Low Voltage Design Leader

About the role

AE Works is an award-winning firm ranked among the top U.S. A/E firms by Architectural Record and ENR East, recognized for commitment to innovation and delivering exceptional results. The mission is to make building projects a better value by solving complex challenges and creating solutions that enhance the built environment.

Our strength lies in our people. We offer a collaborative environment where expertise is shared and ideas drive progress. You’ll work alongside architects, engineers, cost estimators, and construction managers with deep experience across higher education, government, engineering & infrastructure, healthcare, and commercial markets, applying leading-edge technology and a passion for design excellence to projects that shape the future.

AE Works is looking for a hands-on leader for our low voltage practice. You will set the technical direction for Division 27 communications design, and where you have the depth, Division 28 electronic safety and security, on healthcare, veterans' health, higher education, and federal projects, and you will lead the designers who produce it. You'll own quality and standards for the discipline, develop the people on your team, be the face of low voltage to owners and project teams, and keep your own hands in the design on the projects that need it. This is a leadership seat for someone whose credibility rests on RCDD-level technical depth and who enjoys raising a team's skill and consistency.

Location

Pittsburgh, PA or Washington, DC with travel to client and project sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead AE Works' low voltage practice: set the technical direction for Division 27 communications design and, as the team grows into it, Division 28 electronic safety and security, and serve as the firm's authority on RCDD-level design.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of low voltage designers and engineers: assign work against capacity, run regular check-ins and reviews, and plan each person's training and certification path (RCDD, RTPM, CTS, and similar).
• Own QA/QC for every low voltage deliverable that leaves the building: perform or direct design reviews at each phase and confirm drawings, specifications, and calculations are coordinated and code-compliant before issue.
• Set, maintain, and enforce discipline standards (Revit families and templates, device and drawing standards, master specifications, typical details, design guides) and train the team on them.
• Lead projects from schematic design through construction administration (RFIs, submittals, change orders, site visits).
• Be the technical lead in front of owners and their IT, security, and facilities staff: gather requirements, run technology workshops, and explain system choices to non-technical stakeholders.
• Coordinate low voltage scope with electrical, architecture, mechanical, structure, and the owner's IT team, and secure space, pathway, power, and cooling for telecommunications rooms early in design.
• Forecast staffing and workload for the discipline with project managers, and manage fee, scope, and schedule on assigned projects, flagging additional services when scope moves.
• Support pursuits: scope and price low voltage services, write approach and staffing sections, join interviews and presentations, and build relationships with owner IT and facilities groups.
• Keep the firm current on codes, standards, and technology (BICSI TDMM, ANSI/TIA, NEC, NFPA 70 and 72, and the criteria our federal and owner clients impose) and fold changes into our guides and templates.
• Represent the firm externally at client meetings and professional organizations such as BICSI.

Qualifications

Required:

• Active BICSI RCDD certification.
• Twelve or more years designing low voltage systems in an architecture, engineering, or consulting environment, including at least three years leading designers or running discipline-level QA/QC.
• Proven experience supervising, mentoring, and developing designers, including reviewing their work and giving direct feedback.
• Proficiency in Revit and AutoCAD, with Bluebeam and Microsoft Office, and the ability to set and enforce BIM and drawing standards for a team.
• Working knowledge of BICSI, ANSI/TIA, NEC, and NFPA standards and the judgment to apply them on healthcare, higher education, and federal projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain technical choices to owners, architects, and engineers.
• Willingness to travel to project sites and between our Pittsburgh and Arlington offices as projects require.

Preferred:

• Division 28 design experience (access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, nurse call, fire alarm coordination), or a security credential such as PSP or CPP.
• Healthcare, veterans' healthcare, federal, or higher education design experience, including healthcare communications systems such as nurse call, emergency responder radio, distributed antenna systems, and paging.
• Additional credentials such as BICSI RTPM, DCDC, or ITS; AVIXA CTS; ASIS PSP or CPP; or PMP.
• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, telecommunications, engineering technology, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.

Benefits

AE Works offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, and 401k. The collaborative culture is built on mentorship, accountability, and technical excellence. Additional perks include:

• Generous paid time off, including a company-wide break from Christmas through New Year's Day
• Flexible hybrid schedule
• Resources that promote mental health, financial wellness, and professional growth through training, education, and licensure support