RealTime Graphics Engineer

Versant Media; Englewood Cliffs (NJ); On-site; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

Versant Media is seeking an experienced real-time graphics engineer to join the Real-Time Graphics Support Engineering team, reporting to Steve Kang. This L2 role owns graphics systems end-to-end and provides live show support without escalation for news, sports, and events.

You will work with Vizrt and Ross platforms, lead installations, design templates and automation pipelines, mentor junior staff, and ensure 24/7 readiness across the SMPTE 2110 environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of real-time graphics ownership in broadcast or live production.
• Hands-on experience with Vizrt and/or Ross graphics platforms.
• Ability to run live show support independently, under pressure, without escalation.
• Experience leading graphics system installations or upgrades.
• Knowledge of broadcast signal flow, IP networking, and system monitoring.
• Strong communication with editorial, production, and engineering teams during live operations.
• Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Technology or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end reliability and performance of real-time graphics systems (Vizrt and/or Ross) for live broadcasts.
• Lead new graphics system installations, upgrades, and integrations with production/editorial stakeholders.
• Design and build graphics templates, data links, and automation pipelines to reduce manual operator load during live shows.
• Maintain camera tracking and AR/virtual set systems (ncam, Stype).
• Mentor L1 engineers, write SOPs/runbooks, and participate in post-incident reviews.
• Provide surge support for major live events and maintain 24/7 readiness with the Production Engineering team.

Skills

Broadcast engineering

Live production

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Technology or related field

Tools

Viz Engine

Viz Trio

Viz Artist

Ross XPression

ncam

Stype

SMPTE 2110

Job description

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.

The ideal candidate brings deep, hands‑on experience with Vizrt and/or Ross graphics platforms from another broadcast, sports, or live production environment. This role sits on Versant's technical career track, with a defined path to Senior Broadcast Engineer, Principal Engineer, and Distinguished Engineer for candidates who want to keep building depth in real‑time graphics over the course of their career.

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: calibration and ownership

Broadcast & IP Infrastructure

• SMPTE 2110 — 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.

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 [e-mail].

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.

Compensation

$140,000-$140,000 per year