Director of Engineering

OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY
Fox TV Stations

FOX Television Stations (FTS) owns and operates 29 full power broadcast television stations, including stations in 14 of the top 15 markets and duopolies in 11. Eighteen are FOX Network affiliates, and together the stations produce approximately 1,300 hours of local news every week. FOX LOCAL, the company's free ad-supported digital and streaming product, extends that news, weather and local content across connected TV & mobile devices. LiveNOW from FOX expands the FTS portfolio even further as the only national streaming services to be truly live 24/7, covering breaking news and events as they happen.

JOB DESCRIPTION

KTBC FOX 7 Austin is seeking an experienced Director of Engineering to lead the Station’s Engineering Team. This position is responsible for the maintenance, reliability, security, technical compliance, and strategic development of the infrastructure and systems that support the station’s broadcast, production, transmission, and digital platforms. Applying strong Project Management Institute (PMI) principles , the Director of Engineering will provide strategic leadership to the engineering team while partnering with Broadcast Operations, IT, station leadership, and TVHO Engineering on major technology initiatives, capital projects, and infrastructure lifecycle planning.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Human Resource Management

- Lead, mentor, and supervise the Engineering team, applying PMI team building, stakeholder engagement, and resource optimization techniques to foster a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.
- Manage resource allocations, technical schedules, and performance management across all engineering initiatives.

Project & Operations Management

- Direct the end-to-end lifecycle of technical operations—from initiating and planning through executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing complex broadcast and facility initiatives.
- Develop and manage comprehensive preventive maintenance programs, risk mitigation strategies, equipment lifecycle management plans, and technical baseline documentation.
- Identify root causes of technical issues using formal risk management and quality control frameworks, implementing corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to optimize operational reliability.

Compliance, Security, & Quality Control

- Oversee station transmission facilities and technical quality assurance programs, ensuring strict compliance with FCC regulations, EAS requirements, CALM Act standards, ATSC requirements, and industry benchmarks.
- Maintain enterprise emergency preparedness programs, business continuity planning, disaster recovery (DR) testing, and emergency management protocols.
- Partner with IT and cybersecurity teams to ensure all broadcast systems adhere to FOX security protocols, network architecture standards, and governance policies.

Capital Planning, Procurement, & Vendor Management

- Consult with the VP of Engineering/Operations to develop and manage operational (OPEX) and capital (CAPEX) budgets, leveraging cost management methodologies (earned value, cost baseline, and variance analysis).
- Lead procurement processes, contract negotiations, service level agreements (SLAs), vendor management, and contract administration for major equipment purchases and third-party services.
- Oversee critical facility infrastructure scope and lifecycle maintenance, including generators, UPS systems, HVAC supporting technical operations, and specialized building systems.
- Collaborate with TVHO Engineering and executive leadership on enterprise technology initiatives, standardized engineering governance, and system implementation roadmaps.

Required Qualifications

- Demonstrated leadership experience in television broadcast engineering, media technology, production systems, information technology, or a related technical domain.
- Proven track record of applying formal project management principles (PMI framework) to direct complex broadcast, production, transmission, or IT infrastructure projects.
- Strong knowledge of the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) groups: Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Risk, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, risk assessment, organizational, and executive communication skills.
- Practical knowledge of broadcast, production, high-availability networking, and file-based media technologies.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate high-pressure, live broadcast environments with strong agile problem-solving capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

- PMP® (Project Management Professional) , CAPM® , or equivalent PMI certification is strongly preferred.
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in television broadcast engineering within a local station, network, or major production facility.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Broadcast Technology, Information Technology, Project Management, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
- Expertise in broadcast transmission systems, FCC regulatory compliance, EAS, ATSC 1.0, ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV, and digital media workflows.
- Advanced proficiency in IP-based media infrastructure (SMPTE ST 2110), broadcast automation, newsroom systems, cloud workflows, enterprise networking, and cybersecurity.
- SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) certification or other relevant industry technical credentials.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable law.

Pursuant to state and local pay disclosure requirements, the pay rate/range for this role, with final offer amount dependent on education, skills, experience, and location is $85,000.00-96,722.00 annually. This role is also eligible for various benefits, including medical/dental/vision, insurance, a 401(k) plan, paid time off, and other benefits in accordance with applicable plan documents. Benefits for Union represented employees will be in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

View more detail about FOX Benefits.