Director of Production Position Summary
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Production serves as the senior leader of City Springs Theatre Company’s production department and is responsible for the successful planning and execution of all MainStage productions, education productions, special events, external rentals, and related production activities.
This position has overall responsibility for the management, staffing, scheduling, budgeting, and operational performance of the production department. The Director of Production directly supervises the Production Manager, Associate Production Manager, and Technical Director and provides leadership and accountability for all employees, union personnel, over-hire labor, contractors, and other production personnel working within the department.
The Director of Production also oversees the day-to-day operation of CSTC’s large scenic construction shop and warehouse, where scenic elements for the organization’s productions are built, stored, maintained, and prepared for use. This includes managing shop personnel and workflow, establishing construction and labor schedules, coordinating materials and equipment, maintaining a safe and productive facility, and ensuring that all scenic builds are completed on time and within budget.
As the primary administrative and financial representative of the production department, the Director of Production is responsible for departmental budgeting, financial forecasting, labor projections, expense management, hiring strategy, and regular reporting to the Executive Director. The position must anticipate production needs, identify potential budget or scheduling concerns, and provide timely, accurate recommendations to organizational leadership.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities Department Leadership and Personnel Management
- Lead and manage the entire production department, including direct supervision of the Production Manager, Associate Production Manager, and Technical Director.
- Establish clear expectations, responsibilities, deadlines, and performance standards for all direct reports and production personnel.
- Oversee all production staffing, union personnel, over-hires, production contractors, and temporary labor working in the production shop, warehouse, theatre, studios, and other production locations.
- Determine departmental staffing needs and lead the recruitment, selection, hiring, onboarding, scheduling, and supervision of production personnel.
- Serve as the principal representative of the production department in organizational planning, budgeting, staffing, and leadership discussions.
- Promote effective communication and collaboration among production, artistic, education, administrative, and venue teams.
Production Planning and Execution
- Oversee the planning and execution of all MainStage productions, education productions, special events, rentals, and other CSTC programming.
- Translate the organization’s artistic vision into clear production plans that are achievable within established schedules, staffing levels, facility limitations, and approved budgets.
- Oversee the development and execution of the overarching production plan for each season, including design deadlines, build schedules, technical rehearsals, load‑ins, performances, strikes, and load‑outs.
- Coordinate production resources between MainStage, education, rental, and special‑event programming to ensure that competing needs are appropriately prioritized.
- Monitor all production calendars and departmental deadlines to ensure projects remain on schedule.
- Identify scheduling, staffing, financial, or operational risks early and communicate proposed solutions to the Executive Director and appropriate team members.
- Supervise or assign appropriate leadership coverage for all load‑ins, load‑outs, technical rehearsals, performances, and strikes.
Scenic Shop and Warehouse Management
- Provide overall leadership and operational oversight of CSTC’s scenic construction shop and warehouse.
- Establish and monitor scenic construction schedules to ensure that all scenic elements are completed on time, within budget, and according to approved designs and production requirements.
- Coordinate the scheduling and supervision of all employees, union labor, over-hires, contractors, and other personnel working within the facility.
- Work closely with the Technical Director to monitor scenic build progress, labor requirements, material needs, construction quality, and project deadlines.
- Approve or oversee the ordering of lumber, hardware, paint, steel, expendables, and other production materials.
- Oversee appropriate systems for tracking scenic assets, production equipment, tools, materials, rental inventory, and stored production elements.
- Ensure that all shop equipment, tools, work areas, loading areas, and storage spaces are properly maintained and used in accordance with applicable safety standards.
- Ensure that the facility is appropriately staffed whenever production work is taking place.
Budgeting, Forecasting, and Financial Management
- Develop and manage annual production department budgets in collaboration with the Executive Director, Director of Finance, and Production Manager.
- Oversee the preparation of production‑specific budgets, scenic build budgets, labor projections, equipment needs, material estimates, and other financial forecasts.
- Serve as the primary point of accountability for production department financial performance.
- Track departmental spending and production expenses against approved budgets and provide regular, accurate financial updates and forecasts.
