Operations Specialist, Podcasts, Livestreaming & Emerging Formats

Job description

Company Description VERSANT is a leading force in news, sports and entertainment - home to iconic and trusted brands that inspire, inform, and delight audiences. Our unique combination of content, technology and services enriches the cultural fabric, igniting passions, sparking conversations, and connecting people to what they love most. As an independent, publicly traded company, VERSANT brings together powerhouse cable networks - including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Golf Channel - with dynamic digital and direct-to-consumer brands such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. Together, these businesses reflect our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences across every screen and service. VERSANT is an industry-changing media company fueled by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. With a strong foundation and a forward-looking vision, VERSANT empowers creativity, embraces change, and drives connection in an ever-evolving world. Job Description The Operations Specialist, Podcasts, Livestreaming & Emerging Formats will help power that work across Versant’s growing multiplatform media portfolio. This is a hands-on role for someone early-career who likes being close to the action. You will be supporting livestreams, producing podcasts, helping teams adopt better workflows, and solving the practical day-to-day problems that come with making modern media across news, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, and digital platforms. Working within the Operations & Technology team, you will support productions across studio, field, remote, virtual, and direct-to-consumer environments. The right candidate is technically curious, calm under pressure, quick to learn, and comfortable jumping between live production, podcast workflows, troubleshooting, documentation, training, and whatever new format the internet decides is important next. This role is for someone who can help editorial and production teams execute their vision — not by admiring the complexity from a safe distance, but by getting their hands dirty, reading the manual (or watching the YouTube version), making systems work, making the workflows clearer, and making it easier for teams to create more ambitious work with less friction. You do not need to know every tool on day one. You do need to be the kind of person who hears, “We’re trying something new,” and responds with: “Great. Let’s figure out how to make it work.” If this sounds like you, and you're ready to work with a team powering the future of media, please apply. Responsibilities Support livestreams, podcast tapings, and emerging-format productions across studio, field, remote, and hybrid environments. Partner with editorial, production, and technical teams to understand the creative goal, then help translate that goal into a reliable production workflow. Assist with the setup, configuration, operation, and breakdown of production equipment, software, and related systems. Operate tools across the production pipeline, including encoders, software switchers, graphics systems, audio workflows, captioning tools, cloud-based production systems, and distribution platforms. Troubleshoot issues across acquisition, production, publishing, and distribution in real time, especially when “real time” means everyone is looking at you on headset. Support internal systems across signal cloud production, graphics, publishing, file delivery, metadata, and quality control. Help produce, edit, package, and deliver audio and video content for podcast, digital, and social distribution. Train teams on internal tools, production workflows, and scalable self-service processes. Create and maintain SOPs, guides, checklists, workflow documentation, and other materials that make complicated things easier to repeat. Partner with teams across brands to standardize workflows while respecting the reality that a CNBC market hit, a Golf Channel production, a SYFY digital concept, an Oxygen true-crime podcast, and an E! entertainment livestream may not all need the same playbook. Help source, test, maintain, and evaluate hardware and software across video, audio, production, and backend infrastructure. Identify process gaps, recurring pain points, and opportunities to make production workflows faster, cleaner, more resilient, and less dependent on tribal knowledge. Act as an advocate for modern digital workflows — practical, scalable, teachable, and built for the way teams actually work. Qualifications 2+ years of experience in a production, digital media, podcast, livestreaming, broadcast, or comparable technical operations environment. Hands-on experience with livestreaming, video production, podcast production, or digital publishing workflows. Some familiarity with production tools such as encoders, software switchers, audio systems, graphics tools, cloud production platforms, editing software, and publishing systems. Basic understanding of end-to-end media workflows, from acquisition to production to editing to publishing to distribution. Experience working with cross-functional teams across editorial, production, operations, engineering, and technology groups. Strong troubleshooting skills in live, time-sensitive, or high-pressure environments. Ability to learn new systems quickly and explain them clearly to others. Strong communication, organization, and documentation skills. Comfort working across multiple brands, formats, and production styles. A practical, service-oriented approach: the ability to stay calm, solve the problem in front of you, and help teams get better for the next one. Insatiable curiosity about media production, with the willingness — and ability — to keep learning as tools, formats, platforms, and audience habits evolve. 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 candidateaccessibility@versantmedia.com . 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.