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Professor Lighting Designer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

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Professor Lighting Designer information

What is a professor lighting designer?

Professor Lighting Designers are professionals who teach lighting design at the college or university level, while also often working as lighting designers for theater, film, television, or live events. They combine academic responsibilities—such as lecturing, mentoring students, and conducting research—with practical experience in designing lighting setups for productions. Their role is to educate future lighting designers by sharing industry knowledge, overseeing student projects, and sometimes managing campus productions. Additionally, they may contribute to scholarly work in the field of lighting design.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a professor lighting designer?

To succeed as a Professor Lighting Designer, you need a strong background in lighting design, theater production, and an advanced degree (often MFA or PhD) in a related field. Familiarity with industry-standard lighting control systems (such as ETC or GrandMA), design software like Vectorworks, and teaching platforms is essential. Exceptional communication, creativity, mentorship abilities, and organizational skills distinguish outstanding professionals in this role. These competencies ensure effective teaching, innovative design work, and the ability to guide and inspire students in both academic and practical environments.

How does a professor lighting designer typically collaborate with other faculty and students on theatrical productions?

A Professor Lighting Designer often works closely with directors, set designers, technical staff, and students to create cohesive lighting plans for university productions. They mentor student designers, supervise lighting crews, and lead workshops or courses on lighting techniques. Collaboration is key, as professors must balance their creative vision with educational objectives, ensuring students gain hands-on experience while meeting the artistic needs of each show. This teamwork fosters a supportive learning environment and helps prepare students for professional work in the field.

What is the difference between Professor Lighting Designer vs Lighting Designer?

AspectProfessor Lighting DesignerLighting Designer
CredentialsTypically requires a degree in theater, lighting design, or related field; often with teaching credentialsRequires a degree or certification in lighting design or related discipline
Work EnvironmentAcademic settings, theaters, universities, and training programsPerformance venues, film, television, events, and architectural projects
Employer & IndustryUniversities, colleges, and educational institutionsProduction companies, theaters, event organizers, architectural firms

While both roles involve lighting design expertise, Professor Lighting Designer primarily works in educational and academic settings, focusing on teaching and research, whereas Lighting Designer works in live productions, events, and commercial projects. The roles share foundational skills but differ in environment and focus.

What are popular job titles related to Professor Lighting Designer jobs in Virginia?

For Professor Lighting Designer jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Professor Lighting Designer jobs in Virginia look for?

The top searched job categories for Professor Lighting Designer jobs in Virginia are:

What cities in Virginia are hiring for Professor Lighting Designer jobs?

Cities in Virginia with the most Professor Lighting Designer job openings:

Professor Lighting Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Professor Lighting Designer job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Junior Lighting Engineer

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA • On-site

$45K - $50K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement

Re-posted 14 days ago

Regent University rating

7.7

Company rating: 7.7 out of 10

Based on 13 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

263rd of 622 rated colleges and universities

Job description

Junior Lighting Engineer
Job no: 50000445
Work type: Full time
Location: Virginia Beach
Categories: Staff & Administration
The Junior Lighting Engineer reports to the Director of Media Services Operations and is responsible for the operation of lighting for all University classes, events, and productions, including the University's upcoming Athletic Complex. This includes providing oversight of lighting equipment, staff operators, administration, and technical performance of all University lighting event systems. In addition, this position is responsible to design, document, and execute designs for basic University groups and outside groups.
Work Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Salary: $45,000 - $50,000 annually
Essential duties:
  • Design and execute lighting for basic events across campus
  • Design and execute lighting production for university events, recordings, and Athletic Complex productions
  • Provide timely on-call help to faculty, staff, and students in the proper use of the lighting equipment and systems in all spaces on campus
  • Provide day to day lighting support for all university spaces
  • Responsible for inventory of university lighting equipment
  • Responsible for routine maintenance of all university lighting equipment
  • Provide training and supervision to assigned Media Services Student Workers and Graduate Assistants
  • Recommend purchase of lighting equipment and systems

Additional Responsibilities:
  • Provide on-call help to professors having problems with their AV equipment
  • Ability to safely operate vehicles (including golf carts and trucks) for transport and delivery of equipment
  • Assist in the installation of all AV equipment across campus

Qualifications:
  • One to three years minimum experience required, three to five years preferred, of hands-on experience using standard audiovisual equipment: sound, video, computers
  • Ability to deploy and support Lighting Networks, Lighting Equipment, DMX setup, and EOS lighting Consoles
  • Familiarity with industry-standard lighting control protocols and platforms; formal ETC training or certification preferred
  • Flexibility to work occasional evenings or weekends as required
  • Ability to occasionally move equipment, climb ladders, and lift equipment of 50-75 lbs. required

Candidates must have:
  • Demonstrated ability to successfully supervise others
  • Ability to communicate effectively and work cooperatively with other people
  • Ability to use standard word processing & spreadsheet software for reports, graphics, and statistics
  • Ability to plan and organize your own work with limited supervision
  • Commitment to Regent's core values of Excellence, Innovation, and Integrity

Regent University does not discriminate in employment in its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status. For full Non-Discrimination Policy click here.
Benefits
Regent offers a wide range of generous benefits including health, life and disability insurance; flexible spending accounts; tuition incentives; fully vested retirement plans; life and disability insurance options, time off, and more. All regular faculty and staff serving at Regent and working a minimum of 30 hours per week will receive an attractive benefits package.
Advertised: 10 Jun 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 31 Dec 2026 Eastern Standard Time
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