- Review and approve production‑related purchases, invoices, labor reports, payroll information, contracts, and expense documentation.
- Anticipate future staffing, facility, equipment, inventory, and capital needs and incorporate those needs into departmental forecasts.
- Identify potential budget variances in advance and develop appropriate cost‑control or resource‑allocation recommendations.
- Ensure that financial records, labor reports, purchase documentation, and production files are accurate, complete, and submitted on time.
- Evaluate opportunities to generate earned revenue through scenic rentals, equipment rentals, production services, or other appropriate activities.
Labor Relations and Hiring
- Manage CSTC’s working relationship with IATSE and serve as the primary production representative regarding union staffing, working conditions, and contract compliance.
- Maintain a working knowledge of applicable IATSE, United Scenic Artists, AFM, AEA, and SDC agreements, rules, and practices.
- Work with the Production Manager to determine crew requirements for load‑ins, technical rehearsals, performances, strikes, and other production calls.
- Oversee the hiring and scheduling of IATSE personnel, over-hires, contractors, designers, technicians, and other production collaborators.
- Review labor reports, time records, payroll submissions, and staffing projections for accuracy and budget compliance.
- Address labor concerns promptly, professionally, and in coordination with the Executive Director when appropriate.
Rentals and External Relationships
- Serve as the primary production liaison among rental companies, designers, directors, creative teams, venue personnel, and CSTC leadership.
- Manage the technical and logistical aspects of rented production packages, including contracting support, shipping, delivery, installation, use, strike, and return.
- Develop relationships with regional theatres, producers, vendors, and other organizations to identify potential scenic and production rental opportunities.
- Conduct appropriate outreach to promote CSTC scenic assets and rental packages.
- Ensure that all rented or loaned equipment and scenic elements are properly documented, handled, maintained, and returned.
Safety, Compliance, and Facility Stewardship
- Ensure safe, stable, and functional working environments in the scenic shop, warehouse, studios, performance venues, and all other production locations.
- Establish and enforce safety procedures for scenic construction, rigging, welding, carpentry, painting, electrical work, loading, storage, equipment operation, and other production activities.
- Maintain compliance with applicable union requirements, venue policies, fire codes, workplace safety standards, and organizational policies.
- Immediately address unsafe conditions, practices, equipment, or personnel concerns.
- Ensure that the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center and other venues are properly protected, maintained, and restored following CSTC activities.
- Maintain incident documentation and communicate significant safety or facility concerns to the Executive Director.
Additional Responsibilities
- Attend production meetings, staff meetings, budget meetings, designer runs, technical rehearsals, performances, and other organizational meetings as required.
- Maintain organized and accessible production records, schedules, contracts, reports, inventories, and departmental files.
- Represent City Springs Theatre Company professionally when working with artists, employees, unions, vendors, venues, donors, partners, and community members.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director or as necessary to support the successful operation of the production department.
Required Qualifications
- Significant professional experience leading and managing a theatrical production department or similarly complex production operation.
- Demonstrated experience supervising full‑time employees, union personnel, over‑hires, contractors, and production collaborators.
- Experience managing a scenic construction shop, production warehouse, theatrical facility, or comparable technical workspace.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple productions, construction schedules, technical deadlines, and competing organizational priorities.
- Strong experience developing and managing production budgets, labor forecasts, expense projections, and financial reports.
- Experience hiring, scheduling, supervising, and evaluating production personnel.
- Experience with labor relations and working knowledge of IATSE, United Scenic Artists, AFM, AEA, and SDC contracts, rules, and practices.
- Knowledge of theatrical production practices, including scenic construction, lighting, sound, rigging, load‑ins, technical rehearsals, performances, strikes, and load‑outs.
- Exemplary written, verbal, interpersonal, and organizational communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams, establish accountability, resolve problems, and make timely operational decisions.
- Ability to communicate financial, staffing, scheduling, and production information clearly to executive leadership.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, and other file‑sharing and collaboration platforms.
- Strong general computer skills, including experience working in macOS.
- Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.