Production and Operations Manager - Carruthers Center

Northeastern Illinois University; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern Illinois University is seeking a Production and Operations Manager to lead event production and operations at the CCICS Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall and related venues.

You will coordinate live sound, lighting, video, and streaming for conferences, commencements, and rentals, while supervising staff and coordinating with partners. The role requires a Bachelor’s degree and practical AV/production experience; the department emphasizes collaboration, safety, and efficient scheduling

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s may substitute 1 year of experience.
• 1 year of relevant education/training or work experience.
• Diagnosing, troubleshooting, repairing AV equipment required.
• Ability to lift up to 70 pounds and work with ladders, lifts, catwalks.

Responsibilities

• Manages event production and operations for Legacy Hall and other PTS events.
• Advances event needs with NEIU faculty, staff and external partners.
• Supervises live sound, projection, stage management, lighting, rigging, and recording.
• Hires, trains, and supervises staff including student workers and contractors.
• Schedules staff for event support and covers duties in absence.
• Develops long-range planning with Production Director and leads special projects.
• Creates training materials and protocol documentation.
• Maintains equipment records and inventory; updates firmware/documentation.
• Recommends capital equipment purchases to improve safety and function.
• Manages calendars and ensures scheduling reflects activities.
• Provides production support for events on all campuses.
• Advises clients on equipment operations and venue use.
• Liaisons with Police, Building Service Workers, UTS and Parking.
• Coordinates rentals: client meetings, pre-production, day-of contact, invoicing.
• participates in commencements and board meetings; off-campus events.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Staff management

Live sound engineering

Lighting design

Audio/video recording

Livestreaming

Event planning

Budget awareness

Technical theatre

CAD/Vectorworks familiarity

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

QLab

Patch lists/Stage plots

Education

Bachelor’s degree

1 year in education/training or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Video recording

Livestreaming software

Video editing

Audio/Video gear maintenance

Job description

Northeastern offers a rewarding working environment for our students and employees. Our faculty and staff are smart, dedicated people who work to create an excellent urban university experience for bright and motivated students.Job Summary:As part of the Student Union, Events and Conference Services department (SUECS), and Production and Technical Services department (PTS), the Production and Operations Manager reports to the Production Director and is responsible for managing event production and operations in the CCICS Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall, lower level event space, as well as providing production and operations support for other PTS-supported events at CCICS, at the north campus, Board of Trustees meetings at El Centro and the north campuses, and NEIU commencements.Responsibilities include planning staffing, operations, and production services with SUECS staff, student groups, faculty, staff, rental groups, and other clients, managing student staff, freelance staff, and contractors, advancing internal, hosted, and rental events, executing equipment setups, live sound engineering, lighting design and operation, AV recording, and web conferencing equipment setup and operation.Job Description:Manages event production and operations in the CCICS Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall, lower level event space, and other PTS-supported events in support of all concerts, conferences, lectures, third-party and rental events occurring in these spaces.Advances all event needs with NEIU faculty, staff, and external partners, renters, and other event organizers.Supervises and manages the following service areas: live sound engineering, including creating patch lists and stage plots; projection system operation; stage management, including calling performance cues and moving stage equipment; lighting design, programming, and operation, including hanging, focusing, addressing lighting instruments; rigging and fly system operation; audio and video recording, livestreaming, web conferencing, and additional production services as needed; and table, chair, and other operations duties for events. In addition, executes all of the above duties in place of or in collaboration with production staff.Hires, trains, supervises staff, including student workers, freelance employees, and contractors to meet the production needs of events in the Legacy Hall and for other supported events, working within budget constraints.Schedule staff for event support, production, and venue management. Covers their duties in their absence.In collaboration with the Production Director, participates in identifying and executing departmental objectives and the development of long-range planning.Identifies and leads special projects, including capital improvement projects as well as staffing leadership and development opportunities in support of successful program administration.Creates training and protocol documentation.Creates and improves administrative systems in support of departmental responsibilities.Enforces University policy, and creates and revises policy for the Production Unit in conjunction with the Production Director.Maintains equipment and records, including creating reports, troubleshooting, cleaning and repairing audio, video, lighting, and control equipment, verifying and updating inventory documentation, maintaining and updating standard patch list documentation, maintaining and updating lighting repertory (rep) plots, creating and updating technical venue documentation, updating firmware for equipment, and notifying the Production Director of any issues outside of this scope.Recommends capital equipment purchases and other services in order to maintain and improve venue safety and functionality.Reports facilities maintenance requests for the Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall and lower level event space to Facilities Management and tracks progress.Administrates Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall and lower level event space calendars via the University scheduling system.Ensures activities in venues are accurately reflected in the scheduling system.Provides production and operational support as needed for other PTS-supported events on all campuses.Advises and educates faculty, staff, rental clients and others on equipment operations and facilities use.Serves as event liaison to Police, Building Service Workers, University Technology Services, and Parking during SUECS/PTS-supported events.Provides administrative support and management for rental events, including meeting with prospective clients, scheduling pre-production meetings for contracted rentals, serving as primary day-of production point-of-contact for NEIU venues, and reporting on space and staff usage for accurate invoicing.Participates in the planning and execution of commencement and board meetings, and other off-campus or satellite PTS-supported events. This includes but is not limited to: organizing equipment, loading trucks, driving trucks, moving furniture, setting up, configuring, and operating AV equipment and conference room technology, and other duties normally performed on-campus. Participation at all commencement ceremonies is required.Performs other related duties as assigned, or as needed.Minimal Qualifications:1. Bachelor’s degree.2. A total of one (1) year (12 months) in education, training and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position. (Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.)3. Based on position requirements, additional education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position, may be required.Additional education, training and/or work experience in the area of specialization:Diagnosing, troubleshooting, and repairing audio, video, lighting, and networking equipment. (Required)Ability to lift up to 70 pounds, work on ladders (up to a 24-foot working height), lifts (up to a 30-foot working height), catwalks and crawl spaces.(Required)Departmental Preferences:Master’s degree in a field related to technical theatre, theatrical design, or AV engineering2 years of experience managing a teamKnowledge of video recording, livestreaming, and video editingExperience managing rental eventsFamiliarity with Microsoft Office suite, Google suite, and email correspondence.Understanding of event related software, including QLab, CAD and/or Vectorworks. Ability to interpret and implement layouts and diagrams.Demonstrated problem solving ability.Self-motivated, ability to carry out tasks with minimal direction.High attention to details and solid organizational skills.Schedule: Flexible schedule based on departmental needs and event schedules. Evening and weekend hours may be required.Location: NEIU Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) Campus (700 E Oakwood Blvd, Chicago, IL 60653). Travel to other NEIU campus locations is required as needed.Setting: In-office, not eligible for hybrid or remote work.Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States. This position is not eligible for sponsorship of work visas.This position requires a background check.Salary Range$60,000BenefitsUniversity employees may be eligible for a variety of State of Illinois benefits. These benefits are administered through the Illinois Department of Central Management Service (CMS). Please visit our Employee Benefits page to learn more about our comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision benefits, sick and vacation days, and participation in the State Universities Retirement System.Northeastern Illinois University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and invites applications from Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities, as well as other qualified individuals. Northeastern Illinois University's positions are contingent upon the University's receipt of its State of Illinois appropriation.