innovative and advanced design, they will transform the provision of technology in these spaces, and advise on the design of the physical learning environment to enhance the learning experience, across the estate. Their remit as AV Design Service Owner includes working closely with Estates colleagues and architects to ensure the best possible space design, conference facilities and other related spaces. Whilst ensuring a standardised design, that can be implemented efficiently and continuously improved over time. They will represent the needs and interests of students and staff to colleagues in ISD, Estates and beyond. They will lead cross-discipline virtual teams, and influence colleagues at senior levels in the wider community of our client, to ensure that the physical space and AV experience is meeting the evolving requirements of students and staff.
 
Accountability
Service Owner (SO) for the AV Design Service (25 % time)
Key tasks
• Set the standards for ISD’s AV Design for work Spaces including conference facilities and other related spaces. Including but not restricted to for example, Crestron screen design, Lecturecast in-room deployment, digital signage and related technologies and services.
• Work with the Head of Student Digital Experience to develop and maintain a one-to-three year strategic plan for the clients spaces and AV facilities.
• Coordinate the delivery of changes and improvements to the design service on an ongoing basis.
• Contribute to service meetings involving virtual teams across ISD and Estates, and user groups to review performance of the AV design service and the customer experience.

Stakeholder engagement & Promotional activities (25 % time)
Key tasks
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across the customer community for ISD’s AV Design & Spaces services.
• Capitalise on these relationships to ensure the right technologies and educational innovations are provided to the appropriate stakeholder groups.
• Develop a role as a respected and trusted advisor to colleagues within ISD and to the academic and
• professional services communities.
• Represent ISD on appropriate Estates committees, working groups and projects related to AV design matters.
• Liaise with key faculty staff on their learning space requirements and plans.
• Coordinate events (showcases, workshops, space ‘trials’) and develop and deliver presentations & demonstrations.
• Use blogs, Twitter and other communication tools to promote space-related developments and activities and raise awareness.
Spaces AV Design strategy (25 % time)
Key tasks
• Develop and maintain a one-to-three year strategic plan for the AV design service that includes technological innovations to improve student and staff experience of spaces and AV.
• Maintain knowledge at the forefront of AV thinking.
• Proactively identify and engage with external parties/ suppliers to assess whether/ how the latest technological innovations can be beneficially applied to the clients site.
• Create and drive the AV Design & Spaces strategy to transform provision in consultation with estates, students and stakeholders across the institution (in particular OVP Education and Student Affairs, Library Services, Estates).
• Set common design standards to enable consistent implementation of AV design across various spaces within our client site. Continually seek to standardise AV implementations and simplify these wherever possible. Standardisation means standardised user experience as well as standardised equipment and designs.
• Over time reduce support and operational costs, through for example increasing adoption of auto-diagnosis and remote control.
• Seek to continuously improve for AV design and to ensure an efficient design process that is delivered on time
• Set and monitor KPIs for the strategic plan and report on progress against the plan to ISD management and institutional committees and groups.
• Develop technical specifications and archetype standard designs for learning, conference and meeting space technology, particularly to support tenders and supplier competition processes.
• Manage an accessible document library of relevant standard specifications, and diagrams for distribution to suppliers and staff.
• Sign-off solutions proposed by the members of the AV Design team to confirm the solution meets the stated requirement and complies with technical and other standards and is aligned with standard designs where relevant.
• Ultimate decision making authority for the technical specifications for our clients spaces technology and also AV installations in conference rooms but consults the service owner and SOMs for the operational AV service to ensure operational considerations are included.
• Provides high-level technical advice on audio-visual matters to stakeholders such as project managers, Department/Faculty Managers and IT specialists.
• Work with the Head of Student Digital Experience to monitor student and staff surveys and other feedback mechanisms to build up knowledge and evidence of customer requirements
• Ensure AV learning, conference and meeting spaces remain fit for purpose for the users by working with Head of Student Digital Experience to perform follow-up and periodic reviews in the light of latest best practice.
• Within the strategy define how we will maintain a modern and reliable set of spaces technology through the planned upgrade and replacement of older equipment and that which is end of life
• Ensure all AV design standards and implementation are cost-effective and achieves the expected return on investment (ROI) and where possible improves on this.
 
Ensure high quality and standardised AV technology is deployed across our clients Spaces (25 % time)
Key tasks
• Ensure that AV tendering/mini-competition processes undertaken within ISD follow good purchasing practice and any appropriate procedures are adhered with in relation to the procurement of AV equipment.
• Manage the on-going relationships with the AV framework suppliers, which will include robust performance monitoring procedures to ensure that commitments are met, and to identify benefits, savings and areas for improvement.
• Develop and manage AV manufacturer/distributor relationships to ensure gains maximum value from the products and services it uses, improves overall productivity of operational teams whilst meeting users expectations.
• Identify priorities for learning and related space works within the estate, surveying candidate rooms and documenting findings, based on measures such as value to staff and students, technical complexity and cost.
• Working in conjunction with ITCPD project managers and the Spaces and AV Specialist(s) brief suppliers and induct them to sites at the start of works.
• Manage the sign off of plans and completed works according to technical specifications; completion and documentation of acceptance testing on projects, documenting and relaying any defects or incomplete work to project managers and/or suppliers for attention and remedy.
• Ensure that work undertaken is correctly processed and documented in change management systems, asset registers and room information sheets.

Person specification
Essential
1. Good general education to graduate level or equivalent experience gained in a relevant working environment.
2. A deep understanding of how audio-visual, mobile and classroom technologies can be used to enhance learning, experience in physical and online learning spaces.
3. Experience of designing, managing or maintaining IT services at a strategic level, including areas such as service design, performance management, user support and bringing new services into operation.
4. A deep understanding of audio visual and multimedia technologies typically found within a classroom environment. These would include projection and display, writing, visualisation, audio, control, scaling and switching and BYOD devices from industry-standard manufacturers such as Crestron or Extron.
5. An industry standard qualification in AV design, such as Infocomm CTS-D, or willingness to obtain such a qualification.
6. Strong strategic thinking and planning skills with experience of shaping learning space policy, strategy and practice.
7. Good understanding of ITIL and experience of ITIL in an end user operational environment.
8. Experience of tendering and supplier management, including development of invitations to tender and management of supplier competitions.
9. Maintains own knowledge and cutting edge/ up to date expertise in learning spaces and AV and classroom technologies and is able to evaluate the potential of innovations and developments for our client.
10. Strong negotiation and influencing skills. Highly proactive, persuasive and enthusiastic with excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills. A strong sense of teamwork.
11. Proven ability to build relationships at all levels of the organisation and to earn the respect of senior stakeholders.
12. Strong customer service orientation.
Desirable
1. An industry standard qualification in AV design, such as Infocomm CTS-D.
2. Experience with working with architects and space planners.