Director network engineering

Company Description

NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Our impact is rooted in improving the communities where our employees, customers, and audiences live and work. We have a rich tradition of giving back and ensuring our employees have the opportunity to serve their communities. We champion an inclusive culture and strive to attract and develop a talented workforce to create and deliver a wide range of content reflecting our world.

Comcast NBCUniversal has announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company ('Versant') comprised of most of NBCUniversal's cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. The well-capitalized company will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. The spin-off is expected to be completed during 2025.

The Director, Network Engineering is a critical leadership role responsible for the strategic planning, design, implementation, and operation of Versant Media's enterprise and production network infrastructure. This encompasses supporting our high-availability broadcast centers, global corporate offices, and scalable public cloud environments that power our premier digital properties and streaming services.

This Director will lead a team of talented engineers, ensuring the network is secure, resilient, highly performant, and capable of supporting the demanding requirements of live news, sports broadcasting, and large-scale video-on-demand (VOD) distribution. You will be instrumental in driving the adoption of network automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles to accelerate our transformation into an agile, digital-first media company.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Strategy & Architecture

• Define and own the 3-5 year network architecture roadmap across all environments (LAN, WAN, Data Center, Cloud, and Broadcast Production), ensuring solutions align with business growth and regulatory compliance.
• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of WAN/MPLS circuits and network connectivity between Versant's domestic and international offices, ensuring consistent performance and security standards globally.
• Design and enforce network redundancy, ensuring diverse paths and connectivity at all locations to eliminate single points of failure for critical broadcast and digital services.
• Drive network security initiatives, working closely with InfoSec to implement and enforce segmentation, zero-trust models, and perimeter defense across the hybrid cloud estate.
• Manage capacity planning, and lifecycle management for all network assets.

Leadership & Operations

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of network engineers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, ownership, and technical excellence.
• Oversee the 24x7 operational stability of the network, acting as a final escalation point for critical incidents impacting live services or broadcast operations.
• Establish and enforce comprehensive network monitoring standards and practices for all infrastructure components, including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points.
• Standardize network configuration, tooling, and alerting, utilizing Python, Ansible, and Terraform for infrastructure automation and rapid deployment.
• Establish and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level objectives (SLOs) to ensure the network consistently meets five-nines (99.999%) availability targets.

Technical Expertise

• Expertly manage and optimize advanced routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, MPLS) and switching technologies across diverse vendor platforms (e.g., Arista, Cisco, Juniper).
• Own the end-to-end network and circuit design from initial concept through deployment, including high-level and low-level engineering documentation and acceptance testing.
• Maintain continuous visibility into the capacity of all existing circuits and Direct Connects, proactively planning upgrades to stay ahead of bandwidth demands.
• Design and maintain network connectivity within AWS, Azure, or GCP environments, including Transit Gateways, Direct Connect/ExpressRoute, and advanced VPC/VNet topologies.
• Oversee the configuration and management of Firewalls, Load Balancers (L4/L7), and CDN integrations to optimize content delivery for millions of users.

The Person

The ideal candidate for Director, Network Engineering is a visionary technical leader with a robust background in managing large, complex, and high-stakes media or digital service networks. You must thrive in a fast-paced environment where reliability and speed are paramount.

• Demonstrated experience in network engineering, with prior expertise leading a team of engineers in a Director or Senior Management capacity.
• Deep domain expertise in large-scale network architecture, particularly supporting media production, newsgathering, or high-volume e-commerce/streaming platforms.
• Proven experience driving the automation and modernization of legacy network infrastructure.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical strategy and risk to executive leadership.
• A track record of successful vendor negotiation, budget management, and technology selection processes.
• Relevant professional certifications are highly desirable (e.g., CCIE, JNCIE, AWS Advanced Networking).
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Additional Requirements:

• Hybrid : This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week.

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website. Salary range: $160,000 - $190,000 (bonus and long-term incentive eligible)

We are accepting applications for this position on an ongoing basis.

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal'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 [email protected].

Although you'll be hired as an NBCU employee, your employment and the responsibilities associated with this job likely will transition to Versant in the future. By joining at this pivotal time, you'll be a part of this exciting company as it takes shape.