Head of Production

Story; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Story is seeking a Head of Production to lead and build the production operation in the SF Bay Area. You will oversee commercial, documentary, and original projects, guiding producers, crews, budgets, and partnerships to deliver ambitious work on time and within budget.

You’ll be a hands-on leader who can both plan at scale and roll up your sleeves for complex shoots, ensuring exceptional outcomes across a growing slate of content.

Qualifications

• You have extensive experience producing high-end commercials, branded content, documentaries, or scripted film/TV productions.
• You’ve led teams and managed multiple productions simultaneously.
• Experience balancing large budgets with lean shoots.
• Strong leadership, delegation, and high standards.
• Neha strong network of crew, vendors, and locations.
• Excellent budgeting, vendor negotiations, and profitability focus.
• Ability to build efficient production systems and workflows.
• Calm under pressure and decisive when things go wrong.
• Based in the SF Bay Area or willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Lead production at Story, overseeing commercial productions to deliver on time and on budget.
• Hire, mentor, and manage producers and production staff; foster ownership and high standards.
• Solve production challenges; open doors and push through obstacles.
• Manage multiple productions, keeping visibility on schedules, budgets, and resources.
• Own production budgets, vendor negotiations, and profitability across projects.
• Build our production network with exceptional crew, vendors, and partners nationally and internationally.
• Scale production capabilities with systems, workflows, and processes.
• Partner with creative leadership to translate concepts into executable plans.
• Get hands-on to lead complex shoots and assist the team when needed.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Production leadership

Vendor negotiations

Crew networking

Project management

Problem solving

Relocation willingness

Job description

Great stories start with extraordinary people.

We’re bringing together exceptional creative talent to tell the stories of people shaping the future. Work alongside people who raise your standards, champion your ideas, and give you room to do the best work of your career.

Story inspires science. Science makes story real.

Your Story

We’re looking for a Head of Production to lead and build the production operation at Story.

Story produces high-end commercial and branded content for some of the world’s most ambitious companies, alongside a growing slate of original scripted fiction and nonfiction projects. You’ll oversee production across both sides of the business, from commercial campaigns and documentaries to original films and series.

You know how to make ambitious work happen. You’ve produced everything from large-scale commercial shoots to scrappy, independent productions, and you know how to get exceptional results regardless of the budget.

You’re relentless, resourceful, and don’t take no for an answer. When a location falls through, a budget gets cut, or a timeline seems impossible, you’re the person who finds a way forward.

This is a hands‑on leadership role. You’ll lead our producers, build exceptional crews, oversee budgets, and work closely with our creative team to bring ambitious ideas to life. We need someone who can build a world‑class production operation while still being willing to roll up their sleeves and personally tackle the hardest challenges.

What You’ll Own

• Lead production at Story. Oversee our commercial productions, ensuring projects deliver exceptional work on time and on budget.

• Build and lead the team. Hire, mentor, and manage producers and production staff. Establish a culture of ownership, resourcefulness, and high standards.

• Make the impossible happen. Find creative solutions to difficult production challenges. Open doors, push through obstacles, and figure out how to accomplish things others might consider impossible.

• Manage multiple productions. Balance competing schedules, budgets, and resources across several projects running simultaneously. Know where things stand and where your attention is needed.

• Own production budgets. Oversee budgeting, cost control, vendor negotiations, and profitability across projects. Know where to invest and where to get creative.

• Build our production network. Develop relationships with exceptional crew, vendors, locations, and production partners across the country and internationally.

• Scale our production capabilities. Build systems, workflows, and processes that allow Story to take on more ambitious work without sacrificing quality or efficiency.

• Partner with creative leadership. Work closely with directors, cinematographers, writers, and the creative team to translate ambitious concepts into executable production plans.

• Get hands‑on. Step in to personally lead complex shoots, solve critical problems, and support the team wherever you’re needed.

You’re the Right Person If

• You have extensive experience producing high‑end commercials, branded content, documentaries, or scripted film and television productions, including experience leading teams.

• You understand the different demands of client‑driven commercial work and original film and television production.

• You’ve managed both large‑budget productions and lean, independent shoots. You know how to succeed in both environments.

• You’re exceptionally resourceful. When someone tells you something can’t be done, your first instinct is to figure out how.

• You’ve overseen multiple productions simultaneously and know how to prioritize people, budgets, and resources.

• You’re a strong leader who knows how to hire great people, delegate effectively, and hold teams to high standards.

• You have deep experience managing production budgets, negotiating with vendors, and protecting project profitability.

• You have a strong network of trusted crew, production partners, and vendors.

• You’re highly organized and know how to build systems that make production more efficient without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.

• You have strong creative instincts and understand what it takes to make exceptional work.

• You’re calm under pressure, decisive when things go wrong, and willing to take responsibility for the outcome.

• You’re based in the SF Bay Area or willing to relocate.

What Sets You Apart

You’re a builder, not just a manager. You want to create a production operation that gets better with every project. You can establish the systems, hire the right people, and set the standards that make great work repeatable.

You’re relentlessly resourceful. You’ve made ambitious work happen with limited time, money, and resources. You know who to call, how to negotiate, and when to find a completely different approach.

You can think big and operate small. You’re comfortable leading a major commercial production, but you’re equally capable of assembling a small crew and making something exceptional happen in a matter of days.

You have great taste. You understand what separates good work from extraordinary work. You protect the creative vision while finding practical ways to execute it.

You lead from the front. You don’t just oversee spreadsheets and schedules. You get involved, solve problems, support your producers, and take pride in everything Story puts into the world.