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 were 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.

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 NPRs 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 NPRs 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 NPRs 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 NPRs 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 NPRs content and the overall public media ecosystem

Education Requirements

Bachelors 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 $124200 - $136000 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 NPRs 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.

#LI-Hybrid

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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