“NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas has reportedly left staffers bristling because of his “challenging” management style since taking over for Lester Holt. Llamas’ aggressive, hands-on approach since jumping into the anchor chair last month has upset some rank and file after a decade of Holt’s laid-back style, multiple sources familiar with the matter told the news site Breaker.

“He has a management style that has been extremely challenging on some of the team,” one staffer told the outlet.

Meanwhile, there will soon be one high-level departure after the anchor change. Meghan Rafferty, who has served as executive producer of “NBC Nightly News” for nearly four years, told staffers Tuesday that she was leaving to join MSNBC’s new parent company Versant, according to Breaker.

She has been promoted to vice president of standards of Versant, which is expected to be spun off later this year. Her decision to leave NBC stemmed from a desire to avoid the hectic, “rat race” schedule of producing a high-stakes nightly show, insiders familiar with Rafferty’s move told the outlet.

She reportedly did acknowledge that it was “super fun” working with Llamas during a lunchtime meeting at NBC’s 30 Rock headquarters Tuesday.

Another correspondent at the network defended Llamas, saying the 46-year-old newsman is pushing staffers to new levels.

“He challenges people to do their best, to think more deeply about the editorial process,” the source told Breaker. It helps us to raise our game. The expectations are high, but they should be.”

A producer who works with Llamas on the nightly news told The Post: “His energy is infectious, he raises the bar for everyone. He’s a true leader.” NBC News did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Llamas’ reportedly intense management style could come from his desire to catch up to ABC’s David Muir, 51, in the nightly news ratings. Muir, who hosts “ABC World News Tonight,” last week notched his largest ratings win over NBC in more than a year. Llamas took over from Holt last month.

Holt, 66, had anchored the newscast for 10 years. He has stayed on with the network as host of the investigative news show “Dateline.”

Prior to joining NBC, Llamas worked under Muir as a weekend anchor on “ABC World News Tonight. He’s made clear his goal of returning “NBC Nightly News” to the top slot, discussing his desire “to be number one.

“It’s not easy,” Llamas previously told the Washington Post. “But it’s something I think we can do.”

Since taking the helm, Llamas has done well in the 25-54 age demographic – a key sector for advertisers seeking out high-income viewers. He beat Muir in that age category for the first time in the week of July 8, about a month after taking over.

But ABC – which used to trail NBC’s nightly show – is firmly in first place. Muir’s show raked in about 7.3 million average total viewers during the week of July 21 – far above Llamas’ 5.6 million, according to Nielsen.  Llamas has continued to anchor his other show “Top Story” on NBC News Now, which he started hosting in 2021.

There has been virtually no turnover at “Top Story,” a source close to the matter told The Post.