Production Manager

• Compensation: USD 100,000 - USD 130,000 - yearly

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!,

SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, Golf Now and Golf Pass.

The Opportunity

Versant Media is seeking a Production Planning Manager to support Field Operations and the successful execution of domestic and international remote productions. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Field Tech & Production – Field Operations, this role will lead production planning, budgeting, logistics, vendor coordination, and operational execution across live news, special programming, and other field productions.

The Production Planning Manager will partner closely with editorial, production, finance, security, legal, risk management, rights and clearances, and external vendors to ensure productions are delivered safely, efficiently, on schedule, and within budget. This position will manage multiple productions simultaneously across development, pre-production, production, and post-production and will provide hands‑on support for breaking news and other time‑sensitive assignments.

Why This Role Matters: This role is central to transforming editorial and production plans into executable field operations. By bringing together crews, vendors, equipment, travel, budgets, contracts, and production schedules, the Production Planning Manager helps ensure Versant teams can respond quickly and deliver high‑quality productions wherever the story or event takes them.

This is a fully on‑site position based in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, five days per week
. The role requires flexibility to work weekends, holidays, and off‑hours and to travel domestically and internationally, including on short notice, as production needs require.

What You'll Do

• Lead the planning and execution of multiple domestic and international remote productions, coordinating crews, vendors, venues, equipment, transportation, travel, technology infrastructure, and other production logistics from pre‑production through post‑production.
• Source and engage reputable union and non‑union production crews, suppliers, facilitators, locations, charters, and other resources while helping ensure productions meet applicable labor, legal, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Partner with editorial and production teams to develop production plans, budgets, and cost comparisons; track forecasts and actual expenditures; manage overtime and travel costs; and reconcile final production costs with Finance and network stakeholders.
• Build and manage detailed production schedules covering load‑ins, vendor deliveries, production builds, access windows, rehearsals, and live production activity, proactively communicating progress, changes, and risks throughout each assignment.
• Coordinate with Versant Security, Legal, Risk Management, Rights and Clearances, and other internal partners on contracts, insurance documentation, location and charter agreements, visa applications, carnets, certificates of insurance, and rights‑related requirements.
• Manage critical production operations and administrative workflows, including vendor negotiations, equipment rentals, vendor setup, invoice processing, payment tracking, SAP account updates, tax‑exemption…