VP, Video Engineering

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

VERSANT is a leading force in news, sports and entertainment - home to iconic and trusted brands that inspire, inform, and delight audiences. Our unique combination of content, technology and services enriches the cultural fabric, igniting passions, sparking conversations, and connecting people to what they love most.

As an independent, publicly traded company, VERSANT brings together powerhouse cable networks - including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Golf Channel - with dynamic digital and direct-to-consumer brands such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. Together, these businesses reflect our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences across every screen and service.

VERSANT is an industry-changing media company fueled by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. With a strong foundation and a forward-looking vision, VERSANT empowers creativity, embraces change, and drives connection in an ever-evolving world.

About the Role: 

VERSANT is building a centralized Video platform to power live, linear, and on-demand video experiences across our portfolio of brands. As Vice President, Video Platforms, you will define and lead the strategy, architecture, and execution of a modern video platform ecosystem supporting web, mobile, connected TV, and emerging digital experiences. 

This is a highly visible leadership role focused on transforming a fragmented, partially outsourced environment into a scalable, unified platform capability that supports millions of users, premium content experiences, and evolving monetization strategies. You will partner across Product, Engineering, Ad Sales, Distribution, and Brand Technology teams to establish a long-term vision for video delivery at Versant. 

What You’ll Do: 

• Define and lead the long-term strategy for Versant’s centralized video platform ecosystem 

• Build and scale platforms supporting live streaming, live events, VOD playback, and video delivery across web, mobile, and connected TV 

• Lead architecture and operational strategy across encoding, transcoding, packaging, playback, CDN delivery, observability, and monetization 

• Establish a resilient multi-CDN strategy focused on performance, scalability, reliability, and cost optimization 

• Drive platform modernization efforts, including the migration and consolidation of legacy and third-party video platform solutions into a unified, scalable ecosystem 

• Partner with key vendors and technology providers across the video ecosystem 

• Define build-versus-buy decisions and platform standards across brands and business units 

• Collaborate closely with Product, Ad Sales, Data, and Brand Engineering teams to align platform capabilities with business priorities 

• Build and lead high-performing engineering and platform teams while fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and operational excellence 

• Establish KPIs and operational metrics around playback quality, latency, reliability, scalability, and customer experience 

What We’re Looking For: 

• 15+ years of experience in media technology, streaming, video platforms, or related digital product engineering environments 

• Proven experience building or scaling large-scale video streaming platforms supporting live and on-demand experiences 

• Deep expertise across modern streaming technologies, video workflows, playback systems, CDN architectures, and OTT ecosystems 

• Strong understanding of video monetization technologies including SSAI, CSAI, and ad-supported streaming models 

• Experience leading complex platform transformations and migrations across multiple products or brands 

• Demonstrated success leading and scaling high-performing engineering and platform organizations 

• Experience optimizing video quality, encoding workflows, streaming efficiency, and playback performance at scale 

• Ability to balance strategic thinking with technical depth and operational execution 

• Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills with experience influencing executive stakeholders and distributed teams 

Bonus Points For: 

• Experience working within large-scale media, sports, entertainment, or direct-to-consumer streaming organizations 

• Familiarity with modern video platform ecosystems spanning playback, streaming infrastructure, ad insertion, analytics, and CDN technologies 

• Strong understanding of advanced encoding, codec optimization, AI-enhanced video workflows, or video quality optimization technologies 

• Experience supporting major live events, sports streaming, or high-concurrency digital experiences 

• Knowledge of emerging video technologies including low-latency streaming, advanced personalization, AI-driven workflows, or next-generation playback experiences 

• Experience building centralized platform organizations serving multiple brands or business units 

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

For LA County and City Residents Only: VERSANT Media will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, or arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable.

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 View email address on ziprecruiter.com.

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.