Senior Director, Production - Black Sky Creative

Sony Music Global•Los Angeles, CA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Black Sky Creative, a boutique experiential agency and part of Sony Music Entertainment, is seeking a Senior Director of Production. This role is the senior operational leader responsible for delivering projects from initial opportunity through final execution. The position combines operations, project management, production leadership, and client partnership. The Senior Director will join early conversations with Sony stakeholders and clients as the operational expert, assessing feasibility, timelines, budgets, staffing needs, and risks. They will help turn opportunities into executable plans and support leadership in securing new work. Once approved, they will own delivery, serving as the primary client contact, leading internal teams, freelancers, vendors, contractors, and creative partners, and overseeing projects through completion with minimal leadership involvement. Success requires both strategic leadership and hands-on execution, with a critical focus on permanent retail and hospitality buildouts, as well as overseeing pop-ups, activations, events, and tours.

Requirements

Extensive experience leading production, construction, or experiential project delivery.
Proven success managing permanent buildouts, retail environments, hospitality projects, or themed entertainment.
Strong executive presence with the ability to advise senior stakeholders on feasibility, risk, and execution.
Skilled in project scoping, estimating, budgeting, and vendor management.
Deep project management expertise with the ability to oversee multiple complex projects simultaneously.
Experience leading architects, contractors, fabricators, and specialty vendors.
Strong understanding of permitting and construction approval processes.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage outsourced creative partners.
Comfortable operating strategically while remaining hands-on when needed.
Exceptional judgment, communication skills, and a solutions-oriented leadership style.

Responsibilities

Partner with leadership and stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, timelines, and success metrics.
Evaluate feasibility, operational requirements, risks, resources, and financial viability.
Develop budgets, schedules, staffing plans, and execution strategies.
Build accurate estimates by validating costs directly with vendors and partners.
Support pitches, proposals, and business development efforts with realistic project plans.
Build trusted relationships and identify opportunities for future work.
Own the full project lifecycle from kickoff through delivery.
Manage schedules, budgets, critical paths, and production plans across multiple projects.
Serve as the primary day-to-day client contact once projects are underway.
Lead internal teams, freelancers, and vendors while ensuring accountability and quality.
Provide clear updates, recommendations, and risk assessments to stakeholders.
Oversee permanent retail and hospitality buildouts from design through opening.
Direct architects, contractors, engineers, permitting consultants, and inspectors.
Lead site walks, punch-list completion, and project closeout.
Manage permitting strategy and hold partners accountable for approvals and timelines.
Oversee vendor relationships and execution of temporary activations and events.
Own project budgets from estimate through final reconciliation.
Approve vendor proposals, contracts, and invoices.
Manage scope changes and change orders proactively.
Protect project profitability while balancing budget, timeline, and quality.
Manage external creative partners and internal rendering resources.
Translate client objectives into actionable creative briefs.
Ensure creative quality and alignment with budget and production realities.
Lead and develop producers and technical production staff.
Build project teams from internal resources, freelancers, and specialized partners.
Create scalable systems and processes that enable efficient delivery across a growing portfolio.