AY Student Lead Broadcast Production Engineer (WS-ST3)

St. Olaf College•Northfield, MN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Lead Broadcast Production Engineer performs advanced audio, video, recording, streaming, post-production, and production-leadership work for concerts, worship services, academic programs, institutional ceremonies, and other College events. In addition to fulfilling the expectations of the Student Broadcast Production Engineer position, Lead Broadcast Production Engineers take primary responsibility for approved advanced production roles, exercise greater independent technical and artistic judgment, organize student crews, mentor developing employees, and provide initial operational support when professional staff are working on other production needs. Student Lead Broadcast Production Engineers are ordinarily selected from experienced Student Broadcast Production Engineers who have demonstrated advanced technical competence, sustained reliability, initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to guide others. Appointment is based on demonstrated performance, advanced-role competence, departmental need, and approval by Broadcast Media Services professional staff. Direct appointment to this position is uncommon and requires substantial equivalent experience. Required paid staff meetings and training sessions are generally scheduled during Community Time when SOAR is not in session.

Requirements

Prior service as a BMS Student Broadcast Production Engineer or equivalent audio, video, recording, streaming, live-event, or technical production experience.
Demonstrated competence in multiple standard production roles and advanced competence in at least one production area.
Demonstrated reliability, punctuality, preparation, communication, initiative, and follow-through.
Ability to interpret event requirements and complete advanced assignments with limited direct supervision.
Ability to make sound real-time technical or artistic decisions within departmental procedures.
Ability to organize and guide small student crews through physical, technical, and logistical production work.
Ability to train and mentor developing students and provide clear, constructive guidance.
Ability to troubleshoot methodically and recognize when professional-staff involvement is required.
Willingness to participate fully in routine physical work.
Ability to communicate professionally with students, staff, performers, presenters, event partners, and members of the public.
Ability to attend required paid meetings and training sessions and work event-dependent hours, including occasional evenings, weekends, early mornings, and academic breaks.
Ability to complete required College and departmental training.

Nice To Haves

Advanced experience in broadcast or live-event audio, music recording, video directing, score reading, camera systems, video switching, graphics, streaming, projection, post-production, media management, or equivalent work.
Experience teaching, mentoring, leading, or coordinating peers.
Familiarity with varied production settings, including concerts, worship services, lectures, ceremonies, and institutional events.
Demonstrated ability to remain calm, make decisions, and communicate clearly during time-sensitive or technically challenging situations.
Experience identifying recurring technical problems, outdated procedures, or training needs and communicating them constructively.

Responsibilities

Perform the applicable technical, physical, safety, meeting, training, setup, strike, and cleanup responsibilities of the Student Broadcast Production Engineer position.
Take primary responsibility for advanced production roles requiring substantial technical skill, independent judgment, production leadership, or responsibility for a public-facing product.
Review event requirements, determine production needs within established departmental practices, and coordinate preparation with staff, students, performers, presenters, and event partners.
Anticipate technical, artistic, staffing, and logistical needs; resolve routine issues without continuous staff direction; and ensure assigned production responsibilities are completed successfully.
Prepare and operate complex audio, video, recording, streaming, graphics, projection, presentation, and related production systems.
Make real-time technical and artistic decisions affecting audio balance, intelligibility, visual coverage, framing, pacing, graphics, transitions, and the audience experience.
Translate programs, scores, service plans, and production instructions into effective audio, visual, or technical production plans.
Coordinate audio, video, recording, streaming, presentation, and event timing so the production functions as an integrated whole.
Perform advanced editing, quality control, metadata verification, media preparation, delivery, or archival work when assigned; identify deficient work and correct it within approved procedures or refer it to professional staff.
Organize and guide small student crews completing equipment transport, loading, setup, strike, cable installation, microphone placement, and other production assignments under professional-staff direction.
Convert broad staff instructions into a practical work plan, divide immediate tasks, communicate expected results, monitor progress, and verify completion.
Participate fully in routine and physical production work while modeling safe, efficient, and professional practices.
Train and mentor developing students by explaining procedures, production standards, and the reasoning behind them.
Reinforce expectations for preparation, communication, attention, teamwork, safety, equipment care, cleanup, and reporting; communicate recurring concerns to professional staff without exercising formal disciplinary authority.
Provide initial student-level procedural and technical support during assigned paid work.
Troubleshoot methodically using approved procedures.
Determine whether an issue can be resolved by trained students or requires immediate professional-staff involvement.
Escalate unsafe, undocumented, recurring, or production-critical problems promptly and document symptoms, actions attempted, temporary solutions, and unresolved needs clearly.
Maintain competence in approved advanced roles and in the core responsibilities of the Student Broadcast Production Engineer position.
Complete required College and departmental training, including safety training, and attend required paid staff meetings and training sessions.
Continue participating in equipment movement, setup, strike, cleanup, and other shared departmental work.
Accept and apply feedback while continuing to develop technical, leadership, teaching, and communication skills.
Record all production, meeting, training, and related work time accurately and perform other related duties as assigned.