Senior Transmission & Distribution Engineer

Full job description

The Senior Engineer – Transmission & Distribution Systems is a senior, hands‑on technical role focused on the reliability, resilience, and continuous improvement of playout, transmission, and signal delivery workflows across broadcast and digital platforms.

This role works closely with operations, production, network, and technology teams to ensure content is delivered reliably to audiences, balancing live operational support with long‑term workflow optimization across on‑prem and cloud‑based distribution environments.

Job Responsibilities

• Deliver first-line technical support for Transmission & Distribution Systems, plus second and third-line support for specialist areas to ensure swift service restoration during critical times.
• Escalate complex workflow issues, collaborating with internal experts and external vendors for resolutions.
• Respond quickly to playout, transmission, and signal delivery incidents, making calm decisions during live output.
• Perform proactive monitoring, maintenance, and health checks across delivery platforms.
• Ensure compliance with business continuity, disaster recovery, and cybersecurity requirements.
• Own and support end‑to‑end delivery workflows, including playout, contribution, distribution, and signal monitoring.
• Review how transmission and delivery systems are used, identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
• Support workflow design and implementation for new delivery platforms and services, including cloud‑based playout.
• Ensure workflows remain appropriate for live, breaking, and scheduled output.
• Support workflow design and implementation for new delivery platforms and services, including cloud‑based playout.
• Ensure workflows remain appropriate for live, breaking, and scheduled output.
• Support and integrate delivery technologies including:
• On‑prem and cloud playout platforms
• IP and satellite contribution and distribution
• Signal compression, transport, and monitoring systems
• Media management and playlist workflows
• Act as a trusted technical partner to transmission, network, and operations teams.
• Contribute to workflow discussions and implementation planning.
• Promote continuous improvement through feedback, documentation, and post‑incident learning.
• Share knowledge through documentation and internal training.
• Work closely with vendors and internal specialists on long‑term improvements and root‑cause fixes.
• Participate in cross functional Working Groups to ensure effective ownership, delivery and continuous improvement of end-to-end workflows and services.
• Other duties as needed

Minimum Requirements:

• Demonstrated experience supporting end-to-end playout, transmission and distribution in broadcast or digital environments.
• Strong understanding of signal delivery and playout workflows.
• Proven ability to manage incidents during live broadcast output.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across technical teams.
• Experience with cloud‑based playout or distribution platforms.
• Familiarity with IP contribution, monitoring, and transport technologies.
• Experience working with third‑party vendors.
• Understanding of resilience, business continuity, and vendor supported broadcast systems.
• Operationally aware and user focused, with an interest in how operations teams, schedulers and media operators work.
• Proactive, adaptable, and improvement driven in a fast changing play, transmission and distribution environment.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Engineering, Broadcast Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent technical school training with relevant hands-on experience will also be considered.
• 7+ years of experience in broadcast transmission, playout, or signal distribution engineering, including live operational support.
• Demonstrated experience with IP-based contribution/distribution and satellite transmission systems.
• Experience supporting cloud-based playout or distribution platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or similar) strongly preferred.
• Relevant certifications a plus (e.g., SBE certification, Cisco CCNA/CCNP, vendor-specific playout/transmission system certifications).
• Prior experience in a 24/7 live broadcast or news environment, including rotating shift or on-call support, preferred.

Pay: From $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Live Broadcast: 5 years (Preferred)
• Broadcast transmission: 7 years (Required)

Language:

• English (Required)

License/Certification:

• SBE (Preferred)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)
• Night Shift (Required)
• Overnight Shift (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Washington, DC 20005 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Washington, DC 20005: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person