Company Description

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

Job Description

Versant Media has an immediate opening for an experienced distribution engineer to join Distribution Engineering. The engineer in this role owns distribution systems independently, runs operations without escalation, and is a technical authority on how Versant's signal moves from the building to the audience. 

This opening is specifically weighted toward cloud and IP distribution depth. The ideal candidate brings deep, hands-on experience with Amagi, Nevion, TAG Video Systems, and AWS media services. 

Responsibilities 

Cloud & IP Distribution Ownership 

• Own the end-to-end reliability and performance of Versant's cloud and IP distribution path, including Amagi cloud playout, Nevion IP media transport, and TAG Video Systems monitoring. 

• Design, deploy, and maintain AWS media services workflows:  MediaConnect, MediaLive, MediaPackage, and CloudFront. 

• Monitor distribution QoE/QoS across the delivery chain and lead resolution of degradations before they reach air or affected platforms. 

• Design and maintain redundant path architecture for distribution systems supporting live, 24/7 operations. 

Terrestrial & RF Collaboration 

• Work alongside the team's terrestrial/RF engineers on satellite uplink and fiber transport operations, building toward independent ownership of that side of the discipline over time. 

• Coordinate with satellite uplink and terrestrial transport vendors on capacity, scheduling, and technical issue resolution. 

Installations, Upgrades & Architecture 

• Lead new distribution system installations, upgrades, and cloud migrations, coordinating with engineering and vendor stakeholders. 

• Partner with IP infrastructure and broadcast operations teams to integrate distribution signal flow into Versant's SMPTE 2110 environment. 

• Evaluate emerging cloud distribution and playout technology and make adoption recommendations. 

Vendor & Technical Ownership 

• Own the technical relationship with Amagi, Nevion, TAG Video Systems, and AWS.  Escalation point for support cases, upgrade evaluation, and licensing questions. 

Mentorship & Team Development 

• Mentor Production Support Engineers working alongside the distribution team, raising the technical floor of the group. 

• Write and maintain SOPs, runbooks, and documentation the team actually uses. 

• Participate in post-incident reviews for major distribution failures, owning the learning and follow-through. 

Live Operations 

• Provide surge support for major live events, including election-night and other high-stakes broadcast coverage. 

• Maintain readiness and coverage for 24/7 distribution operations in partnership with the broader Production Engineering team. 

Qualifications

Requirements 

• 3+ years of experience owning cloud or IP video distribution systems in a broadcast, streaming, or media environment. 

• Deep, hands-on, production-level experience with Amagi cloud playout and distribution. 

• Deep, hands-on experience with Nevion IP media transport and/or TAG Video Systems monitoring. 

• Working experience with AWS media services:  MediaConnect, MediaLive, MediaPackage, CloudFront. 

• Working knowledge of broadcast signal flow, IP networking fundamentals, and system monitoring. If you're new to Versant, you'll complete a structured 90-day certification of these core broadcast-engineering fundamentals as part of onboarding. 

• Strong communication skills.  Able to work directly with engineering and vendor stakeholders during live operations. 

• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, 24/7 live production environment. 

• Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent hands-on experience. 

Areas of Technical Knowledge 

Cloud & IP Distribution Platforms (primary focus) 

• Amagi - cloud playout, channel origination, ad insertion, CDN delivery configuration 

• Nevion - IP media transport orchestration, SDI/IP gateway design, virtualized routing 

• TAG Video Systems -  IP video monitoring, QoE/QoS alarming, multiviewer configuration 

• AWS media services - MediaConnect, MediaLive, MediaPackage, CloudFront 

Broadcast & IP Infrastructure 

• SMPTE 2110 - how distribution signal flow integrates with IP production infrastructure 

• Signal flow fundamentals - video, audio, data, source to destination 

• Networking - VLANs, multicast, firewalls, DNS, TCP/UDP 

Terrestrial & RF (growth area — not required at hire) 

• Satellite uplink operations - antenna systems, HPAs, modems, frequency converters 

• RF signal theory - modulation, MPEG-4/HEVC compression, multiplexing, encryption 

• Fiber transport - circuit provisioning, OTDR troubleshooting 

Monitoring & Documentation 

• System monitoring and alerting for live distribution operations 

• Ticket systems - Jira/ServiceNow 

• SOP and runbook authorship 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Prior experience with satellite uplink, RF, or fiber transport operations. 

• Experience supporting distribution for major live news or sports events (election coverage, championship events, and similar). 

• Familiarity with cloud cost optimization for media workloads. 

• Prior experience mentoring junior engineers. 

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to candidateaccessibility@versantmedia.com.

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.