Production Manager

Wonderhunt; Illinois; On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Wonderhunt is seeking an experienced Production Manager passionate about storytelling to oversee various projects. This role integrates creative ideation with project management, requiring skills in budgeting, team leadership, and effective communication. The ideal candidate will contribute to a mission-focused environment that values collaboration and creativity.

Qualifications

• Experience managing timelines, tasks, budgets, and other detailed processes.
• Demonstrable skills in breaking down complex tasks.
• Ability to prioritize, manage, and work across simultaneous projects.

Responsibilities

• Define, communicate, and monitor timelines for all project phases.
• Manage project software and create/delegate task lists.
• Act as the assistant director on shooting days to ensure efficiency.

Skills

Organization

Creativity

Communication

Budget Management

Project Management

Job description

Wonderhunt is a nonprofit that tells stories to help the curious explore the deep & hidden things of God, and we give those stories away for free. We tell powerful stories, stories with truth attached, stories that are rooted in the themes of the gospel but that resonate deep within the hearts, minds, and daily life of all of us. Our mission is to use stories as a means of carrying messages with the power to reshape personal lives, relationships, and communities.

We’re looking for an experienced Production Manager who loves stories and demonstrates that rare skills-mix of pragmatism and playfulness, that talent for transforming abstract ideas into practical processes, all while working within a team that’s committed to good work, good fun, loving people, and making a difference.

Job Description

The Production Manager is a blend between the traditional film roles of Line Producer and Assistant Director. He or she will work within the storytelling process to collaborate in ideation, chart the course, tend to the necessities, and align the objectives of Wonderhunt’s various projects.

Collaborate in ideation. Before we get busy doing we’ve got to spend some good time dreaming. The Production Manager will be an important voice in the creative process, working alongside the Creative Director and Filmmaker to define and refine the stories put into production.

Chart the course. Creativity is inherently a little messy, but it doesn’t need to be made more so by improper planning. From the beginning of an idea, he or she will strategically imagine how to bring clarity to chaos, fashioning the tasks, timelines, and tools that make even the biggest ideas doable.

Tend to the necessities. Every project is unique and presents its own hazards and opportunities. The Production Manager will often be working on multiple projects simultaneously, managing the budgets and practical needs along with assembling and caring for each project’s team.

Align the objectives. There’s a whole group that helps guide, share, and fund the stories Wonderhunt tells, and this person will be in the know on the needs and goals of those team members to make sure everyone has what they need when they need it.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Ongoing

Define, communicate, and monitor timelines for pre-production, production, post, and delivery

Manage project software and create and delegate task lists

Create and manage project budgets and allocate necessary resources

Track each project’s expenses and stay on top of estimates versus actuals

Own and maintain database of crew, talent, and partners

Act as the conduit between Creative and the team members who rely on Creative’s work to coordinate releases, features, events, special considerations, etc.

Collaborate with contracted filmmakers and/or creative directors as the primary point of contact with Wonderhunt and to provide and coordinate production support

Collaborate in brainstorm, story, scriptwriting, and problem-solving sessions

Help to prep and refine ideas for pitch

Assist in determining shot lists and schedules for shooting days

Lead the hiring and contractual process for crew and talent

Complete script breakdowns and procure necessary props, wardrobe, etc.

Secure locations, including: scouting, booking, contracts, waivers, and insurance

Production

Act as the assistant director, managing each shooting day’s schedule and ensuring that the production runs efficiently and on time

Compile and send call sheets and otherwise communicate with cast and crew

Keep an eye on continuity and script congruency

Arrange for catering, hospitality, and the overall on-set experience

Lead and delegate to additional production crew

Assist Executive Producer in managing and caring for crew and talent

Collect and pay invoices in addition to handling check requests and Zelle payments

Hire and communicate with post-production crew

Coordinate with Marketing and/or other parties to set release dates and track assets and deliverables

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

The ideal candidate for this position is someone who believes that ideas are better in collaboration and who longs to be a part of a team that’s passionate about putting something meaningful and beneficial into the world. He or she should be able to demonstrate:

A connection to Wonderhunt’s vision and an enthusiasm for helping bring it to fruition

A guru in organization, logistics, and administrative skill

Experience managing timelines, tasks, budgets, and other detailed processes

An instinct for creativity and ideation

A knack for narrative storytelling and illustration through various mediums

Demonstrable skills in breaking down complex tasks

An ability to prioritize, manage, and work across simultaneous projects

A history of adaptability and a willingness to embrace unique and/or unanticipated challenges

A sense of collaborative independence. Kind of an oxymoron, right? This person knows that big ideas get better in team but that there are plenty of nuts and bolts that each of us can take initiative on without too much input

A proven track record for cultivating a core of trusted artists and technicians

A time-tested talent for assembling a team and delegating responsibilities with care, clear communication, and accountability

Remarkable giftedness in interpersonal relations—leading, cultivating, and communicating care with volunteers, contractors, and partners

A desire to work with a team who encourages the ideas, feedback, and additional contributions of those who may be outside his or her immediate area of expertise

A willingness to work hard and an awareness that work isn’t everything. He or she has learned the satisfaction that comes from dedicated work, but is also in tune with when to play, refresh, be there for others, or just… be

The Production Manager will report to the Creative Director and will be located at our offices in downtown West Dundee, IL. The role includes a competitive salary and generous benefits and is full-time salary (exempt).