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Technical Director or Manager

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What Do Technical Director or Manager Do?

Career Description Coordinate activities of technical departments, such as taping, editing, engineering, and maintenance, to produce radio or television programs.

Daily Life Of a Technical Director or Manager

  • Operate equipment to produce programs or broadcast live programs from remote locations.
  • Supervise and assign duties to workers engaged in technical control and production of radio and television programs.
  • Set up and execute video transitions and special effects, such as fades, dissolves, cuts, keys, and supers, using computers to manipulate pictures as necessary.
  • Confer with operations directors to formulate and maintain fair and attainable technical policies for programs.
  • Schedule use of studio and editing facilities for producers and engineering and maintenance staff.
  • Observe pictures through monitors and direct camera and video staff concerning shading and composition.

Technical Director or Manager Needed Skills

Below is a list of the skills most Technical Directors/Managers say are important on the job.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

  • News Technical Director
  • Station Manager
  • Master Control Supervisor
  • Radio Station Manager
  • Production Support Manager

Are There Job Opportunities for Technical Directors/Managers?

In the United States, there were 134,700 jobs for Technical Director or Manager in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.2% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 16,500 new jobs for Technical Director or Manager by 2026. There will be an estimated 14,100 positions for Technical Director or Manager per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Technical Director or Manager are Utah, Georgia, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Alaska, Maine, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for a Technical Director or Manager

The salary for Technical Directors/Managers ranges between about $34,450 and $163,540 a year.

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Technical Directors/Managers who work in California, New York, or District of Columbia, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Technical Directors/Managers in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $57,040
Alaska $61,280
Arizona $62,760
Arkansas $58,750
California $115,080
Colorado $68,290
Connecticut $84,900
Delaware $59,680
District of Columbia $89,390
Florida $70,630
Georgia $84,570
Hawaii $73,200
Idaho $55,600
Illinois $77,960
Indiana $48,300
Iowa $46,610
Kansas $56,680
Kentucky $60,530
Louisiana $56,290
Maine $51,310
Maryland $78,760
Massachusetts $70,480
Michigan $65,910
Minnesota $73,110
Mississippi $44,310
Missouri $65,560
Montana $51,920
Nebraska $51,620
Nevada $67,190
New Hampshire $59,830
New Jersey $92,180
New Mexico $75,110
New York $115,610
North Carolina $73,980
North Dakota $42,570
Ohio $60,590
Oklahoma $55,670
Oregon $68,280
Pennsylvania $76,050
Rhode Island $65,660
South Carolina $57,200
South Dakota $55,930
Tennessee $65,040
Texas $69,280
Utah $67,800
Vermont $58,760
Virginia $69,750
Washington $71,430
Wisconsin $57,110
Wyoming $45,930

What Tools do Technical Directors/Managers Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Technical Directors/Managers:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Python
  • Word processing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Linux
  • Facebook
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • UNIX
  • C
  • Oracle software
  • Practical extraction and reporting language Perl
  • YouTube
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Atlassian JIRA
  • Social media sites

How do I Become a Technical Director or Manager?

What education is needed to be a Technical Director or Manager?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Where Technical Directors/Managers Work

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The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

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You May Also Be Interested In…

Career changers with experience as a Technical Director or Manager sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

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More about our data sources and methodologies.

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