Associate Director of Projects

Crush Studio•Denver, CO

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director of Projects leads Crush Studio’s Event Manager team and is accountable for team development, workload, and the quality of project delivery. The role partners with leadership on staffing, standards, and team growth while serving as lead producer for a portfolio of complex or high-profile programs, from opportunity handoff through final reconciliation and client sign-off. It balances day-to-day team leadership and hands-on project delivery with responsibility for resourcing, standards, project margins, and the growth of the project function. The role oversees project planning, timelines, budgets, staffing, client communication, vendor relationships, production documentation, and on-site execution. It serves as the primary escalation point across active projects, supports Event Managers in resolving risks, and acts as a decision-maker during installation, event execution, and strike. The Associate Director also collaborates with design, production, operations, finance, and partnerships teams to align project scope, creative direction, logistics, and financial outcomes. The position is based in the office, with working hours of 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mountain Time and flexibility to work from home most Mondays and Fridays as project and studio needs allow. Travel is estimated every 4–8 weeks. Event work may involve evenings, weekends, and occasional overnight installs, as well as hands-on studio, production, load-in, load-out, and on-site event work.

Requirements

At least 8 years of experience in event, experiential production, or design/production industries.
At least 2–3 years of direct experience managing event or project managers, including one-to-ones, performance reviews, and development.
Demonstrated ownership of complex project budgets of $250,000 or more from proposal through reconciliation, with the financial literacy to track actuals in real time.
Experience negotiating and managing vendor, fabricator, and rental-house relationships and contracts.
Ability to calculate material orders using square footage, design measurements, and material sizing.
Ability to research and propose production solutions without firsthand experience, using historical references, critical thinking, and outreach research.
Experience working in physical labor-intensive environments.
Proficiency with Airtable, Monday.com, or comparable project-tracking tools.
Ability to independently manage multiple concurrent projects and vendor relationships without close oversight, and to serve as the primary on-site decision-maker during installation, execution, and strike.
Strong communication skills and the ability to manage needs across clients, internal teams, external partners, and executive- or senior-client stakeholders.
Disciplined, systematic approach with strong accountability for deadlines and budgets, and judgment to set that standard for others.
Strong emotional intelligence and business acumen.
Professional appearance and demeanor, with excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
High sense of responsibility and ability to self-manage and work autonomously.
Ability to use critical thinking and determine solutions based on industry knowledge, studio standards, and client expectations.
Ability to collaborate across levels of management, with coworkers, and with clients; process multiple streams of input and synthesize them into action.
High-energy, self-starting, solutions-oriented team player with a can-do attitude.
Ability to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
Growth mindset and eagerness to learn new methods and practices and engage in discussions to improve individual and team performance.
Affinity for arts and crafts, hands-on physical work, design, and decor.
Affinity for creating meaningful moments of human connection in spaces, with clients, and with the team.
Availability for some evening and weekend work and occasional overnight installs; event schedules may involve weekend days and company holidays.
Ability to work in a collaborative physical studio environment and share responsibility for keeping materials organized, accessible, and usable.

Responsibilities

Directly manage Event Managers, including setting priorities, providing direction, removing roadblocks, holding regular one-to-ones, setting goals, giving ongoing feedback, and conducting annual performance reviews.
Coach and develop team members, build a bench of independently capable project leaders, and partner with the Director of Operations on hiring, onboarding, and role design.
Serve as the primary escalation point across active projects, including sensitive client situations, budget risks, and on-site issues.
Own project timelines from kickoff through event close-out, maintain client-facing decks, internal playbooks, and core project documents, and lead weekly internal project meetings.
Create and assign tasks through digital platforms, monitor deadlines, identify potential issues, and help develop solutions.
Track, forecast, and monitor project costs against budget categories and internal targets; manage reconciliations and invoicing; and advise leadership on pricing, margin, and scope.
Conduct venue site checks; document measurements, photos, access, load-in paths, power availability, venue restrictions, and other logistical considerations.
Maintain production documents such as run-of-show documents, call sheets, certificates of insurance, inventory checklists, venue details, pack lists, task lists, and strike plans.
Partner with design and production teams to create build and production packages, timelines, game plans, and execution plans.
Lead post-project closeout and wrap reports, analyze wins and lessons learned, and feed findings into studio-wide process improvements.
Brief creative and design teams at kickoff, communicate client feedback and approvals, coordinate with Operations and Finance on invoicing and expenses, and provide project updates at studio-wide status meetings.
Balance workload and assignments across Event Managers, flag capacity gaps and resourcing conflicts, review project budgets and deliverables at milestones, and advise on freelance or contract support needs.
Partner with the Director of Partnerships on opportunity handoffs so Event Managers begin projects with clear scope and expectations.
Develop guest experiences and creative programming that account for setting, client goals, on-site considerations, budgets, and audience research.
Write and contribute creative concepts, presentation copy, creative treatments, and guest-facing signage direction.
Research and coordinate with local businesses, specialty programming contractors, DJs, and entertainment providers to create personalized or interactive event moments.
Determine project support needs; negotiate, contract, and manage vendors such as AV providers, florists, photographers, caterers, trucking and shipping providers, local labor, and convention center services.
Brief vendors on creative direction, logistics, and timelines, and serve as their primary day-of contact during on-site activities.
Manage project storage units and inventory; oversee post-event shipping, returns, resale, and inventory logging.
Identify production needs for experiential events and custom environments, initiate production planning, and develop approaches aligned with scope, timing, budget, and staffing.
Own production priorities across concurrent projects and lead conversations about production objectives, milestones, risks, and execution planning.
Identify labor needs for moving, production assistance, and other project work; direct on-site vendors and labor crews, assign tasks, manage call times, enforce breaks, and resolve issues in real time.
Mentor production team members and act as a secondary escalation point when needed.
Partner with leadership to refine production processes, templates, standards, and best practices.
Set and enforce budgeting standards across the project team, track portfolio profitability, and surface financial trends and learnings to leadership.
Partner with the Director of Operations to refine project tools and systems, including Airtable, Monday.com, and Clockify, and keep project standards, templates, playbooks, timelines, and documentation current.
Participate in leadership planning and contribute the project team’s perspective on capacity, growth, and priorities.
Support general studio and production work, including organizing physical materials, packing and unloading event materials, and hands-on installation and strike tasks such as cleaning, moving, hanging, zip-tying, cord management, steaming, and furniture movement.

Benefits

11 paid holidays, including one personal holiday, and a soft close during the holiday break.
15 paid time-off days per year to start, increasing by one day per year of service up to 20 days.
Three additional sick/mental health days per year.
Shortened Friday work hours based on completion of weekly responsibilities and event schedule.
Flex time for installs and events when weekend days or company holidays are worked; flex time does not roll over or get paid out.
For Colorado employees, access to FAMLI benefits including up to 12 weeks of paid medical or parental leave, with employee and employer contributions through payroll deductions.
Up to six weeks of paid medical or parental leave, as applicable, to supplement FAMLI leave to reach 12 total paid weeks.
10 remote work days in addition to some Mondays and most Fridays remote.
Simple IRA with a company match of 50%, up to 3% for employees.
Monthly health contribution of $250 toward participation in the company-sponsored ICHRA or a $150 post-tax health care expense stipend.
$100 monthly cell phone reimbursement.
Discretionary bonuses; the role is also eligible for an annual performance-based bonus.
Access to trade discounts for personal furniture and home decor purchases.
TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.