Operations Engineer, Washington

BBC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 105,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The BBC is seeking an experienced broadcast engineer for our Washington, DC site. You will provide 24/7 frontline support for broadcast and media production systems across studios, edit suites, and digital platforms.

The role requires strong technical knowledge, fault-finding skills, and clear communication with teams at all levels. Hours may include rotation for live programming; initial shifts range across late afternoons to late evenings.

Qualifications

• Extensive engineering experience with live TV or multimedia broadcast systems.
• Strong knowledge of analogue/digital audio/video paths and IP-based streaming.
• Ability to diagnose and fix complex faults and provide 24/7 frontline support.

Responsibilities

• Monitor broadcast and production services to identify and resolve issues across technologies and platforms.
• Install, maintain and repair broadcast, media production, server, rack-mounted and video editing equipment.
• Support broadcast IT infrastructure including network, PC/Mac hardware/software, and newsroom tech.
• Respond to service disruptions and implement contingency procedures.
• Log incidents accurately and ensure smooth handover between shifts.
• Stay informed of changes and align activities with best practices and safety standards.
• Support card-based security systems and maintain equipment inventory.

Skills

Broadcast engineering

IP networking

Troubleshooting

Communication

Health & safety awareness

Tools

Wireshark

VizRT

Job description

Job Details

JOB BAND: C

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, At will

DEPARTMENT: BBC News

LOCATION: Washington, USA

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: $105,000 - $120,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

Any offer of employment with the BBC will be conditional upon you having the right to live and work in the US (US citizenship, Green Card or work authorisation).

Purpose of the Role

This is an engineering role. Candidates will be required to demonstrate strong and wide-ranging technical knowledge along with the communication skills necessary to discuss technical issues with people at all levels. The role demands excellent analytical and fault finding skills and the ability to repair faulty equipment as well as providing 24/7/365 frontline support for a mix of media production studios, edit suites, digital production systems, and a wide range of underpinning technologies and infrastructure.

The BBC will be operating recorded and 7 day a week live programming from Washington DC. The hours of output may vary, however initially current hours of live output can range from 1600 EST until 0000 EST. This role will be expected to carry out shift work to meet the needs of the BBC International Operation. You may be working as an individual during these transmission times or as part of a team. You will be working variable shifts on a rota basis.

Why Join the Team

You will play a vital role in ensuring that broadcast equipment and facilities are maintained, safe and available to productions teams creating content for TV, Radio and Online platforms. The team primarily supports our site in Washington DC but also provides remote support for several other offices located in the Americas.

Your Key Responsibilities And Impact

• Monitor broadcast and production services using a wide range of tools to identify, troubleshoot and resolve complex service-impacting issues across multiple technologies and platforms.


• Install, maintain and repair broadcast, media production, server, rack-mounted and video editing equipment, ensuring reliable operation across all supported environments.


• Install, maintain and support broadcast, office and desktop IT infrastructure, including network systems, PC and Mac hardware/software, and newsroom technology.


• Respond to service disruptions, implement contingency procedures for planned and unplanned events, and support proactive measures to prevent recurrence.


• Accurately log incidents, document technical actions taken, and ensure effective handover of incidents and operational information between shifts.


• Stay informed of operational changes and ensure all activities are carried out in line with best practice standards and procedures.


• Provide support for card-based security system management, conduct electrical safety testing, and maintain accurate equipment inventory tracking.

Essential Criteria

• Extensive engineering experience of supporting broadcast systems in live TV or multimedia environments, with strong theoretical and practical knowledge of analogue and digital audio/video broadcast systems, complex signal paths, and IP-based video encoding, decoding and streaming technologies.


• Proven ability to install, configure, maintain and support broadcast-grade network connectivity, diagnose and resolve technically complex issues across a wide range of broadcast systems, and apply engineering knowledge effectively in unfamiliar troubleshooting situations.


• Experienced in repairing electronic and mechanical faults on technical equipment while delivering a high-quality service in demanding operational environments.


• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to a wide range of audiences using appropriate styles, tools and techniques.


• Excellent ability to identify requirements and assess whether objectives can be met through available resources, timescales, skills and budgets, with a sound understanding of health and safety standards, processes and other relevant regulatory requirements.

Desirable

• Strong knowledge of networking technologies, including AoIP, Dante, MADI, and the use of diagnostic and troubleshooting tools such as Wireshark.


• Experience with broadcast graphics systems (e.g. VizRT) and video editing software solutions.


• Proven experience supporting studio automation, robotic systems, and associated broadcast production technologies.


• Familiarity with remote access and virtualised support environments, including VPN, MSTSC, iLO and VMware.


• Knowledge of ITIL support methodologies and IT security best practices, standards and procedures, with a willingness to travel when required.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.