About the Role
WTEN/WXXA-TV in Albany, New York is seeking a skilled and motivated Chief Engineer/Broadcast IT Operations Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations and strategic planning of the Engineering and IT Departments. This hybrid leadership role bridges traditional broadcast engineering with modern IP-based workflows and cloud computing, ensuring the seamless delivery of live and recorded content across multiple platforms.
Responsibilities
- Manage all operational aspects of the Engineering and Broadcast IT Departments.
- Lead, schedule, and mentor a combined team of IT professionals and broadcast engineers, ensuring adequate coverage for 24/7 operations.
- Make authoritative decisions regarding hiring, evaluations, promotions, and terminations.
- Identify developmental needs, set performance standards, and coach staff to improve their knowledge of both traditional RF and modern IP technologies.
- Assign projects, manage schedules, and track milestones to guarantee deadlines are met.
- Manage and maintain all broadcast IT systems, including playout, media asset management (MAM), video servers, routers, storage systems, and IP-based infrastructure.
- Oversee cloud-based newsroom and content systems, ensuring optimized studio, control room, and production workflows.
- Develop, maintain, and test redundancy systems and business continuity plans to prevent downtime.
- Plan and execute software upgrades, technology migrations (e.g., baseband to IP), and facility improvements.
- Direct the maintenance, troubleshooting, and servicing of all station broadcast technology and hardware.
- Oversee fiber connectivity, production setups, A/V routing and patching, audio equipment, graphics systems, and editing platforms.
- Maintain and troubleshoot digital transmitters, microwave equipment, and other specialized broadcast RF gear.
- Maintain and troubleshoot analog and digital phone and intercom systems.
- Ensure total station adherence to FCC rules and regulations, as well as all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
- Partner with corporate leadership to manage engineering and technology capital projects strictly within established budgets.
- Work closely with News, Production, and other departments to support live news broadcasts and post-production workflows.
- Perform additional operational and technical duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or Technical degree in Digital Electronics, Broadcasting, Information Technology, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in broadcast, IT, and/or television production environments.
- Minimum of 3 years in a management or supervisory role leading technical teams.
- Exceptional ability to remain calm under pressure and logically solve complex technical issues during live broadcasts.
- Excellent leadership, project management, and communication skills (written and oral) in English.
- Ability to work varied hours, including rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays, to accommodate live news broadcasts, special events, and remote productions.
- Valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
- All employees must first contact their current manager before applying for an Internal position.
Skills
- Networking concepts, including TCP/IP, UDP, Spanning Tree, and network performance optimization.
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).
- IP video, video encoding/decoding, streaming protocols (HLS, DASH, RTMP), and automation/cloud-based playout systems.
- Dante digital audio.
- Evaluating, installing, and servicing traditional broadcasting equipment, digital transmitters, and A/V routing.
- Cisco CCNA, SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers), and/or SMPTE certifications are a strong plus.
Location
- Albany, New York
Work Type
- Hybrid
Experience Level
- 5 years of experience in broadcast, IT, and/or television production environments
- 3 years in a management or supervisory role
Education Level
- Bachelor’s degree or Technical degree in Digital Electronics, Broadcasting, Information Technology, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Salary/Compensations
- $80,000 - $98,000 annually
Benefits
- Health, dental and vision plan
- 401K
About the Company
- We value our talented employees, and whenever possible strive to help one of our associates grow professionally before recruiting new talent to our open positions.
- Our people make all the difference in our success.
