About the Department

The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) on the CalState Northridge campus, located in Los Angeles, seeks dynamic candidates for full-time Assistant Technical Director position. The Soraya includes two venues, a 500-seat auditorium, and the state-of-the-art 1700-seat proscenium theater/concert hall. The Soraya is a creative and dynamic workplace where diversity is valued on our stages and amongst our team. We present a full range of disciplines and genres in appx. 50 performances per year. We host an equal number of rental performances annually. The Soraya places utmost importance on high-quality performances and a production team capable of delivering at the highest levels of excellence in the world-class venue. The Soraya opened eight years ago and is equipped with state of the art technology. Position responsibilities encompass a full range of production with a electrics / lighting emphasis, administrative, and maintenance duties and the ATD-E stands in for Technical Director, as needed.

About the University

One of the largest universities in the country, California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is an urban, comprehensive university that delivers award-winning undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 40,000 students annually and counts more than 330,000 alumni who elevate Southern California and beyond. Since its founding in 1958, CSUN has made a significant and long-term economic impact on California, generating nearly $1.9 billion in economic impact and more than 11,700 jobs each year. The LAEDC recognized CSUN as its 2015 Eddy Award winner for its positive economic impact. Serving more students on Pell Grants than any other institution in California, CSUN is also a social elevator and one of the most diverse universities in the country. CSUN ranks 13th in awarding bachelor's degrees to underrepresented minority students and seventh in bachelor's degrees to Latino students, serves the 13th largest Jewish student population, and enrolls the largest number of students who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing of any U.S. state university. The journal Nature recently named CSUN a Rising Star for scientific research, and the NSF ranks CSUN in the top five nationally among similar institutions for graduates who go on to earn doctorates in the sciences. CSUN is where individuals rise. And through them, so does Greater Los Angeles and beyond.

CSUN's Commitment to You

CSUN is committed to achieving excellence through teaching, scholarship, learning and inclusion. Our values include a respect for all people, building partnerships with the community and the encouragement of innovation, experimentation and creativity. CSUN strives to cultivate a community in which a diverse population can learn and work in an atmosphere of civility and respect. CSUN is especially interested in candidates who make contributions to equity and inclusion in the pursuit of excellence for all members of the university community.

Major Duties

Under the direction of the Technical Director, the Assistant Technical Director - Electrics (Lighting Head) oversees productions at Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) facilities. The incumbent is responsible for over 75 presented events, rentals, and originally produced productions per season at multiple facilities in the production areas of electrics and stage operations with respect to advance preparations and budgeting, communicating with visiting production and artistic staff, interpretation of drawings and documentation, pre-hangs, load-ins, performances, load-outs and all post-performance details; coordinates budget and staffing needs for productions within their scope of supervision, programing and operation of lighting consoles at a high level; oversees and trains a team of electrics and deck lead staff to assist with production needs, staffing coverages and performing production maintenance activities; works to maintain and improve the integrity, condition, and value of the facility as a world class performing arts and cultural center for the campus and larger community; and performs other duties as assigned.

BACKSTAGE OPERATIONS

Oversees productions in the area of electrics beginning with the advance preparations and budgeting, meeting and communicating with visiting production and design staff, interpretation of drawings and documentation, pre-hangs, load-ins, performances, load-outs and all post-performance activities. Productions include presented events, rentals, and originally produced productions. Oversees and trains a team of electrics technicians to accomplish complex pre-hangs, lighting focuses, console programming, and console operations for productions. Serves as resident expert of the lighting consoles and related complex system setups and programming. Maintains lighting data networks and troubleshoots equipment and cable issues. Provides on-deck oversite to technician teams during work calls and oversite to lead electrics positions.

ON DECK SUPERVISION / OVERSITE

Oversees electrics and deck crews and provides oversite of lead technicians. May act solely as the onsite Lead for Production Services Department in the absence of the Technical Director, this will include oversite of all technical and backstage operations. This will include responding to decision-making requests, representing the facility in interaction with visiting production leadership, making design and scheduling decisions, and responding to emergencies.

ADVANCING / PLANNING / PRE-HANGS

Advances productions within the scope of responsibility of the position to include all electrics needs and others for all performances in the Great Hall and/or the Plaza del Sol Performance Hall. Meets and communicates with visiting production staff to plan production needs and schedules. Prepares budget forecasts for productions within their scope of supervision and contributes to department financial tracking. Prepares for and participates in pre-event and post-event facility activities to include pre-hangs, setup changes, and general facility upkeep. Responsible for generating budget forecasts for electrics operations for the fiscal year.

STAFF ONBOARDING / TRAINING

Oversees and trains a team of electrics staff (Part Time and Temporary staff and lead staff) used to support productions. This includes training teams in standard operating procedures, standard setups, work practices, and maintaining effective workflows and communications. Participates in overall production staff training and facility preparations. This includes ensuring safety and standard operating procedures are followed and that facility documentation is maintained. Participates in trainings and the training of staff on an ongoing basis.

DESIGNING / QUALITY CONTROL

Designs and maintains lighting plots for standard facility setups and productions as well as on the fly lighting design as needed for productions or the coordination there of. Keen attention to maintaining a consistent level of production quality in lighting systems and designs is required. Communicates with visiting productions and their design staffs to develop estimated costs and plans of actions in executing design and production needs. Recognizes that quality is a byproduct of processes, communication and collaborative and can-do spirit amongst backstage personnel and its work with artists and their representatives.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Comprehensive knowledge of the methods and problems in multiple production specialties. Comprehensive knowledge of design theory and principles and how they are executed in various production specialties. Working knowledge of directing and stage management, including the ability to manage staging needs for productions requiring numerous costume and set changes and the ability to manage and coordinate the use of multiple facilities. Thorough and in-depth knowledge of the technical aspects of construction, implementation, and operation of staging materials and effects in the various production specialties, including the ability to work with drawings and plots to assist in their execution. Comprehensive knowledge of safety measures and hazards related to theatre productions. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with individuals at all levels within the organization. Ability and Specialized skills to: independently manage production support projects and productions by breaking segments into working units that coincide with production needs; work on more complex projects/designs and to work with more difficult materials and equipment, including the ability to select and use the most appropriate materials to meet production needs; use more complex features of applicable software packages for production specialty; plan the layout and use of work areas; support classroom instruction by performing classroom demonstrations related to production specialty; and ability to work with faculty and provide training and supervision to students involved in productions.

General Information

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position may be considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

How To Apply

Candidates should apply by completing the CSUN on-line application utilizing:  http://bit.ly/HRCSUN link. NOTE: Internal candidates should apply through the portal by accessing the View Job Openings/Apply link on the Human Resources/Employee pagelet.

**Above link takes you to the CSUN Jobs page. Sort the listing by department, then scroll down to Performing Arts Complex and find the Assistant Technical Director - Electrics (Lighting Head) posting. Applications are ONLY accepted through the CSUN Jobs page (link above).

This job opening has been re-posted and will remain OPEN UNTIL FILLED.

For more detailed information on the application and hiring process, please visit the link below:

www.csun.edu/careers

Equal Employment Opportunity

CSUN is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, and disability. Our nondiscrimination policy is set forth in CSU Executive Order 1096. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting Recruitment Services at ext. 2101.