Charcoalblue

Technical Producer

Company Overview

Charcoalblue was established in the heart of the UK theatre industry in 2004. Since then, we have carved out a reputation as the world's leading integrated Theatre, Acoustic and Experience Consultancy service. We now operate as a cohesive and collaborative team across six international studios in the UK, USA, and Australia, delivering projects to every corner of the globe. Theatre, acoustic, project management and digital design runs in our blood and each one of us has at some point worked within the industry we now design for. We provide a full spectrum of consultancy services from strategic analysis and creative concept generation through to detailed design and full project leadership. Simultaneously, we have the expertise to integrate world-class acoustic, technical, and digital design solutions from the outset.

Charcoalblue Experience (CBX) is a dedicated business unit within the Charcoalblue group that applies our expertise gained from working with globally renowned cultural organisations to the workplace, sports, exhibition, and events markets. Working with world leading companies, Charcoalblue Experience works with any business looking to create spaces for collaboration and storytelling that wants to deliver an enhanced experience for staff, visitors, guests, and spectators. Project’s include hybrid workplaces, one-off event spaces, sports facilities, broadcast studios, conference centres, and ecosystems across entire buildings and campuses. Our CBX team includes specialist Project Managers, Design Managers, Research & Development (R&D) Consultants, Technical Drawing and Standards Consultants, Producers, and Administrators and they often work closely with single clients and are fully embedded into their workflow and teams.

E: [email protected]

W: www.cbx.charcoalblue.com

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Brief Description of Role

As Technical Producer, you will be responsible for the successful definition, design, and delivery of world-class guest experiences in line with client goals. You will deliver those experiences through permanent installations that bridge the digital and physical, enhancing the guest experience and storytelling of our client’s event spaces. You will ensure the design intent is delivered by developing and managing the right budgets, schedules, strategies, and scopes required to achieve the project goals.

The most important is to serve and guide the project with your technical expertise. The role requires excellence in managing stakeholder relationships: coordinating design vendors (architects, creative agencies, software developers, audio visual (AV) and lighting designers), construction vendors (general contractors, AV and lighting integrators, and scenic fabricators), and internal teams (real estate, AV, network, product areas, marketing, etc.). You will drive complex projects from design and development through installation of exhibits ranging from highly technical immersive spaces to custom-developed XR and grand sculptural gestures — and everything in between.

The ideal individual for this role is a multi-faceted and innovative problem solver with broad design and technical knowledge, prior experience producing installations for event spaces, experiential marketing, immersive theatre, museums, or other permanent location-based entertainment venues, with the ability to deliver and launch projects on time, on budget, and on strategy.

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Key Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end project leadership for the successful design and delivery of experiential installations within client event and experience spaces.
• Support your CBX project team as technical subject matter expert around experiential scope, providing translation and appropriate exposure to conversations including, but not limited to, custom and off-the-shelf software tooling, cloud solutions, networking, security and privacy requirements, hardware and software components of creative technology, and the sequencing and dependencies of system commissioning.
• Own the design intent, ensuring it is properly developed, refined, understood, documented, and fulfilled from concept design through handover by leading design and production meetings, site visits, and reviewing deliverables, assuring the best design process is maintained throughout.
• Serve as a translator on behalf of the client to identify, plug, and/or escalate gaps, conflicts, and misalignments.
• Oversee and continually refine the Vendor Management process, from onboarding through final acceptance and close out.
• Work with key stakeholders to set budgets for equipment, content, and development, and own this budget through design and development phases, installation periods, handover and close out.
• Review deliverables (written, visual, and technical) and provide feedback, flagging technical, financial, schedule, and experiential risks.
• Develop and manage the acceptance criteria process throughout development and deployment, documenting key stakeholder approvals along the project’s timeline.
• Manage vendors in the development of design and production schedules, feeding key integration milestones into the master project schedule.
• Work with content creators and software developers to manage the iterative development of all media, interactive content, and control interfaces, ensuring alignment with project schedule, budget, and design intent.
• Work with specialty fabrication vendors to develop shop drawings and produce installations for placement in the field.
• Work with AV integrators, client infrastructure, and project management teams to ensure technical requirements are understood and successfully delivered.
• Participate in prototype reviews and playtesting to manage the expression of design intent, monitor, and pursue preliminary acceptances or rejections, and track the impact of conclusions and decisions across the project team(s).
• Oversee commissioning and handover of space including coordination of software testing, systems, and content commissioning, training, soft opening, punch-listing, and final functional and acceptance testing.
• Work with the client’s AV and operations teams, and external design agencies to develop the lifecycle and maintenance strategy, including the establishment of service level agreements.
• Support the development of Charcoalblue’s Experiential service by driving the development and documentation of production processes for use on future projects.
• Report on program performance to Line Manager.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive and may be subject to alteration over time as we develop the service.

