Audio Engineering Supervisor

Intro to Position

NPR seeks an Audio Engineering Supervisor to oversee day-to-day operations at our broadcast facilities in Washington, D.C. 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, D.C. 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 bureau colleagues.

The successful candidate will be a proactive, collaborative individual with a background in audio engineering, broadcasting and audio/video podcasting, 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, audio and video podcasts, and video streaming
• Advise teams on the use of NPR technologies, especially those related to audio processing, mixing and recording
• Ensure compliance with the collective bargaining agreement between NPR and the NABET union
• Contribute to writing and maintenance of documentation for critical broadcast and production systems and workflows
• See to regular testing and maintenance of disaster recovery systems and recommend updates and modifications as required
• Provide backup operational supervision and support to NPR’s Los Angeles and New York Audio Engineering teams
• Lead hiring searches for Audio Engineering positions at NPR, participates in hiring process for positions in other NPR locations and departments as required
• Supervise at least 12 direct reports, including preparing their regular performance reviews, and making effective recommendations regarding any hiring, promotion, and discipline for these positions

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 of professional production, audio, and/or broadcast experience
• 3+ years of supervisory experience or team leadership
• 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
• Effective staff leadership, development, and delegation, including during times of intense organizational change and industry transformation
• Ability to work independently, multitask, prioritize, and thrive under remote supervision
• Excellent communication skills (written, oral, documentation creation, etc.)
• Customer service-focused mentality
• Familiarity with emerging broadcast and audio technologies
• Ability to effectively translate technical topics, workflows, and team needs to the editorial staff and management
• Ability and desire to identify and learn new systems, tools, and technologies
• Knowledge of broadcast systems and automation, audio/video 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
• 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with professional AOIP transmission protocols, software and hardware, such as Ravenna, AES67, Tieline, Comrex, etc.
• Familiarity with IT networking topics
• Familiarity with audio/video recording and editing platforms and associated workflows, especially AVID Pro Tools, Riverside/Descript, or Broadcast Bionics
• Hands-on experience with no-code databases
• Hands-on experience working in a broadcast studio and/or master control facilities
• Hands-on experience with digital audio routing, analog and digital consoles, and matrix routing
• Management experience within a union environment
• Familiarity with NPR’s content and the overall public media ecosystem

Education Requirements

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

Work Location & Requirements

Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. Some aspects of this role include duties that are better performed at an NPR facility. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C. location at least 2 days a week. The employee must also reside in an NPR-supported location based on the number of on-site days they choose.

Job Type

This is a full-time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $124,200 - $136,000 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.

NPR 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.

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