Audio, Video and Lighting Senior Systems Engineer

The Penn Group; Kentucky; On-site; USD 95,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision coverage

Annual performance bonus

Certification & training sponsorship

Ownership of engineering standards

Job summary

The Penn Group is seeking an experienced AVL System Engineer to serve as the design authority for all audio, video, and lighting systems. You will own complete system design from client requirements through signal flow, equipment selection, infrastructure, and coordinated drawings for the install team.

You will also own our documentation standards, ensuring every project produces accurate drawings, submittals, and as-builts that a technician could follow without visiting the site.

Qualifications

• Vectorworks certification or proven Matrix with Vectorworks experience required.
• 5+ years designing commercial AVL/AV systems end to end.
• Strong knowledge of DSP, gain structure, coverage modeling, and networked audio.
• Experience reading architectural, electrical, and mechanical drawings.

Responsibilities

• Produce complete AVL designs: audio, video, lighting, control, and network.
• Define signal flow, equipment specs, and budget-aligned selections.
• Perform coverage modeling, sightline analysis, and camera placement.
• Create lighting plots, circuiting, and control topology.
• Coordinate power, conduit, pathways, and rack layouts.
• Own drawing sets: plans, elevations, and rack details.
• Enforce documentation standards and templates across teams.
• Produce submittals, cut sheets, and closeout packages.
• Capture and integrate red-lined as-builts into the record set.
• Maintain revision control to prevent field discrepancies.
• Collaborate with architects, GC, electrical, structural, and IT.
• Review plans early to identify conflicts and change orders.
• Support permitting, code, and life-safety requirements.
• Verify rigging and structural loads are engineered and approved.
• Advise leadership on feasible scope and deliverability.
• Serve as the Design Phase technical expert with clients.
• Develop BOMs for estimating and procurement.
• Assist install crews and programmers through commissioning.
• Perform design QA reviews before field release.

Skills

Vectorworks certification

AVL system design

Client coordination

Documentation discipline

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

BIM

EASE/Ulysses

Job description

Audio, Video and Lighting Senior Systems Engineer

The Penn Group July 27, 2026 4 min read

Locations: Ohio, Florida, Texas and Las Vegas

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced AVL System Engineer to serve as the design authority for every audio, video, and lighting system The Penn Group builds. This role is responsible for complete system design, from initial client requirements through signal flow, equipment selection, infrastructure, and the coordinated drawing set that the install team builds from. The System Engineer also owns our documentation standard, ensuring every project produces drawings, submittals, and as-builts accurate enough that a technician who has never visited the site can work from them. Because The Penn Group self-performs design, installation, programming, and support, the engineering must be correct before a crew ever leaves the shop. This role reports directly to the CEO, partners closely with market leadership and install teams nationwide, and requires travel for site surveys, coordination meetings, and commissioning.

Vectorworks Requirement

Vectorworks certification, or deep and demonstrable production experience, is a firm requirement for this role. Candidates should be fluent in Vectorworks for AVL design work, including Spotlight, layer and class structure, symbol libraries, worksheets and reports, and publishing coordinated drawing sets. Applicants should be prepared to walk our team through drawing sets they personally produced.

Key Responsibilities

• Produce complete AVL system designs covering audio, video, lighting, control, and the supporting network.
• Develop signal flow, equipment selection, and specifications aligned to client requirements and project budget.
• Perform loudspeaker coverage and acoustic modeling, display sizing, sightline analysis, and camera placement.
• Design lighting plots, circuiting, and control topology.
• Coordinate power, conduit, pathway, and equipment rack layouts.
• Own the project drawing set, including plans, elevations, signal flow diagrams, rack elevations, and plate and panel details.
• Establish and enforce documentation standards, templates, symbol libraries, and title blocks across the company.
• Produce submittals, cut sheets, and project closeout packages.
• Ensure red-lined as-builts are captured in the field and returned to the record set after every installation.
• Maintain revision control so install crews never build from outdated documentation.
• Coordinate with architects, general contractors, electrical, structural, and IT stakeholders throughout construction.
• Review building plans to identify conflicts before they become change orders.
• Support permitting, code, and life safety requirements where AVL systems intersect them.
• Verify that rigging and structural loads are properly engineered and approved.
• Partner with market leadership to ensure proposed scope is technically feasible and deliverable.
• Serve as the technical specialist in Design Phase sessions with clients.
• Develop accurate bills of material to support estimating and procurement.
• Support install crews and programmers through commissioning and system turnover.
• Perform design quality assurance review on projects before they release to the field.

Qualifications

• Vectorworks certification, or deep demonstrable experience producing AVL design and drawing sets in Vectorworks, is required.
• 5+ years of professional experience designing commercial AV or AVL systems end to end.
• Strong command of audio system design, including DSP architecture, gain structure, coverage modeling, and networked audio.
• Strong command of video system design, including displays and LED, switching, distribution, streaming, and AV over IP.
• Working lighting design capability, including fixture selection, plots, and DMX or networked control.
• Ability to read and coordinate architectural, structural, electrical, and mechanical drawings.
• Rigorous documentation habits and disciplined revision control.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for working with clients, trades, and internal teams.
• Willingness to travel for site surveys, coordination meetings, and commissioning.
• CTS-D certification is a plus.
• Vectorworks Braceworks experience for rigging and load calculation is a plus.
• AutoCAD, Revit, or BIM coordination experience is a plus.
• Acoustic modeling software experience such as EASE, Ulysses, or manufacturer equivalents is a plus.
• Manufacturer certifications such as Q-SYS, Biamp, Dante, Crestron, or Extron are a plus.
• Prior responsibility for establishing engineering or documentation standards on a team is a plus.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• Annual performance bonus.
• Health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Paid certification and continuing education, including Vectorworks and manufacturer training.
• Ownership of the engineering standard for a nationwide integrator, with the authority to build it properly.
• A collaborative team environment with innovative projects and diverse clients.