Senior Systems Engineer

Phoenix Staff; Tempe (AZ); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Phoenix Staff in Tempe, AZ is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to own architecture and lifecycle management of enterprise CCTV and access control systems across locations. This role drives design, standards, and security practices while aligning with business objectives.

You will lead design efforts, coordinate with cross-functional teams and external partners, and manage vendor relationships. Up to 20% travel is required to support site assessments and deployments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; related experience may substitute on a year-for-year basis.
• 7+ years of experience in physical security systems, infrastructure engineering, or related field.
• Experience architecting, administering, and supporting enterprise CCTV/video surveillance and access control systems.
• Experience with system architecture, network segmentation, IAM, roles-based access controls, monitoring, logging, and auditing.
• Knowledge of lifecycle management for physical security systems, including design, procurement, deployment, maintenance, upgrades, and retirement.
• Able to analyze complex technical problems and communicate solutions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% and manage vendor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture, design, engineering, and roadmap for CCTV/video surveillance and access control systems.
• Establish standards, reference architectures, deployment models, and technical requirements.
• Design solutions with high availability, scalability, reliability, and resilience.
• Lead evaluations and decisions on new solutions, upgrades, integrations, and enhancements.
• Define secure network boundaries for physical security systems and manage IAM integrations.
• Develop monitoring, logging, and audit capabilities to support security requirements.
• Manage lifecycle of physical security systems from design to retirement.
• Maintain asset inventories for cameras, servers, storage, and access control equipment.
• Collaborate with leadership on budgets and investments related to physical security tech.
• Administer enterprise access control, including provisioning and revocation of badge access.
• Conduct access reviews and security validations with proper reporting.
• Maintain CCTV/video management platforms, configurations, retention, firmware, and health checks.
• Support incident response with video retrieval and forensic analysis.
• Build relationships with third-party vendors supporting physical security tech.
• Travel to sites to assess implementations, validate configurations, and support initiatives.

Skills

Enterprise CCTV/Video surveillance

Access control systems

Network segmentation

Identity & access management

Monitoring/logging/auditing

Vendor management

Technical leadership

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or related field

Job description

Title: Senior Systems Engineer

Location: Hybrid – Tempe, AZ

Type: Perm

Position Overview

The Senior Systems Engineer is a senior-level role responsible for the architecture, engineering, lifecycle management, and operational support of enterprise physical security systems, including CCTV/video surveillance and access control/badging platforms. This position serves as a technical owner and subject matter expert, helping establish system strategy, integrations, standards, security practices, and lifecycle planning.

The Senior Systems Engineer collaborates with cross-functional teams and external partners to deliver scalable, resilient, and secure physical security solutions across an enterprise environment. The role includes travel of up to 20% to support site assessments, system implementations, audits, and technology initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, design, engineering, and technical roadmap for enterprise CCTV/video surveillance and access control systems.
• Establish system standards, reference architectures, deployment models, and technical requirements across multiple locations.
• Design solutions that support high availability, scalability, reliability, and resilience.
• Lead technical evaluations and decision-making for new solutions, system upgrades, integrations, and platform enhancements.
• Design and maintain architectures that incorporate appropriate network segmentation and security boundaries for physical security systems.
• Develop and maintain identity, authentication, and authorization models, including role-based access controls, secure remote administration, and integrations with enterprise identity platforms.
• Define monitoring, logging, and audit capabilities that support incident detection, investigations, and applicable security requirements.
• Manage the full lifecycle of physical security systems, including design, procurement, deployment, maintenance, upgrades, refresh planning, and retirement.
• Maintain accurate asset inventories for cameras, servers, storage, access control equipment, and related infrastructure.
• Develop and execute hardware and software lifecycle and refresh strategies.
• Partner with leadership on budget planning, forecasting, and investments related to physical security technology.
• Administer enterprise access control systems, including provisioning, modification, and revocation of badge access.
• Conduct periodic access reviews, audits, and security validations while maintaining appropriate records and reporting.
• Maintain CCTV and video management platforms, including camera configurations, recording policies, retention schedules, firmware, patching, system parameters, and health monitoring.
• Support incident response activities, including video retrieval and forensic analysis.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with third-party vendors supporting physical security technologies.
• Travel to applicable locations and project sites to assess implementations, validate configurations, and support technology initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or a related field; relevant additional experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.
• Seven (7) or more years of experience in physical security systems, infrastructure engineering, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrated experience architecting, administering, and supporting enterprise CCTV/video surveillance and access control systems.
• Experience with system architecture, network segmentation, identity and access management, role-based access controls, monitoring, logging, and auditing.
• Knowledge of physical security system lifecycle management, including design, procurement, deployment, maintenance, upgrades, and retirement.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems, evaluate information, and develop effective solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, anticipate issues, and proactively address risks to minimize operational impact.
• Ability to manage vendor relationships and coordinate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to travel up to 20% based on projects, site assessments, and organizational initiatives.
• Ability to perform physical activities associated with site assessments and system support, including occasional standing, walking, climbing or balancing, and lifting or moving equipment weighing up to 25 pounds, with reasonable accommodations as applicable.

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting large, multi-site enterprise environments.
• Experience supporting physical security systems in sensitive, restricted, or security-focused environments.
• Experience integrating physical security platforms with enterprise identity and infrastructure systems.
• Experience developing technical standards, reference architectures, lifecycle strategies, and system roadmaps.
• Strong vendor management and third-party partnership skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical, operational, administrative, security, and leadership teams.