Freelance Field Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

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.

The Opportunity

Versant is seeking a PEP, Technical Production Manager (Freelance) to support live studio and control room operations in Washington, DC. This PEP/freelance role will provide backfill coverage for Versant productions and day-to-day broadcast operations, helping ensure successful execution of live programming, remotes, and breaking news coverage.

This role is designed for flexible coverage needs and does not have a set shift schedule. Assignments may vary based on production needs and may include days, overnights, weekends, holidays, and short-notice coverage.

Why This Role Matters: The Freelance Technical Production Manager plays a critical role in maintaining operational excellence across Versant’s live production environments. This person helps coordinate crews, support technical execution, manage real-time production demands, and ensure that studio and control room operations meet Versant’s performance standards.

What You'll Do

• Oversee studio and control room production operations during assigned freelance shifts, ensuring performance standards are met.
• Partner with scheduling teams to support proper crew assignments and production coverage.
• Work closely with news desks, bookers, transmission teams, and production partners to support successful execution of live remotes and daily programming.
• Support facilities, IT, maintenance, and technical operations needs for assigned studios and control rooms during on-air operations.
• Manage operational demands during breaking news, unplanned events, and live production changes.
• Help uphold Versant operational standards, including Integrity, Health and Safety policies, Standards and Practices, and production protocols.

What You Bring

• 3+ years of experience in live studio television production.
• 2+ years of experience working in a news environment.
• 2+ years of engineering support or operational experience in a broadcast studio or production control room.
• Strong technical knowledge of control room and studio systems, live broadcast workflows, field/remote production processes, satellite/telco, and communications equipment.
• Proficiency with standard business and production tools, including Apple systems, Outlook, Microsoft Word, and Excel.
• Ability to work flexible freelance assignments, including days, overnights, weekends, holidays, overtime, and short-notice coverage.
• Willingness to work in Washington, DC and travel on short notice as needed.

You’ll be successful in this role if you bring Trust through sound judgment and operational reliability, Teamwork through strong collaboration with production partners and crews, Transparency through clear and timely communication, Agility in responding to breaking news and changing production needs, and Entrepreneurial Spirit by proactively solving problems and improving how work gets done.

Bonus points for:

• Experience working with both represented and non-represented staff.
• Strong leadership, team facilitation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.
• Experience working within budgets and supporting operational efficiencies.
• Comfort serving as a change agent in fast-moving production environments.

Why You’ll Love It Here

This freelance opportunity offers the chance to support high-impact live programming across Versant’s portfolio while working with experienced broadcast, news, and technical production teams. You’ll contribute to a fast-moving live production environment where strong execution, collaboration, and adaptability are essential.

This is a PEP/freelance backfill role with variable scheduling based on business and production needs. There are no set shifts, and assignments may include days, overnights, weekends, holidays, overtime, and short-notice coverage. Work is expected to be performed in Washington, DC, with travel possible based on production needs.

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.