Senior Unified Communications Engineer

• Leads the design, engineering, implementation, and maintenance of robust, secure, and intuitive unified communication and collaboration platforms (voice, video conferencing, instant messaging, and presence) that enhance the digital employee experience and support diverse work styles across the university.
• Manages the lifecycle of UC technologies, planning and executing major upgrades, feature enhancements, and migrations with a strong focus on minimizing disruption and maximizing employee readiness and adoption.
• Partners with digital strategists and enablement teams to promote the effective use of collaboration tools, contributing to the development of university-wide resources and guidance that enhance digital dexterity.
• Optimizes and streamlines provisioning and configuration processes for UC endpoints and services, actively leveraging automation and scripting to achieve significant improvements in efficiency and user satisfaction across multiple areas.
• Proactively monitors UC platform health, performance, and usage patterns across the enterprise, utilizing service data and analytics to identify trends, anticipate issues, and implement preventative measures before they impact users.
• Takes ownership of the UC systems' integrity, including associated databases (e.g., supporting UC, 3rd party billing integration), ensuring reliability and accuracy, and serving as an escalation point for complex technical and operational issues.
• Continuously evaluates the collaboration technology landscape, user feedback, and service metrics such as adoption rates and uptime to identify and recommend innovative solutions or enhancements that improve functionality, reliability, and the overall employee experience across multiple departments or specialties.
• Explores and assesses the role of programmability (e.g., APIs, scripting) within the UC environment to design and develop custom integrations, automate complex workflows, and significantly enhance collaboration effectiveness.
• Collaborates effectively with IT peers, academic and administrative departments, and external vendors to understand communication needs, manage complex service delivery, and ensure solutions are aligned with university objectives.
• Drive the strategic expansion of the Collaboration ecosystem to include Whiteboards, Clips, Events, Webinars, Rooms, Workspace Reservation, Contact Center, AI-driven productivity tools, etc.
• Ensure deep integration between collaboration platforms and other university business systems (e.g., LMS, CRM, Facilities Management) to create a seamless, end-to-end employee journey.

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Proven experience in designing, implementing, managing, and supporting enterprise-scale Unified Communications solutions in a multi-vendor environment (e.g., Cisco CUCM, Microsoft Teams Voice, Zoom Phone, etc.).
• Recognized subject matter expertise in VoIP protocols (SIP, H.323, MGCP), network infrastructure (routing, switching, QoS), and their impact on real-time communication services.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve difficult and moderately complex technical issues related to UC platforms, applications, and endpoints, with excellent attention to detail and a solid grasp of the OSI model.
• A passion for enhancing the employee experience through technology, with a user-centric approach to solution design and support.
• Proactive and results-oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate needs, identify opportunities for service improvement, and drive high-impact initiatives to completion.
• Proven experience leveraging automation and scripting (e.g., Python, PowerShell) to manage UC environments, streamline operations, and implement significant efficiency gains across areas.
• Strong familiarity with data analysis related to UC system performance, usage metrics, and call quality reporting to inform decision-making.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into user-friendly language and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including senior management.
• An enablement mindset focused on empowering users and ensuring they have the motivation and knowledge to fully exploit IT-supplied collaboration technology.
• Strong digital dexterity with the ability to quickly learn, adapt to, and champion new communication and collaboration technologies.
• Experience with a range of enterprise-wide software systems (both on-premises and cloud-based), networks, and devices.
• Vendor management experience.
• Relevant industry certifications (e.g., Cisco CCNP Collaboration, Microsoft Teams Voice Engineer Expert, Zoom Certified Integrator).
• Specific experience with Cisco CUCM, Zoom Workplace, HPE Mist and related applications.
• Experience working in a higher education environment.
• Understanding of change and project management principles as they apply to technology adoption.

How is pay for new employees determined at GW?

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.