Manager, Graphics Playout

Company Description

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

Job Description

We are seeking a versatile, highly skilled, and leadership-oriented Manager, Graphics Playout with significant experience in live news coverage to join our team. This role oversees the real-time delivery of on-air graphics, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and visual consistency across all news broadcasts.

The Manager will lead a 24/7 graphics playout team supporting live and pre-produced programming, breaking news, and special events. This position requires strong leadership, deep technical expertise in broadcast graphics systems, and the ability to thrive in high-pressure, fast-paced live production environments.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Strategy

• Lead, supervise, and develop a 24/7 graphics playout team, including overnights, weekends, and holidays, in multiple locations including Manhattan, NY and Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
• Provide expert technical and editorial support to on-air and off-air productions.
• Serve as the primary liaison between Engineering, Show Teams, Real-Time Graphics, Editorial, and other production groups.
• Lead and manage a team comprising both union-represented and non-union employees and freelancers, ensuring compliance with applicable collective bargaining agreements while maintaining consistent performance standards.
• Drive collaboration across departments to support maintenance, testing, and implementation of new and existing technologies and workflows.
• Foster a culture of accountability, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
• Train and mentor staff on best practices, newsroom workflows, and system enhancements.

Live Graphics Operations

• Oversee the execution of full-screen graphics, lower thirds, and other visual elements during live and recorded broadcasts.
• Operate and manage playout systems (e.g., Vizrt Trio and other industry-standard platforms).
• Coordinate closely with editorial and production teams to align graphics with scripts, rundowns, and breaking news updates.
• Collaborate with designers to deploy urgent and breaking news graphics in real time.
• Ensure brand consistency, editorial accuracy, and high production standards across all visual elements.

Technical Oversight & Troubleshooting

• Understanding of control room workflows such as routing, engine inputs, and multiview layouts
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues quickly to minimize on-air disruptions.
• Maintain quality control standards for design integrity, data accuracy, and system reliability.
• Support testing and rollout of new graphics systems, workflows, and display technologies.
• Ensure proper scheduling and staffing coverage for all broadcasts and special events.

Performance Indicators

• Accuracy and timeliness of on-air graphics execution.
• Minimal technical or operational errors during live broadcasts.
• Team productivity, efficiency, and adherence to brand standards.
• Successful support of breaking news and high-profile live events.
• Effective cross-functional collaboration and workflow optimization.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 5+ years of experience in graphics playout within a live broadcast environment.
• Minimum 3 years of experience focused on news programming.
• At least 1 year of leadership, supervisory, or mentorship experience.
• Proven experience working in live studio and control room environments.

Technical Expertise

• Proficiency with industry-standard graphics systems (Vizrt, Ross, Chyron, etc.).
• Strong experience with Vizrt platforms (including Vizrt Trio).
• Experience with newsroom systems such as iNews and other broadcast workflows.
• Familiarity with professional studio and control room equipment.
• Understanding of large-scale display technologies (LED video walls, projection mapping).

Core Competencies

• Exceptional troubleshooting and problem-solving skills under live production pressure.
• Ability to think quickly, communicate clearly, and keep pace with fast-moving productions.
• Strong leadership and client-service mindset.
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Skilled at explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working across multiple news program formats and styles.
• Advanced experience implementing new graphics technologies and workflows.
• Demonstrated success leading high-performing teams in 24/7 operations.

This role is bonus eligible.

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.