Production Coordinator

Northeastern Illinois University; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 51,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern Illinois University seeks a Production Coordinator to manage productions in the Sasha Gerritson Theatre and Recital Hall. You will coordinate staff, vendors, and students, ensure AV and lighting setup, stage manage, and support university events campus-wide, including commencements.

You will advance event needs with NEIU faculty and external partners, supervise staffing, and maintain equipment and documentation. This in-office role requires attention to detail and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred in related field.
• Diagnosing, troubleshooting, and repairing AV equipment (audio/video/lighting/networking).
• Experience managing a team of student staff, freelancers, or contractors.
• Knowledge of video recording, livestreaming, and editing workflows.
• Familiarity with event software: QLab, CAD and Vectorworks.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate production operations for NEIU venues (Sasha Gerritson Theatre and Recital Hall).
• Advance event needs with faculty, staff, renters, and partners.
• Supervise student staff, freelancers, and contractors to meet production needs.
• Handle live sound, lighting design/operation, rigging, and stage management.
• Maintain equipment, documents, and venue documentation; assist with calendars and invoicing.

Skills

Diagnosing troubleshooting equipment

Team management

Video recording livestreaming

Rental events experience

Office suite familiarity

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

QLab

CAD

Vectorworks

Microsoft Office

Google Suite

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 Coordinator reports to the Production Manager and is responsible for coordinating production operations in the Recital Hall and Sasha Gerritson Theatre, as well as providing production support for other PTS-supported events on campus, Board of Trustees meetings and other PTS-supported events at El Centro and CCICS campuses, and NEIU commencements.Responsibilities include planning staffing and production services with SUECS staff, student groups, faculty, staff, rental groups, and other clients, providing supervision and direction to student staff, freelance staff, and contractors, executing equipment setups, live sound engineering, lighting design and operation, and providing stage management. After the Operations Unit, the Production Coordinator provides operational support for events in the Student Union as well as other locations around campus.Job Description:Coordinates production operations in the Sasha Gerritson Theatre and Recital Hall in support of all concerts, conferences, lectures, third-party and rental events occurring in these spaces.Assists the Production Manager with advancing all event needs with NEIU faculty, staff, and external partners, renters, and other event organizers.Executes and supervises the following: 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 and focusing lighting instruments; rigging and fly system operation; audio and video recording and post-production, and additional production services as needed.Supervises and directs a staff of student workers, freelance employees, and contractors to meet the production needs of events in the Sasha Gerritson Theatre and Recital Hall, working within budget constraints.Assists the Production Manager with creating training and protocol documentation.Suggests improvements to administrative systems in support of departmental responsibilities.Enforces University policy, and assists the Production Manager with creating and revising policy for the Production Unit.Maintains equipment and records, including 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 Manager of any issues outside of this scope.Reports facilities maintenance requests to the Production Manager.Assists with administrating venue calendars via the University scheduling system.Ensures activities in venues are accurately reflected in the scheduling system.Provides operational support as needed in other SU spaces and the north campus.Covers and assists with the duties of the Operations Unit when necessary.After the Production Manager, serves as secondary liaison to faculty, staff, rental clients and others, and advises and educates on equipment operations and facilities use.Serves as event liaison to Police and Building Service Workers 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 Main Campus (5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625). 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$57,000BenefitsUniversity 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.