Value Engineer at Mood Media in Austin, TX

Position Summary

The Value Engineer works at the intersection of design, engineering, procurement, and service to ensure every customer AV solution is built for maximum value - balancing performance, reliability, and serviceability against total cost. This role partners closely with the engineering/design team throughout the solution lifecycle (from proposal through commissioning) to identify cost-efficient alternatives, standardize designs where possible, and negotiate with suppliers to drive measurable cost savings without compromising quality or the customer experience.

This is not a procurement-only or engineering-only role - it is a hybrid position that requires technical AV fluency, financial acumen, and strong cross-functional collaboration skills.

Key Responsibilities

Design for Cost & Value

• Partner with design engineers during the proposal and design phase to review Bills of Materials (BOMs) and identify opportunities for cost reduction, standardization, and simplification.
• Conduct Value Engineering (VE) / Value Analysis (VA) reviews on proposed AV system designs, proposing alternative products, architectures, or approaches that preserve functionality and performance while reducing cost.
• Evaluate designs for "design for service" principles - ensuring systems are easy to install, maintain, troubleshoot, and support in the field, reducing long-term service costs and truck rolls.
• Identify opportunities to standardize on preferred product lines, platforms, or configurations across projects to increase purchasing leverage and reduce design/engineering time.
• Build and maintain a library of approved, cost-optimized design templates and reference architectures for common solution types (huddle rooms, boardrooms, classrooms, control rooms, etc.).

Supplier & Vendor Management

• Collaborate with procurement and vendor partners to negotiate better pricing, terms, and rebate structures based on volume, standardization, and strategic partnerships.
• Evaluate alternative manufacturers, distributors, and products as part of a multi-source strategy, ensuring quality and reliability are maintained.
• Track supplier performance (cost, lead time, quality, warranty/service support) and provide feedback into vendor selection decisions.
• Stay current on new products, technologies, and pricing trends in the AV industry to proactively bring cost-saving opportunities to the design team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work directly with sales engineers and project managers during the proposal stage to review designs before they go to the customer, flagging cost-saving opportunities early.
• Partner with the service/support team to gather field data on product reliability, common failure points, and serviceability issues, feeding this insight back into design standards.
• Provide cost-benefit analysis and recommendations to leadership on major design or sourcing decisions.
• Support finance/operations in tracking and reporting cost savings generated through value engineering initiatives.

Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain KPIs and reporting to track cost savings, design standardization rates, and service call reduction resulting from VE initiatives.
• Lead or participate in post-project reviews to capture lessons learned and feed improvements back into design standards.
• Champion a culture of cost-consciousness and value-driven design across the engineering organization.

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years of experience in AV systems design, engineering, integration, or a related technical role (commercial AV, IT/AV convergence, or systems integration industry strongly preferred).
• Strong understanding of AV system architecture, signal flow, and common product categories (displays, video conferencing, control systems, DSPs, networking, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience with cost analysis, BOM review, or value engineering practices.
• Excellent negotiation and relationship-building skills with vendors/suppliers.
• Strong analytical skills with comfort working in spreadsheets, ERP, or BOM/quoting software.
• Ability to communicate technical trade-offs clearly to both engineering and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred

• Certifications such as CTS, CTS-D, or CTS-I (AVIXA).
• Experience with formal Value Engineering / Value Analysis methodologies.
• Familiarity with service operations and field support challenges in AV/IT environments.
• Experience with ERP, PLM, or quoting/BOM management systems.
• Background in procurement, supply chain, or vendor management.

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Achieve a defined percentage cost reduction across reviewed project BOMs.
• Establish standardized, pre-approved design templates for top solution types.
• Reduce average service calls/truck rolls on newly deployed systems through improved design-for-service practices.
• Build strong working relationships with key suppliers, resulting in improved pricing/terms.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary + performance-based incentives tied to cost savings delivered
• Benefits package— health, dental, vision, 401(k), PTO
• Opportunity to shape engineering standards and cost strategy across a growing AV organization
• Collaborative, cross-functional role with visibility to leadership