AV Consultant Liaison

About the role

In this position, you will play a pivotal role in fostering relationships with audiovisual consultants to advocate for NETGEAR's networking solutions. Your primary objective will be to educate key industry influencers about our AV-over-IP and managed networking products, with the goal of transforming these relationships into tangible project opportunities and establishing NETGEAR as a market leader. This strategic role is essential for market growth and early project influence, and you will collaborate closely with various internal teams to achieve these objectives.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Formulate and execute a strategic plan to engage key AV consultant firms and technology advisors throughout North America.
• Build and sustain relationships with both leaders and technical personnel within consultant organizations to ensure ongoing collaboration.
• Enhance awareness of NETGEAR's professional AV offerings through engaging presentations, educational workshops, and participation in industry events.
• Establish NETGEAR as the preferred networking partner for a diverse range of AV projects by showcasing our unique value propositions.
• Influence the design requirements and specifications of projects to favor NETGEAR solutions, ensuring our products are considered in early project stages.
• Collaborate with sales teams to pinpoint consultant-driven projects and facilitate connections to sales opportunities that arise from these engagements.
• Maintain and update project pipeline information in Salesforce, providing detailed insights into consultant influence and project progress.
• Engage with product and engineering teams to collect feedback from consultants, which will be used to enhance product resources and offerings.
• Develop and refine supportive materials for consultants, including design guides and technical documentation that aid in their project specifications.
• Represent NETGEAR at industry events and forums to bolster brand credibility and visibility within the AV community.
• Monitor and report on key engagement metrics, specification wins, and emerging market trends to inform strategic decisions.
• Stay informed about NETGEAR products and networking concepts to provide accurate and effective advice to consultants.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience is required for this role.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience in professional AV, broadcast AV, AV-over-IP, commercial technology, networking, or related business development roles is essential.
• Proven experience interacting with AV consultants, design engineers, integrators, manufacturers, or end-users in the Pro AV sector is necessary.
• A solid grasp of AV-over-IP concepts, managed switching, network design, and relevant IP networking terminology is crucial.
• Ability to build trust with technical professionals and convey complex networking concepts in an understandable manner is required.
• Strong presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills are essential for success in this role.
• A history of influencing specifications or early-stage project requirements in complex sales cycles is preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills, including proficiency in Salesforce and effective pipeline management, are necessary.
• Must be a self-motivated individual who can work independently in a national or regional capacity.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% for meetings, events, and site visits is required.

Nice to have

• Existing relationships with notable North American AV consultant firms or technology advisory groups would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with NETGEAR Pro AV, AV-over-IP ecosystems, and related AV protocols such as SMPTE ST 2110, Dante, NDI, SDVoE, AES67, Crestron, AMX, Q-SYS, or Extron is a plus.
• Experience in developing consultant programs, design guides, or technical enablement materials would be beneficial.
• Relevant certifications such as CTS, CTS-D, CTS-I, Network+, or CCNA are desirable.
• Background in specific verticals like corporate AV, higher education, hospitality, or broadcast would be an asset.
• Comfort in presenting to varied audiences, including executives and technical teams at industry events, is a valuable trait.

Skills & tools

• Proficiency in Salesforce for project management and tracking.
• Strong understanding of networking concepts, including multicast, VLANs, QoS, and PoE.
• Knowledge of AV-over-IP architectures and managed switching technologies.
• Familiarity with presentation and communication tools for effective engagement.

Practical notes

• The role requires travel up to 50%, which may include air travel and overnight stays.
• Ability to participate in extended meetings and trade show activities is necessary.
• Occasional lifting of up to 25 lbs for demonstration equipment may be required.