Formula 1
Distribution Engineer
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Are you ready to make your mark in the world of Formula 1?
At Formula 1, we are passionate about delivering the world’s greatest sports and entertainment spectacle leaving a positive legacy wherever we race. Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do ever since our first Grand Prix in 1950. Now, more than 75 years on, the sport remains a pioneer, developing technologies that have made a significant impact on society beyond the track.
Everything you see on screen or at an event comes via our passionate and dedicated people. Whether it’s engineering, broadcast, legal, logistics, security, event management, commercial, media rights, marketing, or communications there is always a talented team working to maximise the potential of the sport.
Role Overview:
Our team of skilled technical experts keeps Formula 1 moving, and as a Distribution Engineer, you will play a vital role in ensuring the reliable delivery of all video and audio feeds that power F1’s global broadcast and digital output.
Based at the Formula 1 Media & Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, you will provide crucial operational support during race weekends - establishing, monitoring, and routing feeds essential to live production and worldwide distribution.
Outside of event weekends, you will contribute to ongoing upgrades across our technology stack, improving reliability, performance, and scalability to meet the growing distribution demands of the sport.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
- Manage the switching of services during normal and emergency conditions to ensure all outputs remain on air.
- Liaise with third-party fibre, uplink, and connectivity providers during fault investigations.
- Routinely check the health and performance of all contribution and distribution equipment.
- Proactively identify and mitigate risks or vulnerabilities across the distribution infrastructure.
- Develop a solid understanding of Formula 1’s broader technical ecosystem and how operational departments collaborate during race weekends.
- Create and maintain documentation, diagrams, and operational procedures.
- Implement, or support the implementation of, upgrades, changes, and improvements to distribution systems and infrastructure.
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What Are We Looking For?
A technically strong, calm under pressure engineer who thrives in a live broadcast environment and is committed to delivering highly reliable services during the most demanding operational windows of the F1 season.
Experience
Prior to the role it would be essential that you:
- Have experience working in a broadcast, media, or telecommunications environment.
- Ideally have experience within Live Sports or similarly high-pressure operational contexts.
Some desirable experience that you may bring to the role:
- Experience working directly with high availability distribution or transmission systems.
- Familiarity with troubleshooting real-time broadcast chain issues across multiple vendors, technologies, and signal types.
- Previous experience supporting projects involving system upgrades or infrastructure modernization.
Knowledge & Skills
Prior to the role it is essential that you demonstrate:
- In-depth knowledge of television distribution systems, platforms, and standards.
- Working knowledge of HD & 3GSDI baseband video signals.
- Understanding of AES, MADI, Dolby E, and AES67 audio signals.
- Good practical knowledge of TCP/IP networking, including multicast traffic.
- Experience with SMPTE 2110 standards.
- Working knowledge of h.264/h.265/HEVC encoding configuration.
- Understanding of MPEG2 Transport Streams and TR101290 analysis.
- Hands-on experience with control/monitoring systems such as Cerebrum, TAG, or Data-miner.
- Ability to operate signal test and analysis equipment for both baseband and transport stream workflows.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Ability to remain focused and effective in high-pressure, time-critical environments.
Qualifications
Not essential to be successful in the role but you may also have the following qualifications:
- Certifications related to broadcast engineering, IT networking, or media transport (e.g., SMPTE, Cisco, or equivalent).
- Vendor-specific training linked to encoding, routing, monitoring, or IP-based media workflows.
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Personal Qualities
In this role it is essential that you are:
- Calm and composed when working under pressure.
- Methodical, detail-oriented, and proactive in identifying potential issues before they impact service.
- Adaptable, with the ability to switch focus quickly during live operational environments.
- A clear communicator who builds trust with colleagues and external partners.
- Willing to work unsociable hours, including weekends, when supporting live race events.
Why join the force behind the sport?
Joining F1 means becoming part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and personal growth. We offer a dynamic work environment where ideas are heard, and employee contributions truly make an impact. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people to play their role in accelerating the future of the sport. As a member of the F1 team, you will be able to access our amazing benefits:
- Private Healthcare scheme
- Dental Care
- 4 x Grand Prix Paddock passes per season
- Enhanced maternity/paternity leave and other family planning policies
- A free staff shuttle service running to and from surrounding train stations near to Biggin Hill
- Free healthy snacks in our offices
- Subsidised canteen in Biggin Hill, serving breakfast and lunch
- 25 days annual leave and 8 Bank Holiday days, plus a Christmas period closure
- Opportunities to develop and request training for your role via our in-house Learning and Development team
- Discount on F1 merchandise
- Discount at F1’s experiences including F1 Arcade and F1 Drive
- Perkbox benefit portal and more
Recruitment Fraud Warning:
We only communicate with candidates through official @f1.com email addresses. We will never contact you via personal email accounts, messaging apps, or request payment as part of our recruitment process. If you receive suspicious communication claiming to be from our talent team, please report it to recruitment@f1.com.
Division: Broadcast and Media
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