Director, Venue Broadcast & Audio Technology

Position: Director, Venue Broadcast & Audio Technology

Department: Information Technology

Reporting Relationship: Reports to VP, Technology & Cybersecurity

Status: Exempt

Job Summary

The Director of Venue Broadcast & Audio Technology is a senior leadership role responsible for the overall strategy, design, implementation, and operation of all broadcast and live production technologies within Bank of America Stadium. As a vital member of Tepper Sports & Entertainment's broader technology team, this individual will lead the venue's broadcast, audio, and streaming engineering team and oversee all related technology operations. The Director will serve as the primary technical authority, responsible for building out a new, innovative primary broadcast technology stack anchored on Cisco technology to ensure the facility remains a state-of-the-art production hub. A core component of this strategy will be leveraging AI as a driver for operational excellence and efficiency. This role is crucial for flawlessly executing a wide range of world-class events, from professional sports (Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC) to major concerts. This role involves close collaboration with live event production teams to ensure seamless integration of technology solutions and will act as the key technical liaison for broadcast partners like FOX, CBS, NEP and ESPN.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Develop and execute a long-term technology roadmap for the venue's broadcast infrastructure, including control rooms, cabling, and production systems. This includes managing short- and long-term technology strategy.
• Lead the research, evaluation, and integration of new technologies (e.g., SMPTE 2110, cloud production, 5G broadcast, 4K/HDR) to maintain the venue's competitive edge and future-proof operations. This also involves staying abreast of emerging technologies and broadcast, audio, and streaming engineering trends.
• Develop and manage the annual capital and operational budgets for the broadcast technology ecosystem, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and identifying opportunities for cost optimization and efficiency improvements.

Venue Infrastructure Management:

• Assume ownership alongside our infrastructure director of all permanent broadcast infrastructure, including the primary control room technology, associated equipment rooms, structured cabling (fiber, copper), and connectivity panels. This also includes designing and spec'ing in-venue equipment and connectivity solutions, including acquisition, scoring, graphics, audio, encoding, and stream connectivity.
• Oversee the maintenance, repair, and lifecycle management of all in-house broadcast and A\V equipment.
• Ensure all systems comply with industry standards for safety, power, and cooling.
• Manage and maintain all broadcast and A\V technology systems, including but not limited to playout, asset management, TVs, LEDs, video servers, routers, storage systems, and IP-based infrastructure.
• Ensure redundancy and business continuity plans are in place and functioning for broadcast, audio, and streaming technology operations.

Event Execution & Production Support:

• Serve as the venue's highest point of technical contact during live events, providing oversight and ultimate accountability for broadcast technical success. This is akin to the "Engineer in Charge" role for a specific mobile unit, applied permanently to the venue.
• Lead the in-house technical team to support the load-in, setup, and integration of external broadcast mobile units.
• Ensure seamless technical integration between venue systems and the systems of visiting broadcast partners.
• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all technical aspects of event production and implement robust incident management processes to minimize downtime and optimize service availability.
• Partner closely with the live event production team to integrate technology solutions seamlessly into processes and events, ensuring flawless execution.
• Support event-operations teams on live-streaming services, including setup and maintenance of live encoding workflows.
• Diagnose and troubleshoot live video delivery issues with urgency.

Vendor & Partner Management:

• Act as the primary technical liaison for all broadcast partners, networks, and production companies, facilitating effective communication and understanding of requirements.
• Lead technical planning meetings to ensure all event requirements are understood and met.
• Manage relationships and negotiate contracts with technology vendors, integrators, and service providers. This includes interfacing with vendors on proof-of-concept evaluations and issue resolution.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of in-house broadcast, audio, and streaming engineers and technicians, providing guidance and support to ensure high performance and professional development.
• Foster a culture of excellence, innovation, collaboration, and proactive problem-solving within the team and cross-functional teams.
• Set performance goals and conduct regular reviews for all direct reports.
• This role requires strong leadership and team-building skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire cross-functional teams.

Qualifications, Skills and Education

Experience

• Minimum of 5-8 years of progressive experience in the broadcast engineering field
• Minimum of 5+ years in a senior leadership or management role (e.g., Engineer in Charge, Chief Engineer, Technical Manager), with proven management experience. This role takes the leadership and strategic elements of an EIC and applies them permanently to a single venue.
• Demonstrated experience working on high-profile, live broadcast events (e.g., major league sports, network television specials).
• Experience in a fixed venue environment (stadium, arena, or large production studio) and in the professional sports industry is highly preferred.
• Proven track record of success in managing broadcast, audio, and streaming engineering teams and operations.
• Experience designing, integrating, and operating broadcast infrastructure, including the buildout of datacenters focused on live broadcast systems.
• Experience working on data pipelines for log collection and monitoring.

Technical Expertise:

• Expert-level knowledge of broadcast signal flow, including video (baseband SDI and IP-based SMPTE ST 2110, H.264, JPEG2000, NDI), audio (Dante, MADI, AES67), and communications (RTS/Riedel). Familiarity with 2110/IP workflows, NDI, and traditional SDI systems is required to support blended environments and future-proof operations.
• Deep understanding of broadcast production equipment: cameras, switchers, routers, replay systems, graphics, audio consoles, and production control room automation.
• Strong knowledge of IT networking principles as they apply to modern broadcast workflows, including core routing and switching design, configuration, and troubleshooting of IP networks for video transport (J2K, JPXS, MPEG, SRT, HLS Compression Protocols) and multicasting.
• High-level knowledge of software development, Kubernetes, Docker, and other cloud technologies. This includes an understanding of server infrastructure (virtual and physical).
• Familiarity with cloud-based newsroom and content systems, studio and control room operation, facility and production workflow.
• Experience with cybersecurity and resilience in broadcast environments. Basic understanding of IT end-user support, administration and security in Microsoft environment is required.
• Knowledge of broadcast transmission, fiber optics, and RF technologies.
• Familiarity with video stream metadata (SCTE-35/104, SCTE-224/ESNI), data interchange formats (XML, JSON), and RESTful API utilization.
• Expertise with live streaming encoding technologies and a deep understanding of HLS live streaming protocol.
• Experience with broadcast command and control integration and video monitoring tools.
• Experience with 4K, HDR, and ATMOS in live transmission and streaming environments.
• Knowledge of broadcast TV standards, workflow, and technologies related to routing, switching, encoding, audio processing, and distribution.

Leadership & Management Skills:

• Exceptional leadership, team-building, and mentorship abilities, with a proven capacity to motivate and inspire cross-functional teams under high-pressure conditions.
• Excellent strategic planning, project management, and budget management skills, with a focus on achieving outcomes.
• Superior client-facing communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, adaptability, and a proactive, creative approach to identifying and resolving complex technical issues.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Strong collaboration skills with stakeholders and technology partners.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Technology, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent professional experience will be strongly considered.
• Certifications from the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) or networking certifications (e.g., CCNA) are a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Sitting at a desk and computer for long periods of time.
• Bending, standing, reaching, kneeling, and lifting technology equipment and office materials.

• Walking throughout the stadium facility, sometimes for an extended period of time.

Work Environment

This job operates primarily in a professional office setting. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.