Manager, Compression Engineering

This is a senior people and technical leadership role responsible for the stability, evolution and strategic direction of WBD's global compression and monitoring platforms. The role leads a multi-team engineering organisation and owns service reliability, operational readiness and long-term technology execution across a complex broadcast and IP distribution ecosystem. Operating with WBD's "One Team" mindset, the leader partners closely with Architecture, Distribution Operations, Global Broadcast Engineering and Live Events Engineering to define and deliver next-generation compression and transport strategies.

• Provide oversight of all staff scheduling and direction on project execution, interfacing with operational management to determine user requirements.
• Maintain and create Standard Operating Procedures for compression systems maintenance and emergency action procedures.
• Drive a culture of accountability, operational excellence, continuous improvement and technical innovation.
• Conduct testing of new technologies relating to compression systems as directed by senior management, and partner with Architecture, Cloud Engineering, Distribution Operations and Live Events to ensure scalable, resilient and future-ready solutions.
• Review system design documents including single line drawings, cable schedules and equipment layouts, and establish and enforce standardised testing, acceptance and deployment practices across regions.
• Manage, maintain and operate all compression technology in use at Discovery Communications, and identify and document trends in service-affecting outages.
• Ensure robust monitoring, telemetry, alerting and reporting frameworks are in place and continuously improved.
• Develop and administer training seminars and courses to onboard new TOC and Distribution Engineering staff on the daily operations and functions of compression systems.
• Take part in vendor and equipment selection and lead strategic vendor relationships, including contract negotiations, performance governance and SLA accountability.
• Own budget planning and financial oversight for hardware, software, cloud services and lifecycle investments, and provide clear reporting on operational performance, reliability metrics and programme execution.
• Ensure operational and technical readiness for major global broadcasts, live sports and high-visibility premieres, coordinating across global sites to maintain consistent standards, performance and service quality.
• Support Regional Affiliate Sales teams on an as-needed basis.

• 5+ years of experience in video compression, broadcast distribution or related engineering disciplines.
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including managers or senior-level engineers.
• Deep expertise in MPEG technologies, baseband video/audio/metadata and IP video transport.
• Hands-on experience with DigiCipher, PowerVu, Harmonic or comparable compression systems.
• Strong strategic leadership, operational judgement and executive-level communication skills.
• Experience supporting 24/7/365 mission-critical environments with global scope.
• On-site availability in Sterling, VA, including support during emergencies or major events.
• Willingness to participate in on-call leadership rotations as required.

• Experience with cloud-based video and hybrid broadcast/streaming workflows.
• Familiarity with RF uplink/downlink, satellite distribution and IP contribution networks.
• Experience with SNMP-based monitoring platforms and telemetry pipelines.
• Proficiency with design and documentation tools (e.g. Visio, Lucidchart, AutoCAD).
• Experience supporting global live sports or other high-profile broadcast events.

• This position is designated essential; on-site presence may be required during inclement weather, emergencies or major broadcast events to ensure business continuity.

• Health insurance coverage.
• Employee wellness programme.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Retirement savings plan.
• Paid holidays, sick time and vacation.
• Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives and programme-specific awards.