Real-Time Graphics Engineer

Versant3; Englewood Cliffs (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Versant Media seeks an experienced real-time graphics engineer to own end-to-end graphics systems for live broadcasts, leading installations, and providing surge support for major events.

The role requires hands-on experience with Vizrt and/or Ross platforms, camera tracking, virtual sets, and a capacity to mentor junior engineers while maintaining thorough documentation.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3+ years owning real-time graphics systems in broadcast/live production.
• Hands-on experience with Vizrt or Ross graphics platforms.
• Ability to run live show support independently under pressure.
• Experience leading graphics system installations or upgrades.
• Strong communication with editorial, production and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end reliability and performance of real-time graphics systems.
• Run live show support for news, sports, and events without escalation.
• Own camera tracking and AR/virtual set systems where deployed.
• Design and maintain redundancy and failover for 24/7 operations.
• Lead new graphics installations and integrations with stakeholders.
• Mentor junior engineers and maintain SOPs/runbooks.

Skills

Real-time graphics

Broadcast engineering

Live production

Mentoring

Scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Technology or CS

Tools

Vizrt

Ross XPression

ncam

Stype

Job description

Versant Media has an immediate opening for an experienced real-time graphics engineer to join Real-Time Graphics Support Engineering, reporting to Steve Kang. This is an L2-level role on Versant's Production Engineering career ladder: the engineer in this role owns real-time graphics systems independently, runs live show support without escalation, and is the person the newsroom and control room call on when graphics need to be right, live, on air.

Responsibilities

Real-Time Graphics Systems Ownership

• Own the end-to-end reliability and performance of Versant's real-time graphics systems, including Vizrt (Viz Engine, Viz Trio, Viz Artist) and/or Ross (XPression) platforms.
• Run live show support for news, sports, and event broadcasts - template loading, playout, on-air triggering - without requiring escalation.
• Own and maintain camera tracking and AR/virtual set systems (ncam, Stype) where deployed.
• Design and maintain redundancy and failover architecture for graphics systems supporting live, 24/7 operations.

Installations, Upgrades & Architecture

• Lead new graphics system installations, upgrades, and integrations, coordinating with production and editorial stakeholders.
• Design and build graphics templates, data links, and automation pipelines that reduce manual operator load during live shows.
• Partner with IP infrastructure and broadcast operations teams to integrate graphics signal flow into Versant's SMPTE 2110 environment.

Vendor & Technical Ownership

• Own the technical relationship with Vizrt, Ross, and AR/tracking vendors. Eescalation point for support cases, upgrade evaluation, and licensing questions.
• Evaluate emerging real-time graphics and virtual production technology and make adoption recommendations.

Mentorship & Team Development

• Mentor L1 Production Support Engineers working alongside the graphics 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 graphics system 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 real-time graphics operations in partnership with the broader Production Engineering team.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience owning real-time graphics systems in a broadcast, sports, or live production environment.
• Deep, hands-on, production-level experience with Vizrt (Viz Engine, Viz Trio, Viz Artist) and/or Ross (XPression) graphics platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to run live show support independently, under pressure, without formal escalation.
• Experience leading graphics system installations or upgrades.
• 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 editorial, production, and engineering 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

Real-Time Graphics Platforms

• Vizrt - Viz Engine, Viz Trio, Viz Artist: cluster operations, template architecture, redundancy design
• Ross - XPression: complex show builds, data-linking, integration

Camera tracking / AR & virtual set systems - ncam, Stype

• Camera tracking / AR & virtual set systems - ncam, Stype
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• SMPTE213?... …

Broadcast & IP Infrastructure

• SMPTE2110 - how graphics signal flow integrates with IP production infrastructure
• Signal flow fundamentals - video, audio, data, source to destination
• Networking - VLANs, multicast, firewalls, DNS, TCP/UDP

Systems & Automation

• Windows Server/workstation and Linux environments for graphics rendering
• Virtualization - VM/vPod environments
• Scripting and automation - Python, APIs, data-driven template pipelines

Monitoring & Documentation

• System monitoring and alerting for live graphics operations
• Ticket systems - Jira/ServiceNow
• SOP and runbook authorship

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting graphics for major live news or sports events (election coverage, championship events, and similar).
• Experience with both Vizrt and Ross platforms.
• Familiarity with virtual production / AR broadcast environments.
• Prior experience mentoring junior engineers or operators.