What are the responsibilities and job description for the IT Network Manager position at NPR?
Overview
A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide.
Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.
Intro to Position
As our IT Network Manager, you will bridge the gap between traditional enterprise networking and the cutting edge of broadcast technology. We are looking for a Cisco-certified leader to oversee the lifecycle of our network infrastructure, specifically optimizing for real-time media transport. Beyond technical mastery, you will act as a collaborative partner to our IT and production teams, fostering a culture of high availability and proactive security. If you thrive in 'always-on' environments and have a passion for seamless media delivery, this is your next challenge
Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications
Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $158,500 - $180,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.
NPR Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.
Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.
The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.
NPR Pay Range
$158,500—$180,000 USD
NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.
If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.
You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.
Want more NPR? Explore the stories behind the stories on our NPR Extra blog. Get social with NPR Extra on Facebook and Instagram. Find more career opportunities at NPR.org/careers.
A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide.
Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.
Intro to Position
As our IT Network Manager, you will bridge the gap between traditional enterprise networking and the cutting edge of broadcast technology. We are looking for a Cisco-certified leader to oversee the lifecycle of our network infrastructure, specifically optimizing for real-time media transport. Beyond technical mastery, you will act as a collaborative partner to our IT and production teams, fostering a culture of high availability and proactive security. If you thrive in 'always-on' environments and have a passion for seamless media delivery, this is your next challenge
Responsibilities
- Manage and support enterprise network infrastructure including Cisco ACI, Catalyst and Nexus switches, Firepower (FTD), SD-WAN, Routers and Meraki platforms.
- Manage and lead a team of network and voice engineers, effective network and telecom project management, performance management, and professional development.
- Provide expertise in Storage Area Networking (SAN), including Fibre Channel (FC) and FCoE, with hands-on experience in VSAN design, zoning, and integration with Cisco Nexus and MDS platforms.
- Collaborate with broadcast engineering teams on implementing and maintaining a high-availability IP broadcast network that carries low-latency, real-time audio and video traffic for NPR’s daily content production and live transmission.
- Oversee design, implementation, and optimization of LAN/WAN and wireless networks.
- Configure and maintain routing protocols (BGP, EIGRP).
- Lead network operations, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis for complex issues.
- Utilize monitoring and analytics tools such as SolarWinds and Cisco Nexus Dashboard
- Use advanced network visibility tools to analyze performance across internet paths.
- Ensure network reliability, performance, scalability, and security across the organization.
- Develop and maintain network architecture documentation, diagrams, and operational procedures.
- Collaborate with Security, DevOps, Systems, and Enterprise application teams to support enterprise services.
- Communicate effectively with senior leadership, providing clear documentation, analysis, and insights on network performance, risks, incidents and strategic initiatives.
Minimum Qualifications
- 8 years of experience in enterprise networking.
- 3 years in a network leadership or management role.
- Strong hands-on experience with:
- Cisco ACI
- Cisco Nexus
- Cisco Firepower (FTD)
- Cisco SD-WAN
- Cisco Meraki
- Enterprise Wireless Networks
- Strong expertise in routing and switching (BGP, EIGRP).
- Experience with SolarWinds, Cisco Nexus Dashboard, Cisco Intersight.
- Experience with ThousandEyes.
- Working knowledge of PTP, SMPTE ST 2110, multicast, and QoS.
- Strong troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams through critical production outages and high-pressure incident response, ensuring fast service recovery and minimizing business disruption.
- Ability to translate complex broadcast requirements into scalable Network architectures, overseeing robust business continuity planning, and fostering a culture of technical excellence.
- Cisco CCNP (Enterprise or Data Center).
- lCisco CCIE certification.
- Experience with high-quality, real-time audio and video over IP networks, such as SMPTE ST 2110 and NDI, particularly in a IP broadcast environment.
- Experience with large-scale or multi-site enterprise environments.
- Experience with network automation / Infrastructure as Code.
- Experience with managing on-prem and hosted Telephony and AV systems.
- Experience supporting audio/video transmission or production workflow.
- Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C. location at least 2 days a week. The employee must also reside in Washington, D.C. / Maryland / Virginia Metro Area.
- This is a full-time, exempt position.
Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $158,500 - $180,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.
NPR Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.
Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.
The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.
NPR Pay Range
$158,500—$180,000 USD
NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.
If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.
You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.
Want more NPR? Explore the stories behind the stories on our NPR Extra blog. Get social with NPR Extra on Facebook and Instagram. Find more career opportunities at NPR.org/careers.