Audio Engineering Supervisor

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

NPR seeks an Audio Engineering Supervisor to oversee day-to-day operations at our broadcast facilities in Washington, DC. This includes managing a team of audio engineers and allocating resources to support NPR’s content creation. This position is responsible for a wide range of technical and logistical duties, which include responding to 24x7x365 production and scheduling requests and rotating on-call duties during nights, weekends, and holidays. While primary responsibility for this role is associated with supervision of NPR’s Washington, DC based Audio Engineering team, this role will be part of a geographically distributed management group that collaborates to oversee Audio Engineering across NPR Headquarters and our bureaus in New York and Los Angeles, sharing on-call and backfill duties with both DC-based and remote colleagues.

The successful candidate will be a proactive, collaborative individual with a background in audio engineering, broadcast and podcast, the ability and desire to learn new skills and technologies, and a belief in the mission of NPR. A history of empathetic leadership, interdisciplinary cooperation, and developing staff are key components of this position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide 24x7 immediate response to technology outages and/or staffing emergencies
• Oversee technical aspects of content creation and broadcast operations at NPR Headquarters
• Collaborate on development, training and enforcement of production workflows within the Audio Engineering team, as well as between multiple departments and locations
• Maintain current service levels and high-quality standards for audio production
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships across the organization, including regular engagement with content creators, support groups, and management to identify and anticipate needs and allocate resources accordingly
• Manage, support, train, and develop a team of audio engineers whose work encompasses broadcast and digital content creation, including radio, podcast, and video
• Advises teams on the use of NPR technologies, especially those related to audio processing, mixing and recording
• Ensures compliance with the collective bargaining agreement between NPR and the NABET union
• Contributes to writing and maintenance of documentation for critical broadcast and production systems and workflows
• Sees to regular testing and maintenance of disaster recovery systems and recommends updates and modifications as required
• Provides backup operational supervision and support to NPR’s Los Angeles and New York Audio Engineering teams
• Leads hiring searches for Audio Engineering positions at NPR, participates in hiring process for positions in other NPR locations and departments as required
• Supervises at least 11 direct reports, including preparing their regular performance reviews, and making effective recommendations regarding any hiring, promotion, and discipline for these positions
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of professional production, audio, and/or broadcast experience
• 3+ years of supervisory experience or team leadership

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in broadcast engineering, content production, communications, or management.

WORK LOCATION: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be onsite at our Washington, DC office at least 2 days per week. The employee must also reside in an NPR supported location.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Effective on-site and remote team leadership, development, and delegation
• Ability to cultivate a welcoming, inclusive workplace environment, where people from diverse backgrounds feel valued and able to do their best work
• Familiarity with broadcast automation, audio/video router configuration, audio transport, and production workflows
• Familiarity with audio engineering concepts and principles
• Ability to work independently, multitask, prioritize, and thrive under remote supervision
• Excellent communication skills (written, oral, documentation creation, etc.)
• Adept at identifying and solving complex problems with tact and discretion
• Customer service focused mentality
• Familiarity with emerging broadcast and audio technologies
• Ability to effectively translate technical topics, workflows, and team needs to editorial staff and management
• Ability and desire to identify and learn new systems, tools, and technologies
• Demonstrable history of effective staff leadership, development, and delegation
• Knowledge of broadcast systems and automation, routers, and production workflows
• Thorough understanding of audio engineering concepts, principles, tools and workflows
• Ability to work independently, multitask, prioritize, and thrive in a 24x7 deadline driven environment
• Excellent communication skills (written, oral, documentation creation, etc.)
• Adept at identifying and solving complex technical and operational problems with poise and expertise
• Willingness to work off-hours and weekends as needed to support NPR’s programs and departmental staff
• Customer service focused mentality 
• Ability to effectively translate technical topics and concepts to departmental staff, journalists, and executives
• Ability and desire to learn new systems, tools, and technologies as required

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Knowledge of current AOIP transmission protocols and hardware, such as Ravenna, AES67, Opus, Tieline, Comrex etc.
• Familiarity with IT networking
• Familiarity with digital audio workstations and production workflow, especially incorporating AVID Pro Tools
• Familiarity with media asset management systems
• Experience working in broadcast studio and/or master control facilities
• Experience with digital audio routing, both analog and digital consoles, and matrix routing
• Experience with automation, control, and monitoring applications
• Familiarity with NPR’s content and the public media ecosystem
• Knowledge of audio transmission methods and protocols including: AOIP hardware codecs, remote interview software platforms such as Riverside/SquadCast, and AES67
• Familiarity with digital audio workstations, drivers, operating systems, and collaborative production workflows
• Familiarity with media asset management systems or database software
• Management experience within a union environment
• Familiarity with NPR’s content and the overall public media ecosystem

JOB TYPE

• This is a full time, exempt position.

COMPENSATION

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $115,875.00 - $133,000.00 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. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

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