Responsibilities:Manages the operation of the Transponder as required by the terms of the Department of Education annual grant agreement-TV/Satellite Transponder and by the transponder lease contract. The SOC provides for statewide distribution of The Florida Channel programming, the FL Lottery, the FL Legislature, the FL Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission and feeds from Emergency Operations in time of emergencies. Insures that all terms of the contract for leased satellite space are met. The SOC is required to be manned 24/7 in order to monitor transmissions and to verify and monitor other uplink facilities* transmissions that access our leased space on an occasional basis. Signals must be within contract specifications and must not interfere with other users that may be on the satellite. Insures that the responsible uplink is contacted in the event of any discrepancy and insures the situation is resolved in a timely manner. Responsible for the maintenance and operation of the technical facility. Reports to the Director of Engineering with problems, condition reports and progress of equipment and operations. Performs and arranges for preventative maintenance of equipment. Hires, trains, supervises and evaluates the satellite engineering staff. Coordinates work assignments and on-call responsibilities. The SOC is manned by 3 full time USPS personnel during the normal work week as well as 3 part time OPS employees that maintain the operation during weekend hours, holidays, vacations, etc. Plans, designs and implements technical facilities improvement and equipment replacement including capital budget recommendations, quote and bid preparation and analysis, and representing projects with vendors and university departments.

Maintains the 24/7 Satellite uplink/downlink for the Florida Channel including source and return processing and monitoring, troubleshooting, and redundancy testing. Performs 24/7 various public and private entity satellite uplink/downlinks including Emergency Operations and the Florida Lottery. Performs weekly uplink/downlinks for regional PBS Content and PBS Satellite transponders. Insures maintenance of all associated satellite uplink/downlink gear and the various source and transmission paths, including FM NPR C-Bank Uplinks. Maintains all IP LANS associated with satellite operations and the State of Florida backup satellite uplink facility in Tampa. Controls and monitors 24/7 all access to satellite transponder SES2 KU Band, transponder 18 (12MHz) which include 2 slots for third party lease, and maintaining accurate logs of all access and clearance items of these slots.

) Performing satellite uplinks with Florida Legislature and Florida Knowledge Network to ensure 24 hour broadcast of channels. Broadcast of Florida Lottery to affiliate stations. Provide technical assistance to affiliate stations for broadcast of programs. Maintained accurate records for the proper account billing for program air time. Monitoring satellite feeds ensures that broadcasts are available for all affiliates. Patched audio and video signals to prescribed devices for broadcasts. Troubleshooting system failures and repairing them as needed.

Manages stores entertainment and operational equipment. Performs preventive and corrective maintenance on the games, kitchen equipment and stage show characters. Sets budgets and orders parts required for upkeep and repair.