Production and Operations Manager - Carruthers Center

Northeastern Illinois University • Chicago, IL

21d • Onsite

About The Position

As part of the Student Union, Events and Conference Services department (SUECS) and the Production and Technical Services department (PTS), the Production and Operations Manager manages event production and operations in the CCICS Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall and lower-level event space. The role also provides production and operations support for other PTS-supported events at CCICS, the north campus, Board of Trustees meetings at El Centro and the north campuses, and NEIU commencements. The position reports to the Production Director.

The manager plans staffing, operations, and production services with SUECS staff, student groups, faculty, staff, rental groups, and other clients. The role advances internal, hosted, and rental events and oversees production services such as live sound, projection, stage management, lighting, rigging, recording, livestreaming, web conferencing, and event setup. The manager hires, trains, supervises, and schedules student workers, freelance employees, and contractors, and also performs production duties as needed.

The position contributes to departmental planning and special projects, develops training and protocol documentation, improves administrative systems, and enforces and helps revise Production Unit policies. It maintains equipment and technical records, recommends capital purchases, reports and tracks facilities maintenance requests, manages venue calendars, and supports rental-event administration. The role advises event organizers on equipment and facility use and serves as a liaison with campus service departments during events.

The position is based at NEIU’s Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) in Chicago. It is in-office and not eligible for hybrid or remote work. Travel to other NEIU campuses is required as needed. The schedule is flexible according to departmental and event needs; evening and weekend hours may be required. Participation at all commencement ceremonies is required. Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available. A background check is required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least one year (12 months) of education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization; a relevant master’s degree may substitute for one year of work experience.
• Experience or training diagnosing, troubleshooting, and repairing audio, video, lighting, and networking equipment.
• Ability to lift up to 70 pounds and work on ladders up to a 24-foot working height, lifts up to a 30-foot working height, catwalks, and crawl spaces.
• Legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States; the position is not eligible for work visa sponsorship.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule based on departmental and event needs, including evenings and weekends as required.
• Ability to travel to other NEIU campus locations as needed.
• Ability to participate in all commencement ceremonies.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in a field related to technical theatre, theatrical design, or AV engineering.
• Two years of experience managing a team.
• Knowledge of video recording, livestreaming, and video editing.
• Experience managing rental events.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, 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-motivation and ability to carry out tasks with minimal direction.
• High attention to detail and solid organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage production and operations for events in Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall and the lower-level event space, and support other PTS-supported events.
• Advance event needs with NEIU faculty, staff, external partners, renters, and other event organizers.
• Supervise live sound engineering, projection, stage management, lighting, rigging and fly-system operation, recording, livestreaming, web conferencing, and other production services.
• Perform production duties, including equipment setup, live sound engineering, lighting design and operation, AV recording, and web-conferencing setup and operation.
• Hire, train, supervise, and schedule student workers, freelance employees, and contractors within budget constraints; cover their duties when absent.
• Collaborate with the Production Director on departmental objectives and long-range planning.
• Lead special projects, including capital improvements and staffing leadership and development opportunities.
• Create training and protocol documentation, improve administrative systems, and enforce University policy; help create and revise Production Unit policy with the Production Director.
• Maintain equipment and records by troubleshooting, cleaning, and repairing equipment; updating inventory, patch lists, lighting plots, technical venue documentation, and firmware; and reporting issues outside the role’s scope.
• Recommend capital equipment purchases and services to maintain or improve venue safety and functionality.
• Submit facilities maintenance requests for the event spaces and track progress.
• Administer venue calendars in the University scheduling system and ensure scheduled activities are accurately reflected.
• Provide production and operational support for other PTS-supported events across campuses.
• Advise and educate faculty, staff, rental clients, and others on equipment operation and facility use.
• Serve as event liaison to Police, Building Service Workers, University Technology Services, and Parking during supported events.
• Manage rental-event administration, including meeting prospective clients, scheduling pre-production meetings, serving as the primary day-of production contact, and reporting space and staff usage for invoicing.
• Participate in planning and executing commencement ceremonies, Board of Trustees meetings, and other off-campus or satellite events, including organizing equipment, loading and driving trucks, moving furniture, and setting up and operating AV and conference-room technology.
• Perform other related duties as assigned or needed.

Benefits

• University employees may be eligible for State of Illinois benefits, including health, dental, and vision benefits, sick and vacation days, and participation in the State Universities Retirement System.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager