Control Room Operator Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

The Manager, Control Room Engineering serves as the lead engineer and primary technical point of contact for the in-venue broadcast control rooms at New Ryan Field and Welsh-Ryan Arena. Reporting to the Director of Venue Technology, this position is responsible for maintaining, testing, troubleshooting, and supporting the video, audio, replay, graphics, routing, intercom, and related systems used for live event production. This is a hands-on role for an experienced broadcast professional who understands live production workflows and can troubleshoot technical issues in real time. The position works closely with game presentation staff, IT personnel, television networks, mobile production units, outside production crews, vendors, integrators, and Northwestern University partners to ensure all systems are properly integrated, reliable, and event-ready. The successful candidate will combine technical expertise with a customer-service mindset, creatively solving production and operational challenges while identifying ways venue technology can enhance the guest experience, support partners, and generate revenue.

This role pays a yearly salary of $70,000 - $80,000.

Benefits for Full-Time role: Health, Dental and Vision insurance, 401(k) savings plan, 401(k) matching, and paid time off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays).

This position will remain open until November 13, 2026.

• Serve as the lead engineer and primary technical contact for in-venue broadcast control rooms and production systems.
• Maintain, configure, test, and troubleshoot video switchers, replay systems, graphics platforms, routing systems, cameras, audio systems, intercom, KVM, and related infrastructure.
• Ensure all control-room equipment, production endpoints, and signal paths are fully operational and event-ready.
• Work with game presentation staff to prepare, test, and confirm all in-venue video, graphics, replay, audio, and show-control elements before each event.
• Interface with television trucks, network engineering teams, and outside production crews to coordinate camera and program feed exchanges, communications, routing, timing, fiber connectivity, and system integration.
• Work closely with IT staff to ensure reliable network connectivity for broadcast systems, AV-over-IP environments, control platforms, IPTV, and other connected venue technologies.
• Provide event-day engineering support for football, basketball, concerts, and other live events.
• Troubleshoot technical issues in real time while communicating clearly with directors, producers, operators, truck engineers, and venue leadership.
• Partner with sales, sponsorship, premium, event, and production teams to develop practical technical solutions that support client needs, sponsorship activations, special events, and revenue-generating opportunities.
• Approach requests with a customer-service mindset, balancing technical standards and system reliability with creative, solutions-oriented execution.
• Perform preventive maintenance, system testing, software updates, equipment replacement, and routine control-room inspections.
• Manage video and audio signal routing between control rooms, venue systems, field locations, press areas, loading docks, broadcast compounds, and mobile production units.
• Participate in event advances and identify technical requirements, potential conflicts, backup plans, and required system configurations.
• Develop and test redundancy plans for critical production systems and signal paths.
• Maintain system documentation, signal-flow drawings, equipment inventories, software records, configuration files, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Coordinate repairs, upgrades, warranty support, and service calls with manufacturers, integrators, and third-party vendors.
• Exercise sound judgment in determining when issues can be resolved internally and when timely escalation to outside support is required.
• Train and support full-time, part-time, freelance, and student production personnel on proper equipment operation.
• Assist with capital projects, control-room upgrades, system commissioning, and acceptance testing.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in broadcast engineering, media production, information technology, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent experience will be considered.
• 3-5 years of experience in professional or power collegiate sports as a technical director, broadcast engineer, replay operator, graphics operator, or other technical broadcast professional.
• Experience supporting live sports, concerts, entertainment, or large-scale event production is highly preferred.
• Strong understanding of broadcast video and audio signal flow, synchronization, routing, monitoring, fiber transport, and IP-based production systems.
• Additional knowledge of Netgear AV over IP, Dante, AES67, Adder KVM, Riedel intercom and Bolero wireless, Shure wireless microphones, and Yamaha or Allen & Heath audio consoles is preferred.
• Ability to methodically troubleshoot complex issues across video, audio, networking, software, control, and physical infrastructure.
• Experience coordinating technical integration and signal exchange with television trucks or outside production companies is preferred.
• Strong communication, documentation, organization, and project-management skills.
• A "fans first" customer-service mindset with the creativity and business awareness to turn technical capabilities into improved client service, sponsorship execution, special-event support, and revenue opportunities.
• Ability to remain calm, collaborative, and decisive during live events and other time-sensitive situations.
• AVIXA, PMP, manufacturer training, or other applicable technical certifications are a plus.

Strong working knowledge of all the following, with advanced expertise in at least one:

• Grass Valley K-Frame production switchers
• Ross Carbonite production switchers
• Evertz routing systems and Magnum control
• Ross Ultrix routing and DashBoard control
• Evertz DreamCatcher replay systems
• Ross XPression and XPression Tessera

Working Conditions

• Must be able to work on-site. This position is 100% on-site and requires regular work in control rooms, equipment rooms, production areas, seating bowls, loading docks, broadcast compounds, and other venue spaces.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, event days, and extended hours.
• Ability to respond to urgent technical issues outside normal business hours when required.
• Ability to walk and stand for extended periods, climb stairs and ladders, work around equipment racks, and lift or carry heavy equipment.

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