Head of Production

Story Inc; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Story Inc is seeking a Head of Production to lead and scale our production operation across commercial, documentary, and scripted projects. You’ll build teams, oversee budgets, and partner with creative leadership to turn ambitious ideas into executable plans.

This role demands hands-on leadership, a track record of delivering high-end work on time and on budget, and a broad network of crews, vendors, and locations.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience producing high-end commercials, branded content, documentaries, or scripted film/TV productions with team leadership.
• Experience managing both large-budget and lean shoots across environments.
• Exceptional resourcefulness and problem-solving under pressure.
• Experience overseeing multiple productions and prioritizing resources.
• Strong leadership, hiring, delegation, and accountability.
• Deep experience in budgets, vendor negotiations, and protecting profitability.
• Strong network of trusted crew, production partners, and vendors.
• Excellent organizational skills and systems for efficiency.
• Strong creative instincts to achieve exceptional work.
• Willingness to relocate to the SF Bay Area.

Responsibilities

• Lead production at Story, ensuring projects on time and on budget.
• Build and lead the team, hire and mentor producers.
• Find creative solutions to production challenges.
• Manage multiple productions across schedules, budgets, and resources.
• Own production budgets, vendor negotiations, and profitability.
• Develop production network with crew, vendors, locations nationally and internationally.
• Scale production capabilities with systems, workflows, and processes.
• Partner with creative leadership to translate concepts into executable plans.
• Get hands-on and lead complex shoots when needed.

Skills

Production leadership

Budget management

Vendor negotiations

Crew networking

Project management

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 bureaucratic.

• 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 in the world.