IT Network Manager

NPR • Washington, DC

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

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

Requirements

• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

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.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed