Audio Visual Support Specialist

ABOUT STANFORD UNIVERSITY AND RESIDENTIAL & DINING ENTERPRISES:

Founded in 1891, Stanford University is among the top academic institutions in the country, excelling in a wide range of fields from the humanities to information technology to the health sciences and medicine. The university is located near Palo Alto, 35 miles south of San Francisco, on an 8,800-acre campus.

Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE), the largest auxiliary organization at Stanford University, supports the academic mission of the University by providing the highest quality services to students and other members of the university community. The Department has an annual operating budget of over $270 million, oversees a 7 million sq. ft. physical plant across the campus, and provides housing for over 13,000 students and dependents, serves over 18,000 daily meals at 30 dining and retail locations and over 300,000 meals at Athletic Concessions events, and hosts 20,000 conference guests annually. Additionally, R&DE comprises 735 FTE staff in the following divisions: The Office of the Senior Associate Vice Provost, Student Housing, Stanford Dining, Stanford Hospitality & Auxiliaries, Stanford Conferences, and a team of R&DE strategic business partners: Finance & Administration, Human Resources, Information Technology and Communications.

R&DE Information Technology consists of 26 full and part-time staff. The department is organized into six teams: CIO office, Portfolio and Project Management Office, Applications Development, Support Services, Security, and Systems Administration. R&DE IT supports over 70 applications and integrations, 2,200 technology assets, and 900+ users. In addition to providing excellence in everything they do; R&DE IT is dedicated to the mission and core values of Residential & Dining Enterprises.

The Support Services team provides value by maintaining and advancing the technology needs of R&DE and is comprised of three core support areas: Desktop and Application support; Point of Sale (PoS) and Internet of Things (IoT) support; and Audio/Visual (A/V) and Digital Signage support.

R&DE’s Desktop and Application team is responsible for the incident and request fulfillment related to desktop, mobile device, printer, software, software licensing management, and front-line support for the application portfolio.

R&DE’s Point of Sale (PoS) and Internet of Things (IoT) team provides support with the incident and request fulfillment related, but not limited to, break fix, transactional solutions delivery, and license management across Athletic Concessions, 12 café and retail locations, 9 dining halls, The Stanford Guest House, and more than 20 youth camps during Summer Conferences.

The A/V and digital signage team supports R&DE’s 3 conference centers and 47 conference rooms with on-site delivery, set up, operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment related to A/V. R&DE’s conference centers are equipped with state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment including high-definition laser projection, sound and capturing capabilities for various types of high-profile events ranging from boardroom meetings to banquets and receptions.

The Audio/Visual Support Specialist is a member of the Support Services team and furthers the mission of the organization by providing the highest quality service to students and other members of the university community in a sustainable and fiscally responsible manner. This customer facing role will provide technical support to end-users for computer hardware, software, and Audio/Visual (A/V) equipment as well as provide augmented support for the other services associated with the retail café and computing environment onsite. In this matrix support model, the incumbent will work closely with R&DE Stanford Hospitality and Auxiliaries staff, the conference center clients, and R&DE IT to deliver the best possible user experience. The individual will also work with internal and cross-functional teams on project execution and may contribute to the planning of operational support after project implementation. The incumbent must also have a “can do” attitude, engage in a team collaborative environment, and ensure that assets comply with all governing rules, policies and procedures while providing guidance and assistance to clients and staff.  

“Students (Customers) First “is the mantra of R&DE and our strategic goals reflect our commitment to delivering quality and excellence to our constituents every day. In R&DE, “Excellence is defined by aligning our strategic goals and performance with our vision.”

JOB PURPOSE:

Under general supervision, provide technical support to end-users for audio/visual, computer hardware, software, and network related requests.

CORE DUTIES*:

• Be a technical lead and main escalation point for any A/V related issues at several locations, including but not limited to, Munger Graduate residences, Li Ka Shing conference space, Escondido Village Graduate Residences, and Stanford’s Redwood City campus; provide training, create documentation, and offer guidance as needed for Stanford staff, temporary facility staff, student workers, and third-party vendors to achieve outcomes.
• Diagnose and resolve end-user problems; respond to escalated issues from clients and other support teams; perform triage, provide remote problem resolution when possible, refer problems to associated groups.
• Install, upgrade, configure, set up, manage and troubleshoot computing equipment, audio/visual equipment, teleconferencing systems, communication devices, and POS devices and peripherals.
• Research, recommend and implement hardware and software purchases and configurations to meet client needs and ensure compatibility with university systems and architecture.
• Research, recommend and implement approved standards used throughout the unit and contribute to the development of the client support strategy.
• Investigate and test new tools, systems, techniques, and software products.
• Provide technical guidance and training; create, update and maintain documentation; may guide other staff
• Work on projects requiring expertise and creativity in analysis and deployment of technology.
• Other duties may also be assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

Two-year college degree and two or more years of relevant experience or a combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to provide excellent client service.
• Ability to apply diagnostic techniques for problem troubleshooting.
• Ability to apply information technology best practices, including security (this includes information security or physical security, such as asset management) to problem resolution and troubleshooting.
• Strong technical experience with Windows 7/10, Mac OS X, and iOS operating systems.
• Strong technical experience and problem resolution with the application portfolio such as Office 365, Google Drive, One Drive, Duo Mobile, Adobe, Cisco Jabber, Cisco Any Connect VPN, VMWare Fusion, SLACK, BigFix, IBM TRIRIGA, EATEC, Reserve, Kronos time clocks, Oracle Opera, Kinetix, Crash Plan, Intelligent Hub, and Zoom.
• Strong technical experience using digital media equipment, video creation, editing software, digital media control software, and various computer equipment (Zoom, Jabber, WebEx)
• Demonstrated ability to perform repairs on a wide variety of audio, visual, and desktop computer equipment.
• Ability to adapt equipment setup and provide alternative setup or workarounds if necessary.
• Ability to manage a variety of simultaneous projects within tight deadlines, excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to resolve issues quickly and make decisions that meet university objectives, in a collaborative culture.

Certifications and Licenses:

• Preferred: ITIL Foundations v3 certification and/or training.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a California Non-commercial Class license.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS*:

• Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks.
• Frequently sitting, use a telephone, grasp lightly/fine manipulation, bending, lifting, standing, and carrying equipment.
• Occasionally lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh 21-40 pounds.
• Occasionally kneel/crawl, climb (ladders, scaffolds, or other), writing by hand, soft/file paperwork or parts,

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• On-Call Rotation. May work extended hours, evenings and weekends.
• May have exposure to high voltage electricity, noise > 80dB TWA, confined spaces,

WORK STANDARDS:

• Interpersonal Skills: demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Promote Culture of Safety: demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety. Communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu.

"Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job."