Description

Based in Sonoma County, Northern California Public Media (NorCal) serves the San Francisco region through two public television stations, KRCB and KPJK, and one public radio station, KRCB FM. As one of the very few community-owned and operated media entities serving the region, NorCal offers PBS, NPR and Independent Public Broadcasting programming. NorCal is a place of creativity, fresh ideas, and new voices, with a team of passionate individuals fueled by our core mission to deliver honest and trusted content. 

NorCal is currently seeking a Director of Technology to serve as the Chief Engineer for Broadcast, overseeing IT and leading the strategic mission of the engineering and IT departments. Reporting to the CEO, the ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with strong project management and communication skills. The Director of Technology will help define and implement organizational and technological strategies, and be responsible for two television stations (one PBS and one independent Public Media station) transmitting from Sutro Tower, and an FM radio station with multiple transmitters in Sonoma County, CA.

Beginning in early 2024, NorCal will commence an extensive build-out of a nearby 24,000 sq. ft. facility for its new administrative and broadcast headquarters. Project planning, budget management and implementation oversight for this exciting move will be a high priority.  

**Bilingual Spanish speakers, veterans, and former military are highly encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities:

• Overall responsibility for all day-to-day TV & FM broadcast activities, including compliance with all regulatory and governmental agencies (FCC, OSHA, etc.), station asset management, transmission facilities, information technology systems, and remote facilities
• Work closely with station leadership to develop, maintain, and execute NorCal’s Technology and Engineering Plan. This includes both short and long-term projects, support for new initiatives, and maintenance/compliance schedules
• Responsible for creating Engineering and IT expense budgets and administering the technology component of the station’s Capital Budget
• Supervise Engineering, IT and Master Control staff, including training, FCC procedures and safety
• Manage Emergency Alert System

• Maintain the public file, complete all applicable FCC reports and file them in a timely manner
• Must be able to respond rapidly in case of outages (due to equipment failure, vendor outage, weather, etc.)
• Work in concert with the CEO, COO, Radio Station Manager, Television Executive Producer, and Digital Media Manager to provide the tools and systems which support TV and FM content development and delivery across multiple platforms.
• Will also work interdepartmentally to identify new technologies which will increase efficiencies and enable new deliverables
• Oversee the maintenance and repairs of the studios (FM & TV), transmitters, telephone systems, IT infrastructure, and ancillary systems, including HVAC, networking, electrical, generators, and mechanical
• Manage the relationship and projects with our IT MSP

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Deep experience and training in broadcast engineering, compliance, and broadcast facility management
• Expert contemporary knowledge in Broadcast, IT, Digital, and Automation Technologies, including Design, Integration/Commissioning, Maintenance, and Project Management. This includes TV & FM Broadcast systems (encoders, STLs, transmitters), plus computer-based Video and Audio Production and playout/storage systems
• Responsible for compliance reporting for all the above, including EAS systems
• Strong management, communication, analytical, design, and planning skills
• Provide timely updates on technology and engineering issues to CEO/COO
• Five years minimum of Broadcast Engineering Management experience, ideally including TV & FM studios, RF Systems, VoIP telecom and digital mass-storage systems
• A collaborative and professional leadership approach that fosters teamwork and innovation
• Ability to recognize and identify opportunities (and/or challenges), so as to enable development of targeted strategies to drive growth and performance improvements
• Experience managing budgeting processes and strategic planning
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Technical area or Business, or equivalent experience managing local television station broadcast operations and engineering staff
• Able to be on-call after hours for emergencies or routine maintenance as needed
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and current vehicle insurance
• Other duties as assigned by station management

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Effective verbal and written communication skills, strong attention to detail
2. Commitment to excellence, transparency, and high standards
3. Strong organizational skills: able to manage priorities and meet deadlines
4. Knowledge of ProTrack Traffic, Crispin Automation, Broadstream playout system, Harmonic encoders, Wide Orbit automation, Wheatstone AoIP Infrastructure & control surfaces
5. Knowledge of Title 47, Part 73 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Communication Commission License First Class, General Radiotelephone, or Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) certification

What we offer:

This is a full-time, exempt position, with a base salary of $110K. NorCal offers exceptional benefits: medical, dental, vision, 403B plan, paid vacation, paid holidays, floating holidays, and employee assistance program.   

How to apply:

Send your cover letter and resume to dot23@norcalpublicmedia.org with the subject heading “DOT— SWE.”

This is an on-site role that requires the Director of Technology to work at our Rohnert Park, California office.

NorCal is an equal opportunity employer and is mindful of the importance of the reflection of our community’s diversity in our work and workforce. To support diversity, the Board of Directors commits to making all reasonable efforts to have our workforce, especially in our management team, reflect that community diversity. The past few years have seen good progress in this direction with the addition of members from the LGTBQ+ community, bilingual and bicultural staff members, African American staffers, and the continuing strength of women in management positions. In order to continue this success, Northern California Public Media commits to participate in minority and other diversity job and opportunity fairs. 

For more information on NorCal visit us at www.norcalpublicmedia.org