Director, Production - Event & Expo Services

Pinnacle Live, LLC; Arlington Heights (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Director of Production to lead the execution of high-profile live events. This role demands a seasoned professional with a strong background in event production, capable of managing complex logistics and ensuring client visions are realized. You will work closely with a talented team, overseeing project timelines and budgets while fostering relationships with clients and vendors. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and have a passion for creating memorable experiences, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Performance-based incentive plans

Generous time off

401k with contribution match

Health, vision, and dental insurance

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Event Production roles.
• Experience managing high-profile global events.
• Knowledge of rigging, electrical, and audiovisual systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee live event execution, ensuring technical excellence.
• Manage budgets, timelines, and vendor relationships.
• Collaborate with creative teams to maintain branding.

Skills

Critical Thinking

Management Skills

Negotiation

Presentation Skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Production Management Software

Job description

Director, Production

$110,000 - 120,000+

Company Overview:

Edge, a Pinnacle Live company, is a premier provider of creative, technical, and logistics solutions for high-profile, complex live events. As a single-source solution, we cater to a wide range of events, including international summits, conferences, business meetings, brand activations, festivals, sporting and special events. Our purpose is to meet the growing demands of sophisticated event organizers, planners, and marketers, delivering on the world's most complex event requirements with confidence and integrity, at scale. Our team of globally recognized experts is reinforced by a customer-centered project management approach, prioritizing Collaboration, Transparency, and Trust. Together, we foster curiosity and attention for members, customers, delegates, employees, partners, and fans to maximize the live event experience. As a subsidiary of Pinnacle Live, we share the same Collaborative Crusader spirit, empowering our team to tackle tough challenges and exceed client expectations with every project.

Job Summary:

The Director, Production role is an individual contributor position specifically responsible for overseeing

some or all aspects of live event execution across our book of business. This role is in support of the

Senior Director, VP, and SVP Production Director, but is also expected to operate in a collaborative

startup environment. Production’s key measure of success is to ensure the highest standards of technical

excellence while adhering to the creative/client vision and maximizing measurable audience

engagement

Essential Functions:

Leadership

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, understand their vision and translate it into

impactful live event experiences

• Oversee project timelines, budgets, and resources, ensuring projects are delivered on time and

within scope

• Manage partners, vendors, and subcontractor relationships, and provide guidance as to when to

employ them and why across all live projects

• Create and maintain technical run-of-show documents, ensuring all aspects of the production are

synchronized

• Work alongside and collaboratively across internal lines of business and often in close

conjunction with the Technical Producer

• Participate at times in the creative vision for live events, ensuring alignment with client objectives

and brand messaging

• Have a willingness to perform ad-hoc duties as they arise to maintain the integrity of the client

relationship and event execution

• May include helping build and refine production processes, including the documentation and

enforcement of Best Practices as well as training and utility on software utilized for production

management

Creative and Technical Oversight

• Work with Business Development and the Creative Services team to ensure vision, branding,

messaging, and all other creative elements are maintained through a seamless handoff to

Production

• Work with the Creative Technology group to ensure the seamless integration of audio, video, and

live elements to create immersive and engaging event experiences

• Collaborate with any other internal stakeholders to ensure all aspects of the event are flawlessly

executed

• Review and approve all creative and technical production elements, ensuring they meet the

highest standards of quality and creativity

• Create and maintain event content deliverables list including timelines and milestones

• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in live event

Production

Client & External Stakeholder Engagement

• Provide strategic guidance and thoughtful solutions to clients throughout the production phase as

real-time developments occur

• Ensure all third-party vendors, speakers and/or entertainment needs are managed and overseen

to guarantee seamless integration into the event

• Present production plans to clients and stakeholders, effectively communicating the execution

strategy

• May include serving as the primary point of contact for clients in the production stage, ensuring

their needs and expectations are met and exceeded

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage budgets for live event productions, ensuring cost-effective solutions without

compromising quality

• Source and negotiate with vendors, including but not limited to AV companies, fabricators,

production crews, and other suppliers

• Ensure efficient allocation of resources, including personnel, equipment, and materials

• Conduct post-event reviews, identifying areas for improvement and documenting lessons learned

• Work with the Technical Producer to analyze the overall success of the event from a technical

perspective, making recommendations for future events

• May Include identifying, implementing, and consistently improving internal practices and

processes to optimize cost and time efficiencies

• May Include regularly reporting on agency’s financial health at the production stage, including but

not limited to employee utilization, vendor/partner cost savings over time, process efficiencies,

and YOY trends in production performance

• Perform other duties as assigned

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience

• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in Event Production role

• Successful history of managing production for high profile global events

• Production and Staging experience is required

• Scenic and Décor experience is required

• Rigging, Electrical, Lighting and Exhibit experience is required

• Audiovisual, Sound and Broadcast experience is required

• Temporary Labor and Nationwide Union jurisdictions and rules expertise required

Required Skills & Knowledge:

1. Critical Thinking - Identifies root cause of problems and prevents the problems from recurring

within assigned department. Considers impact of team's decisions.

2. Job Knowledge - Uses in depth knowledge of concepts, principles, and procedures and applies

them to varied and complex situations within assigned department. Keeps up to date on

developments that affect job.

3. Management Skills - Provides on-going guidance and assistance to improve morale and

productivity. Identifies employees for development, succession planning, and training as needed.

Effectively manages underperforming employees to improve or leave.

4. Persuasiveness / Negotiating - Influences and shapes issues and desired outcomes.

5. Presentation Skills - Creates presentations for their managers to deliver. May occasionally deliver

presentations to their teams as required.

Travel Demands:

Travel up to 40% required

Benefits:

• Performance based incentive plans on top of base salary
• Generous time off with PTO, holidays and sick/personal days
• 401k with a contribution match
• Insurances; health, vision, dental and more

Pinnacle Live is an E-verify and Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Pinnacle Live is committed to welcoming, valuing, and supporting every person and their unique contributions. We are actively working to foster an environment where diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and mutual respect thrive. We recognize that diversity is intersectional, and that actively valuing diversity demands that we continually strive to establish a welcoming atmosphere for all.

Pinnacle Live welcomes, openly acknowledges, empowers, and celebrates the diversity of all our team members, clients, and partners, and affirms the identities and experiences of all our members. We strive to create an environment where we actively embrace all forms of diversity.