Production Manager (Project-Based Role)

Meow Wolf•Santa Fe, NM

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Production Manager works in a fast paced, creative environment as an invaluable asset to the Creative Studios division of Meow Wolf. This person will serve as a direct manager to ~10-12 team members, as well as provide production-focused leadership during the design, planning, and execution phases of a project. During the phases of Concept through Design Development on a project, the Production Manager will help manage the mockup scope and gain valuable insights before production begins. Once production begins, the Production Manager will direct timelines, work assignments, and major tool scheduling to complete our team’s production scope. As well, this person will oversee the budgets assigned to the production of projects and will provide monthly reports to Project Leadership. The total scope and budget that an individual Production Manager will be responsible for managing will be <$1M, with a department total of up to $6M per major project. The Production Manager will also lead the documentation efforts needed for handoffs to Operations teams and local governance such as Fire Inspectors. The Production Manager will provide ongoing feedback and mentorship to members of their production teams and contribute to the overall development of the AD&P department. The Production Manager must be calm under pressure and have experience working on small to large projects with a diverse team. Most importantly, they must be flexible in finding creative solutions to production issues as well as resolving conflict in interpersonal communications. This role requires an extremely capable and fast-paced individual who can not only maintain the current culture and processes but help develop and refine our systems as we scale.

Requirements

1+ years working in art administration or production management
1+ years interfacing directly with creatives
1+ years experience as a personnel supervisor
Experience with the creation of permanent art installations or exhibitions
3+ years experience in permanent exhibition design, fabrication, and artistic production is required
Experience leading production teams
Experience with shop tools and machine maintenance
Familiarity working with wood, metal, plastics, and general assembly
Able to interpret shop drawings for production
Experience with 3D printing, CNC operations, laser cutting, and welding
Experience in fastener selection and specification
OSHA 10 certification
Design and Production knowledge

Responsibilities

Serve as a functional leader to ~10-12 AD&P members, as well as a short-term team leader for mixed-talent production teams within the Artistic Development & Production (AD&P) Team. Functional management responsibilities include time tracking, managing PTO, hosting performance reviews, hiring recommendations, team member advocacy, and facilitating HR discussions for the Production Manager’s direct reports.
Work with Production Directors to understand and establish goals, timelines, and build plans for internal project work performed by AD&P.
Manage a selection of production projects within the department’s overall delivery scope, owning the timeline and material spend for each project.
Manage workflow through shared department resources, such as the Paint Booth, Laser Cutters, and Vacuum Former.
Work closely with Sr. Director of Design & Production and Production Directors to establish project build sequencing and a work breakdown structure for each in-house build.
Contribute to project staffing decisions for internal AD&P build teams, taking into account the talent needed to complete a project and the desire for all team members to develop new skills.
Help the build team meet its deliverables by the agreed end date or labor limit and stick to the agreed budget.
Serve as a side-by-side mentor to the active build team, aiming to build the skills, advise on safe working practices, and raise the professionalism of the members of the build team.
Identify conflicts that may arise during a build, whether technical or personal, and work with the involved parties to find resolution.
During a build, provide regular completion status and spend updates to our management team.
The Production Manager will have the final say on an internal project’s build quality and durability. If quality concerns arise, the Production Manager will work with the build team to guide any reworks necessary to get the build to an acceptable level of completion.
Other duties as assigned.