How to hire a news technical director

How to hire a news technical director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step news technical director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a news technical director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new news technical director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your news technical director job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a news technical director for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   Hiring the perfect news technical director also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of news technical director salaries for various roles:

   Type of News Technical Director	Description	Hourly rate
   News Technical Director	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$23-59
   Video Production Manager	The video production manager is tasked with overseeing the processes of video production. They provide the needs of production staff, oversee the project budget, prepare permits and documents, and ensure all production schedules are met... Show more	$22-43
   Director, Video Production	Video Production Directors are responsible for translating screenplays on to screen and directing operations of video production. Their duties include selecting crew members and cast, scouting locations, developing the script, adjusting lighting and framing, directing actors, musicians other artists, and undertaking editing work with post-production staff... Show more	$21-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • Technical Problems
   • Master Control
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • News Broadcasts

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop residential data center standards and implement database CRM style solutions for managing the home environment utilizing SAP/Access/MySQL/Oracle database engines.
   • Develop residential data center standards and implement database CRM style solutions for managing the home environment utilizing SAP/Access/MySQL/Oracle database engines.
   • Maintain primary responsibility for defining the information security standards, identifying risks relate to technology infrastructure and business applications.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your news technical director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A news technical director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, news technical directors' average salary in louisiana is 48% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level news technical directors earn 60% less than senior-level news technical directors.
   • Certifications. A news technical director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a news technical director's salary.

   Average news technical director salary

   $77,697yearly

   $37.35 hourly rate

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   Entry-level news technical director salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a news technical director job description

   A news technical director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a news technical director job description:

   News technical director job description example

   TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - NewsNation
   
   Who we are: NewsNation is a national news cable network currently reaching approximately 75 million television households across the United States. The network is owned and operated by Nexstar Media Group (NXST). NewsNation is looking for an experienced Technical Director for our national newscasts, based in our Chicago headquarters.
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   + The broadcast will be fast paced and highly produced using Ross Overdrive, Ross XPression and Ross XPression Tessera.
   
   + The successful candidate will prepare and switch video elements during live and pre-recorded programming, listening to director's commands and reacting swiftly and accurately, ensuring all content output meets quality standards.
   
   + Must be able to build switcher effects, create Ross templates and shots.
   
   + The technical director should add creativity and ideas that enhance the final product.
   
   + May be asked to train others or create training documentation.
   
   + Be able to communicate and document effectively and concisely to the rest of the team.
   
   + All day parts (mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays) may be a part of the schedule with overtime as situations demand.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   + Five plus (5+) years' experience in professional live television broadcast operations required
   
   + Must be proficient with operation of broadcast equipment within assigned area, including but not limited to switchers, routing, CGs, video playback, remote camera operation.
   
   + Experience with Ross Overdrive required
   
   + You must be detail-oriented and be able to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
   
   + Working knowledge of common business software applications, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
   
   + Candidate should be a problem solver and quick thinker to resolve existing issues and to work around problems that arise during live news, be self-sufficient and have a "press-on-regardless" attitude.
   
   + Other engineering/operating experience in areas of robotic cameras, graphics, audio, or transmission is a plus.
   
   + Must work well in a collaborative team environment and be able to multitask.
   
   + Bachelor's degree in Communications or related field preferred.
   
   This position is a full-time staff position which will require membership in IBEW.

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5. Post your job

   To find news technical directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any news technical directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level news technical directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your news technical director job on Zippia to find and recruit news technical director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit news technical directors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new news technical director

   Once you've found the news technical director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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