Manager, Technical Solutions Group

We’re looking for a leader in the audio and video production systems space. The right candidate will live and breathe end-to-end workflows, will have an intuitive sense for how to break down technical  roadblocks, is a natural communicator and understands the needs of world-class storytellers.  The Technology Solutions Group at NPR is responsible for the full lifecycle of audio and video: from the point of creation to collaborative editing, derivative transcoding, CDN delivery, preservation, and repurposing, the Technology Solutions Group is the engine that keeps NPR’s content flowing. This is a holistic role and requires establishing close connections  with the Content Operations, Audience Technology, Consumer Applications,  IT, RAD, News, Programming, Audio Engineering and Music teams. NPR and the Content Production Department are committed to cultivating a diverse and equitable workplace culture. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reports to the Executive Director, Content Production Technology (CPT)
• Collaborates and coordinates product roadmaps with CPT and Audience Technology  Product Managers. 
• Provides technical and system support for the Content Operations department.
• Supports special projects in the Newsroom and with Programming teams (podcast and video).
• Manages vendor contracts for content production systems
• Leads and mentors a best-in-class team of audio and video systems engineers - preparing regular performance reviews, and making effective recommendations regarding any hiring, promotion, and discipline for these positions.
• Design, build, and maintain workflows to: 
• Encode audio, images and video into multiple file formats for multi-platform distribution using enterprise level encoding software
• Deliver encoded audio and video content to asset management systems, 3rd party content delivery networks and archive systems
• Develop processes and procedures used in the streaming and recording of audio and video on npr.org, member station sites and 3rd party content partners for live breaking news coverage, concerts and other events
• Design and implement Podcast production and encoding workflows. 
• Monitor and maintain NPR digital audio and video archives 
• Troubleshoot issues related to digital media encoding, streaming and media file distribution systems
• Recommend and implement changes to the overall system and network environments through following an institutionalized change management process
• Respond to critical system issues on a 24x7x365 basis with an on-call plan.
• Document processes, procedures, instructions, and training materials for users
• Serve as a liaison between internal teams and product vendors 
• Pursue expansion of knowledge and skills in current and emerging production technologies
• Collaborates with NPR’s RAD department to ensure that asset management workflows accommodate NPR taxonomies and metadata schemas.
• Cultivates and supports an inclusive and equitable workplace culture.

APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEMS

Signiant,  Adobe Premiere, Pro Tools, LucidLInk, DAVID Systems,  JW Platform, Megaphone, SnapStream, Seamus and Grove (Brightspot) CMS, Akamai, AWS cloud storage, compute and CDN technologies. Support for workflows in NPR’s production systems: Nexus and IO (Wendu) CMS embedded media (streaming and on-demand) podcast encoding and CDN delivery. 

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years proven audio and/or video systems experience
• Experience building, motivating and leading highly productive teams
• Familiarity with asset management systems and strategies
• Experience with cloud-based systems

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of JIRA and Confluence
• Knowledge of Cloud-based technology, High Availability and Disaster Recovery concepts
• Audio Engineering experience

WORK LOCATION

• Remote Permitted: This is a remote permitted role. This role is based out of our Washington, DC office but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves.

JOB TYPE

• This is a full time, exempt position.

COMPENSATION

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $122,400 - 133,250 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

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