Career profile · SOC 27-2012.05

Media Technical Directors/Managers

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

Media Technical Directors/Managers coordinate activities of technical departments, such as taping, editing, engineering, and maintenance, to produce radio or television programs. The role reports a median annual salary of $83,480 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $38,400 and $188,870 and is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.51 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Time Management.

US median pay
$83,480
per year
Growth outlook
Average
BLS 10-yr
Education
Bachelor's degree
AI exposure
5.0/10
automation risk

Salary distribution (US)

Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.

Bottom 10%
$38,400
25th %ile
$53,470
Median
$83,480
75th %ile
$131,280
Top 10%
$188,870

Pay in the UK

UK: median £45,534 a year for Arts officers, producers and directors (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)

UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3416). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)

Pay in India (occupation group)

Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Media Technical Directors/Managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.

Urban India
₹42,717 a month
Rural India
₹30,424 a month
All India
₹38,466 a month

Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report

How to get here in India

No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]

  • Film and Television Production — BA / B.Sc in Film Making or Film and Television Production (three or four years)
    Entrance exams: FTII/SRFTI JET, NID DAT

Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.

Sources:
  1. CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)

Top skills

Active Listening Speaking Coordination Critical Thinking Time Management Judgment and Decision Making Management of Personnel Resources Negotiation Complex Problem Solving Social Perceptiveness

Knowledge you'll build

  • Communications and Media
  • English Language
  • Fine Arts
  • Administration and Management
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Education and Training
  • Telecommunications

What you'd actually do

  • Switch between video sources in a studio or on multi-camera remotes, using equipment such as switchers, video slide projectors, and video effects generators.
  • Observe pictures through monitors and direct camera and video staff concerning shading and composition.
  • Supervise and assign duties to workers engaged in technical control and production of radio and television programs.
  • Monitor broadcasts to ensure that programs conform to station or network policies and regulations.
  • Operate equipment to produce programs or broadcast live programs from remote locations.
  • Test equipment to ensure proper operation.

Tools & technology you'd use

Microsoft Office software hot Adobe After Effects hot Adobe Photoshop hot Atlassian JIRA hot C hot C++ hot Facebook hot Linux hot Microsoft Excel hot Microsoft Outlook hot Microsoft PowerPoint hot Microsoft SQL Server hot

Frequently asked questions

What does Media Technical Directors/Managers do?

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

How much does Media Technical Directors/Managers earn?

The median annual salary for Media Technical Directors/Managers in the US is $83,480. The middle 80% of workers earn between $38,400 and $188,870 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $53,470 and $131,280.

What is the job outlook for Media Technical Directors/Managers?

The role is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 167,000 workers.

How do I become media technical directors/managers?

The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.

What skills does Media Technical Directors/Managers need?

The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Will AI replace Media Technical Directors/Managers?

Our AI-durability model gives Media Technical Directors/Managers a score of 0.51 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

How hard is it to enter this field?

Media Technical Directors/Managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.

Take it further

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