GENERAL FUNCTION:
Manage, support, and advance C-SPAN's newsroom, production, graphics, media management and related operational systems used for content creation and live and recorded television production.
Lead the planning, evaluation, design, testing, implementation, integration and ongoing optimization of current and future newsroom technologies and workflows.
Serve as a primary technical and operational liaison among Newsroom Operations, Technical Operations, Editorial Operations, Engineering, Information Technology, Digital Media and system vendors. Provide technical leadership and subject-matter expertise to ensure systems and workflows are reliable, efficient, scalable and aligned with C-SPAN's editorial, production and operational requirements.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Serves as C-SPAN's primary operational and technical liaison with Dalet, managing system issues, enhancement requests, workflow changes, testing, upgrades and implementation of new functionality.
- Leads the evaluation, planning, testing, coordination and implementation of current and future newsroom and media-management systems, including system upgrades, integrations, workflow analysis, requirements gathering, vendor evaluation, system demonstrations and recommendations regarding replacement or modernization of existing systems, in collaboration with vendors, Engineering, IT and end users.
- Provides technical and operational leadership for major production technology initiatives, including the Transformation Project, system migrations, facility upgrades and implementation of new newsroom and production capabilities.
- Provides advanced troubleshooting and operational support for newsroom and production systems, including issues affecting live television operations, content workflows, media movement, graphics, automation and system interoperability.
- Leads technical and operational development of on-air graphics workflows using Ross XPression and other current or future graphics platforms, including template development, data integration, automation, election graphics and connections between graphics systems and internal and external data sources.
- Provides technical leadership for other newsroom priorities, including closed captioning, election-related production systems and workflows, disaster recovery, business continuity planning and non-linear editing systems.
- Works with system users, subject-matter experts and departmental leaders to regularly assess newsroom and production workflows, identify operational needs and inefficiencies, reduce unnecessary manual processes, improve interoperability and develop or recommend improved technical and workflow solutions.
- Leads user acceptance testing and operational validation of new systems, upgrades, features and workflows prior to deployment into production.
- Manages training for newsroom and production technologies, including onboarding of new users, continuing education, system upgrades, new features and advanced training for designated superusers.
- Manages Newsroom Systems staff supporting on-air graphics production, graphics automation, template development, system support, media management and workflow improvement.
- Maintains current documentation of critical newsroom systems, workflows, integrations, ownership responsibilities, support procedures and business-continuity and recovery processes.
- Monitors emerging newsroom, production, automation, AI-assisted, data, graphics and media-management technologies and recommends opportunities that could improve efficiency, reliability, storytelling or production capabilities.
- Serves as a technical resource during major broadcasts, elections, special events, system transitions and other high-profile or technically complex productions.
- Regularly communicates project status, technical issues, operational risks, priorities and recommendations to management and other stakeholders.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
BACKGROUND/SKILLS:
- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- Minimum seven years of relevant television production, broadcast technology, newsroom systems, media systems, or related experience, including management or technical leadership experience.
- Extensive knowledge of television production workflows and the technical systems supporting live and recorded broadcast operations.
- Advanced knowledge of newsroom computer systems, media asset management, production graphics, automation, databases, and system integration.
- Strong working knowledge of Dalet Galaxy or comparable newsroom and media-management platforms.
- Strong working knowledge of Ross XPression or comparable real-time broadcast graphics systems.
- Experience integrating multiple production systems, applications, databases, APIs, data feeds and automation platforms.
- Experience evaluating, selecting, implementing, migrating or significantly upgrading newsroom, media-management or production technology systems.
- Experience planning, testing, implementing and supporting complex technology projects in a live production environment.
- Strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to diagnose technical and operational issues across multiple interconnected systems.
- Ability to translate editorial and operational requirements into practical technical solutions and communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to coordinate effectively across multiple departments and work collaboratively with editorial, production, operations, engineering, IT, digital and outside vendors.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage projects, establish priorities, identify risks and drive technical and operational issues through resolution.
- Ability to work effectively under deadline pressure and respond to issues affecting live television operations.
- Strong leadership, communication, documentation, organizational and project-management skills.
- Thorough understanding of C-SPAN's production workflows, operational requirements and programming environment.
