Media Systems Engineer Lead

How to Apply

A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In your cover letter, in 2 pages or less, please explain how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skill set. Submit both a cover letter and a resume as one file (because of system limitations).

Who We Are

Through curricular innovation, tools for student success, and educational research and analytics, the University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation is building the future of education. Our vision is a future in which education connects and empowers learners everywhere to reach their full potential throughout their lives. To realize our vision, we make it our mission to collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere.

About the Technology Infrastructure and Support Team

The TIS team builds and maintains the technology foundation that supports CAI's media, IT, and learning infrastructure. Our work spans studio production, XR experiences, AV systems, Michigan Online infrastructure, cloud storage, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, media asset management, and internal support. In close partnership with Creative Studios, Operations, and product engineering teams, TIS delivers reliable, secure, and scalable systems that enable seamless experiences for learners, faculty, and staff. For more information, please visit our website: Academic Innovation.

Responsibilities*

• Serve as the technical owner and primary escalation point for CAI's studio and production technology infrastructure, including Lecture Studios, Studio A, Studio X, the Event Space, and associated control rooms and production environments.
• Lead technical architecture, implementation, lifecycle management, and operational readiness for studio systems, including cameras, audio systems, lighting and control interfaces, video routing, capture systems, media servers, LED/XR infrastructure, and networked production workflows.
• Administer and maintain CAI's media production network infrastructure, including Netgear AV network systems, SMPTE ST 2110 environments, VLANs, multicast routing, QoS configuration, monitoring, documentation, and performance troubleshooting.
• Administer and support studio storage and archive infrastructure, including NAS, LTO archive systems, media ingest and storage workflows, capacity planning, backup and recovery coordination, and continuity planning.
• Lead technical planning and execution for new studio builds, upgrades, pilots, and infrastructure refreshes, coordinating with vendors, integration partners, university IT teams, and internal stakeholders to align implementation with CAI needs.
• Develop and maintain 3- and 5-year technology roadmaps for studio, event, production network, storage, and archive infrastructure, including lifecycle, warranty, support, and capital planning inputs.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across hardware, software, signal flow, network, storage, archive, and production systems; conduct root-cause analysis and recommend preventive improvements.
• Establish and maintain technical standards, configuration documentation, system architecture diagrams, signal flow diagrams, recovery procedures, and operational guides to support continuity and reduce institutional risk.
• Provide technical leadership, training, mentorship, and knowledge transfer for TIS staff, Creative Studios staff, student fellows, and other partners working with studio and production systems.
• Coordinate vendor and partner relationships for production technology systems, including system design, implementation, troubleshooting, warranty support, lifecycle planning, and technical handoff.
• Supervise, train, and provide technical direction to student fellows and, as assigned, staff supporting XR and studio technology operations.
• Evaluate emerging production, XR, IP media, and automation technologies and advise TIS leadership on strategic investments, risks, and operational readiness.

What You'll Do

The Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) at the University of Michigan (U-M) seeks a skilled Media Systems Engineer Lead to provide technical ownership, architecture, and operational leadership for CAI's studio and production technology infrastructure. This role leads the design, administration, lifecycle planning, and support of the systems that enable CAI's lecture capture, Studio A, Studio X, Event Space, XR, and media production environments. The Media Systems Engineer Lead serves as the primary technical escalation point for complex studio, production network, storage, archive, and media systems issues; develops technical standards and roadmaps; and ensures that CAI's production environments are reliable, supportable, secure, and ready for evolving academic media needs. This role works closely with Technology Infrastructure and Support, Creative Studios, XR, Operations, vendors, university IT partners, and other stakeholders to translate production needs into resilient technical systems and sustainable operational practices. This position will report to the Director of Technology Infrastructure and Support. and Support.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's degree in Media or Broadcast Technology, Information Technology, Engineering, Film and Television, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience supporting, administering, or engineering complex media production, broadcast, AV, XR, or studio technology environments.
• Minimum of two years of experience with SMPTE ST 2110 or similar professional media-over-IP production environments.
• Experience serving as a senior technical resource or escalation point for complex systems involving hardware, software, signal flow, networking, storage, archive, or production workflows.
• Experience supporting networked media production environments, including IP-based video, AV networking, VLANs, multicast, QoS, or related troubleshooting.
• Experience supporting media storage and archive systems, such as NAS, LTO archive systems, or comparable media preservation infrastructure.
• Experience with studio production systems, including cameras, audio systems, video routing, media servers, capture systems, LED/XR infrastructure, or integrated control environments.
• Ability to develop technical documentation, including system diagrams, signal flow diagrams, configuration standards, recovery procedures, and operational guides.
• Experience providing technical leadership, training, mentorship, or supervision for staff, student employees, fellows, contractors, or cross-functional partners.
• Ability to learn and appropriately use new technologies to improve processes, communication, and outcomes, including AI-enabled tools where relevant to the role, consistent with university policy and job responsibilities.

Modes of Work

The work requirements allow both onsite and offsite work and an employee has an expected recurring onsite presence. On occasion, the employee may be required and must be available to work onsite more frequently if necessitated by unit leadership or their designee and/or the job requirements.

Additional Information

This is a 5-year term-limited position with the possibility of renewal depending on funding. The position may be renewed or converted into an open-ended base appointment.

Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States.

The mode of work for this position is Hybrid with a minimum of 4 days in the office per week, Monday through Thursday, with an option of remote work on Fridays. On occasion, you may be required and must be available to work onsite on Fridays if necessitated by our center's policy and domain leadership or by your job requirements.

The salary for this position will be based upon the selected candidate's education and experience.

We support the creative, responsible, and ethical use of AI tools to enhance our work, in alignment with institutional policies and best practices.

Excellent benefits are available, for details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/

Organizational Statement on Harassment

We believe all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and have the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes mutual respect and a safe space for collaboration. Any concerns shared with any staff members and student employees in the Center for Academic Innovation will be reported to the Equity, Civil Rights, & Title IX Office to be reviewed and addressed, and the Center for Academic Innovation encourages reporting of any forms of harassment including sexual and gender-based harassment.

Salary Information

The general salary range for this position is $86,000 - $100,000. Candidates can expect to be paid a competitive and equitable salary. Factors used to determine salary include education level, experience, knowledge and skills for the position and salaries that are currently established within the unit. All candidates are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor alignment and transparency throughout the recruiting process.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Decision Making Process

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.