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Qualifications and Key Skills

Essential

We are open to receiving applications from candidates with a varied range of experience and education. If you meet most of the qualifications below, we encourage you to apply:

• At least five years of relevant work experience in Technical Production, Design Management, or Project Management in the environmental experiences industry, or related field.
• Experience in exhibit design, architecture, or experiential design within themed entertainment, museums, creative/advertising agencies, or related field. 
  

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Key Skills

• Experience in managing both design and delivery processes for physical installations and digital content.
• Direct experience with iterative design processes, rapid prototyping, and playtesting.
• An understanding of permitting process, construction terminology, and building systems and overall project sequence/timing.
• Fundamental understanding of AV system functionality and installation process and techniques.
• Fluency in software engineering and commercially available products, integrations, and protocols relevant to the industry.
• Ability to read and comprehend project technical documents including but not limited to engineering and architectural drawing, software architecture diagrams, wiring schematics, schedules, test reports, or commissioning documents.
• Familiar with typical project management tools.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills including an excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office and G Suite applications.
• Detail oriented with ability to think, plan, and execute on multiple projects in different phases simultaneously with little direct supervision.
• Proven ability to manage complex budgets in excess of $5 million.

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Desirable

• Experience with theatre, performing arts, or events space buildings either through direct experience or professional project management work.
• Experience with interactive or game design.
• Experience with show control systems (Medialon or similar).
• Relevant construction-related OSHA training.

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Interpersonal Skills

• Ability to work in a collaborative and fast-paced environment with a high degree of self-motivation and initiative.
• Ability to easily manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Detail oriented with ability to think, plan, and execute on multiple projects in different phases simultaneously with little direct supervision.
• Able to work calmly and effectively under pressure.
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing business needs.
• Ability to build relationships with colleagues, clients, vendors, stakeholders, and management.​

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Working Hours

The role is being offered on an 'at will', exempt basis at 40 hours per week. As an international organisation, the needs of the business are as such that this role requires a flexibility in working hours (which can be variable from week to week) to facilitate project demands and maintain support across our global entities’ varying time-zones. Working hours patterns will be agreed with your line manager to suit your personal circumstances and the current project load

The role is subject to a three-month probationary period.

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Location

We are currently working in a distributed hybrid model, meaning will work from your home or other place of your choosing, in combination with the client's office in New York City or Sunnyvale, CA, subject to local health and safety guidelines. Travel within the US and occasional travel internationally for projects and/or team building as required occasionally, with notice.

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Salary

The salary range for this role is $90,000 - $125,000 per year.

Please state your salary expectations in your covering letter in line with your experience.

Charcoalblue intends to offer the selected candidate base pay within this range, dependent on job-related, non-discriminatory factors such as experience. Base pay is one part of the total rewards that Charcoalblue provides to compensate and recognize employees for their work. Charcoalblue provides a robust benefits package to help support you physically, financially, and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. Please visit our careers page for more details.

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Annual Leave

Based on a 40-hour working week, you will receive 15 days’ paid holiday per year, plus federal and some local public holidays, and additional discretionary days between Christmas and New Years.

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Additional Benefits

• To support you in successful remote/distributed working, you will receive a laptop and any other associated IT peripherals required for the role.
• You will receive contributions towards your home broadband and utilities to enable you to work productively and comfortably.
• Following 60 days of employment, you will be eligible to join our 401K scheme (employee contributions only).
• Following 60 days of employment, you will be eligible to join our company healthcare scheme for the duration of your contract.
• Following 60 days of employment, you will be eligible for life assurance cover, Short Term Disability and you may take advantage of joining our FSA/Dependents’ Care schemes.
• Following completion of your three-month probationary period, you will receive two free theatre/live performance tickets per month in line with our Expenses Policy.
• Charcoalblue operates a bonus scheme which you will benefit from following successful completion of a three-month probationary period. Please note that this is subject to the Partnership’s performance year on year and is not guaranteed.
• You will receive regular check-ins with your line manager to enable you to succeed in the role.

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Start Date

July 2022

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Equity & Diversity Policy Overview

Charcoalblue is an equal opportunities employer, actively working towards becoming an inclusive organization. We work consistently to ensure elimination of unfair and discriminatory practices within the company and encourage full contribution from its diverse community.

Our mission is to manifest an inclusive ethos by creating a diverse and inclusive working environment across our practice. Recruitment opportunities are open to all, but we are particularly keen to hear from ethnically diverse and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented within our teams.

If you require this application in a different format or need support during the application process, please contact Jake Katz via email [email protected] or Dara Tauss via telephone (212-645-0790). Equally, please contact Jake if you have any questions in relation to access, or how the role might need to respond to your personal circumstances.

Charcoalblue aims to provide a service that does not discriminate against its clients and customers and works to ensure all can access the services and goods supplied by the company. We believe that all employees and clients are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity.