Production Manager

San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 119,000; Full time

Job summary

The San Francisco Symphony seeks a Production Manager to oversee production logistics and manage stage crew for concerts and special events. This full-time role requires significant experience in theatre production and knowledge of classical music, ensuring smooth daily operations in a fast-paced environment. The right candidate will effectively coordinate between teams and maintain compliance with all applicable agreements, playing a critical role in the Symphony's mission to deliver excellence in the performing arts.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years' experience in a performing arts organization.
• Experience with complex union labor agreements required.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily production needs including logistics for all events.
• Oversee stage crew activities and payroll coordination.
• Ensure compliance with union labor agreements.

Skills

Theatre production experience

Excellent communication skills

Organizational skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities

Knowledge of classical music

Tools

Microsoft 365 Suite

AutoCAD

Vectorworks

Job description

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THE ORGANIZATION

The San Francisco Symphony is widely considered to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the U.S. Under the artistic direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Orchestra is a leading presence among the American orchestras at home and around the world, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recording, and standard-setting education programs. Esa-Pekka joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2020 along with a group of eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural realms who collectively form a new artistic leadership model.

Production Manager Description

Production Manager

Artistic Operations Department

Production

Work Status

Regular Full Time

FLSA Status

Exempt

Location of Job:

Davies Symphony Hall San Francisco, CA

Salary

$107,768 - $118,282

Schedule

Hybrid

Regular Hours

9 am-5 pm; evenings and weekends

Reports To

Director of Production

Supervisory

No

THE ORGANIZATION

The San Francisco Symphony is widely considered to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the U.S. Under the artistic direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Orchestra is a leading presence among the American orchestras at home and around the world, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recording, and standard-setting education programs. Esa-Pekka joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2020 along with a group of eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural realms who collectively form a new artistic leadership model.

The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 220 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 450,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and through its active national and international touring. A Cornerstone of the organization’s mission, the San Francisco Symphony’s education programs are the most extensive offered by any American orchestra today, providing free comprehensive music education to every first- through fifth-grade student in the San Francisco public schools, and serving more than 75,000 children, students, educators, and families annually.

The SFS has won such recording awards as France’s Grand Prix du Disque and Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as 15 Grammy Awards.

In 2004, the SFS launched the multimedia Keeping Score on PBS-TV and the web. In 2014, the SFS inaugurated SoundBox, a new experimental performance venue and music series located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. SFS radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra’s concerts across the country. In 2021, SFS+, a digital streaming platform, was launched to subscribers all over the world.

Job Summary

The Production Manager manages the daily production needs of the San Francisco Symphony, including logistics for all concerts, recitals and special events. Working closely with the production team and stage crew, this position primarily focuses on managing and implementing the production needs of the San Francisco Symphony in an efficient and timely manner. The Production Manager has a key role in stagehand payroll, ensuring consistent and accurate payments and coding assisting with the creation and management of production budgets and projections, labor contracts, production logistics, and coordinating stagehand labor. This position is responsible for managing production logistics and stage crew for special events.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Stage Crew Management

• Work with Associate Director, Production & Tours to ensure the smooth operation of production aspects of Symphony concerts and presentations, including instrument tuners and technicians, and activities of stage crew.
• Manage activities of stage crew, daily schedules (dailies), production schedules, show flows and weekly stage crew schedules.
• Working with Senior Manager, Media & Special Projects, coordinate and process stage crew payroll to ensure accuracy and compliance with union agreements; consistency with past practices and contract interpretation; accuracy with coding, reconciling and allocating funds; clarity, transparency with stagehands and the accounting payroll team; and accuracy with benefits payments.
• Function as a resource for staff and extra stagehands regarding workplace flow such as scheduling, hiring logistics, payroll questions, direct deposit, 403b contributions, expense reimbursements, general questions/concerns and special projects.
• Manage instrument and equipment maintenance and rentals as well as tuning and technicians. Manage inventory of SFS owned equipment and instruments.
• Oversee teamster calls and warehouse inventory. Manage inventory of SFS owned equipment and instruments.
• Manage stagehands as needed for a myriad of smaller events and meeting set-ups.
• Ensure compliance with Union labor collective bargaining agreements, including IATSE Stagehands, Wardrobe, Wigs/Makeup, and Teamsters. Knowledge of the CBA with Local 6 American Federation of Musicians and the effect of that agreement on all other agreements and technical aspects.
• Member of Concert Duty team.
  
  

Production Management

• Manage production for Opening Gala event: manage Opening Gala event logistics in multiple simultaneous locations to comply with Local 16 CBA, collaborates and serves as liaison with stagehand Technical Director and Special Events colleagues to manage all stagehand labor and logistics.
• Manage production for special events activities (Deck the Hall, Lunar New Year, Dia de los Muertos and others) as well as production-heavy smaller activities (Season Announcement, etc.): oversee stagehands requirements, coordinate with vendors and staff colleagues to ensure event activities are executed as needed and within budget.
• Working with Associate Director, Production & Tours, manage the production aspects of concerts and events as assigned, including covering responsibilities for Associate Director, Production & Tours during tour preparation, tours and time off.
• Manage production projects in lobbies and assists in departmental special projects.
  
  

Financial Management

• Pay and track production invoices related to concerts/events/projects.
• Contribute to creation of annual department budget, strawman budgets and projections.
• Analyze and monitor expense budgets for trends and alert Director of Production of negative trends.
• Work with Director of Production and Associate Director, Production & Tours and stagehands to create and implement new policies and procedures within the production department to improve efficiency for the ongoing operations and mission of the Symphony.
• Conduct job functions and activities in alignment with the principles of the SFS’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, and supports the organization’s DEI work through participation in working groups and other initiatives as possible.
  
  

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 7-10 years’ experience working in a professional, fast-paced performing arts organization.
• Strong theatre production experience is required.
• Experience working with complex union labor agreements required.
• Working knowledge of classical music, including terminology, instrumentation, and repertoire is highly desirable; ability to read music is a plus.
• Experience in both office and artistic environments.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Experience with budgeting, projections, and financial management.
• Ability to professionally and diplomatically communicate and interact with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, with ability to work independently and manage highly detailed tasks.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities, and meet deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency on PC using Microsoft 365 Suite, Adaptive and Adobe Acrobat. AutoCAD and/or Vectorworks is desirable.
• Strategic thinker and creative problem solver.
• Ability to build and sustain momentum and has an ability to keep an eye on the big picture while managing the details.
• Has a passion for the arts, education and the role the San Francisco Symphony plays in the community.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds.
  
  

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The internal and external constituents with whom this position most frequently interacts include:

• Venue Operations team
• Stagehands
• Artistic Operations department (Production, Venue Operations, Orchestra Personnel, and Artistic Planning teams)
• Development/Events, Advocacy & Community Engagement, and Finance/Accounting departments
• Various administrative staff
• Vendors
• Serve as a knowledge resource for staff and stagehands and collaborate with colleagues in all departments

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Marketing, Public Relations, and Writing/Editing

• Industries

  Performing Arts

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