Associate Principal Engineer - Lead Support Analyst

The Lead Support Analyst plays a critical leadership role within the Scheduling Platforms group, overseeing the support, stability, and performance of mission-critical scheduling applications used across global media operations. This position leads a team of Application Support Analysts responsible for ensuring operational continuity for systems that underpin content creation, broadcast scheduling, and corporate business functions. The Lead Support Analyst partners with IT operations, business stakeholders, and vendors to maintain reliability, implement best practices, and drive continuous improvement across Key Responsibilities Team Leadership & Operational Oversight Lead a global team of Application Support Analysts responsible for supporting and maintaining multiple high-impact scheduling and corporate applications. Prioritize and coordinate assignments for issues impacting mission-critical systems across regions and time zones. Mentor, coach, and cross-train team members to enhance technical expertise and ensure consistent service delivery standards. Incident, Problem & Change Management Oversee incident and problem management processes for assigned applications, ensuring timely triage, resolution, and communication for production issues. Troubleshoot application issues, identify immediate remediation steps, determine root causes, and coordinate long-term corrective actions. Manage change control activities, including database updates, configuration changes, and off-hours deployments in collaboration with global IT teams. Ensure compliance with ITIL best practices for Incident, Problem, and Change Management. System Support & Maintenance Ensure optimal performance and reliability of mission-critical systems supporting content scheduling, broadcast operations, and enterprise functions. Perform routine maintenance, upgrades, and operational tasks during scheduled off-hours as needed. Support testing activities including functional, regression, integration, and user acceptance testing (UAT) for application changes and releases. Monitoring, Reporting & Continuous Improvement Define and implement enterprise monitoring strategies to proactively identify and respond to developing issues. Develop dashboards and executive-level reporting, including ticket burndown charts, system performance metrics, and team performance indicators. Identify and deliver process improvements, automation opportunities, and self-service reporting tools to reduce manual and ad hoc requests. Analyze recurring issues and recommend long-term process or technology improvements. Stakeholder & Vendor Management Collaborate closely with Corporate IT teams, business units, and end users to align application support activities with organizational priorities. Develop and maintain strong relationships with software and hardware vendors, managed service providers, and third-party partners. Stay informed about application roadmaps, upcoming enhancements, and industry trends relevant to enterprise media systems. Additional Responsibilities Provide on-call support on a rotational basis, including nights, weekends, or alternate shift schedules. Support special projects and other tasks as assigned by IT leadership. Requirements Experience with Operative’s Integrated Broadcast Management System (IBMS), or MediaGenix’s WHATSOn or other distribution and scheduling software is a mandatory requirement for this role. Undergraduate Degree, required. Experience leading a team of Application Support Analysts Working knowledge of the Windows operating environment. Competency in relational database structures, particularly SQL and Oracle PL*SQL. Experience in Service Desk environments and IT ticket resolution workflows Experience with Service Now, Jira or other ticket management software Experience with process documentation and process documentation tools (such as PowerPoint and Visio). Excellent analytical, communication (both verbal and written), facilitation/organizational skills. Very strong results with people and thought leadership skills. Strategic, innovative thinking and vision. Strong business acumen. Excellent analytical skills. Solid understanding of technology. Excellent organizational skills with particular attention to detail Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment Ability to learn new skills and concepts quickly