| Northwest Mississippi Community College (NWCC) is seeking an ambitious, energetic, and quality driven Technical Director for the Northwest Center for the Performing Arts. This position will be responsible for technical production of the theater’s regular programming, rentals, and on campus events. The TD will lead regular maintenance on improvements of audio, visual, and theatrical equipment. The TD will advance all events for technical lighting, audio, and staging needs in coordination with the Director of the Performing Arts Center. They will provide outstanding customer service to artists, touring personnel, rental clients, and faculty and staff, responding to feedback and inquiries in a timely manner with thoughtful solutions. This position reports to the Director of the Performing Arts Center. The Venue: The Northwest Center for the Performing Arts is a 65,000 square-foot development that presents a 1203 seat fully-equipped performance theater, including balcony seating, a reception gallery with private courtyard, and a two-story lobby entrance. Back stage areas incorporate multiple dressing rooms, a green room, and prop and costume preparation areas. The facility features classrooms, computer labs, a digital piano lab, multiple private instrument practice rooms, and a recording studio for academic music and entertainment industry pathways. Four spacious rehearsal spaces are provided for the Northwest Bands and Choirs, including an outdoor, 100-yard practice field for the Northwest Marching Band. The Performing Arts Center hosts Broadway touring productions, celebrity attractions, visiting artists, premier lecturers, local presentations, and on campus events. Responsibilities: Event Administration: POTENTIAL EVENT REVIEW–Reviews technical riders and related information for events/artists. Provide labor and equipment/backline rental estimates as requested and discloses requirements that are unable to be fulfilled or might cause additional cost. EVENT PLANNING–Advances the needs of incoming events/artists and plans for effective, cost-conscious fulfillment of those needs within the requirements of the contract, including backstage labor and equipment, and other artist requirements and requests. EVENT FOLLOWUP–Ensures the restoration of the stage areas, & backstage areas following each event. Lead post-show follow-up with backstage staff to assess the outcome of each event/project and adjust operational procedures and recommend repairs and additional equipment, as necessary. - Serves as the Manager on Duty backstage for major events on event operation days.
- Ensures the department meets and/or exceeds the fulfillment of each event’s technical requirements while meeting or coming in under the projected budget.
- Resolves technical issues with artist’s staff.
- Proactively encourages and/or assists with enhancing the quality of productions to meet venue standards when appropriate.
- Reacts to and solves emergency situations requiring immediate decisions and action.
- Occasionally serves as Manager on Duty for events covering both backstage and front-of-house management.
Venue Management: STAFFING–Ensures appropriate supervision of all personnel supporting backstage operations, to include fulltime staff members as well as extra help stagehands. Oversees the recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling, discipline, and termination as required for backstage operations personnel while following all applicable departmental and University procedures/processes. FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT–Ensures the maintenance of all equipment, supplies, and stage-related systems. Continuously develops improvements to increase efficiency, capability, and safety. LONG RANGE PLANNING–Continuously considers and makes recommendations for facility upgrades and backstage equipment replacement. Administrative & Financial: BUDGETING–Prepares annual and event budget forecasts for backstage operations. Researches, plans, and project budgets for short-and long-term maintenance and repair to include labor, equipment, and, when appropriate, suggest contractors. EXPENSE CONTROL-Monitors budget progress for events and backstage operations and ensures adherence to previously approved budgets EVENT COSTING –Prepares and submits accurate payroll data and event costing information as required in a timely manner which is accurate and easily understood. MEETING ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION–as required. Safety: CULTURE OF SAFETY –Serves as the venue’s Chief Safety Officer and continuously develops and promotes a culture of safety in all backstage operations. LEADERSHIP -Serves as the venue’s expert in backstage safety and maintains knowledge of industry best-practices in terms of safety. Develops and implements written safety policies and procedures for the backstage area, advises the Director of the Performing Arts Center of major safety issues. TRAINING -Ensures and documents that all venue personnel working backstage are appropriately trained in the safe operation of equipment, are aware of appropriate use and availability of personal protection equipment, are adhering to all venue, college, OSHA, and industry best-practices safety standards. INSPECTION -Frequently and personally conducts and documents walk-throughs of backstage spaces to ensure a safe working environment and reports/fixes problems. Periodically schedules, leads, and documents a safety inspection walk-though of the backstage spaces with the Director of the Director of the Performing Arts Center. Schedules occasional third-party safety inspections of stage equipment (i.e. rigging system). OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE -Ensures all stage equipment is maintained and operated in the manner required of its manufacturer, college, venue, OSHA and other regulatory or applicable laws/regulations. EMERGENCY PLANNING –Works in conjunction with the Director of the Performing Arts Center to develop written emergency plans to include contingencies for show interruption, show cancellation, emergency evacuation, severe weather, medical emergencies, worker/artists accidents, audience intrusion on stage, security breach, etc. Responsible for ensuring all staff are trained on such plans and can execute them as needed. Other: Special Projects and Other Duties as may be occasionally assigned. May assist with campus AV projects from time to time. Preferred Qualifications: 3 to 5 years work experience as a full-time technical director or similar position in technical stage operations of a professional performing arts venue which routinely presents national touring performances. Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field from an accredited university (i.e. Technical Theatre Production) preferred. 6 months or more on-the-road touring experience as a crew member or member of the event’s technical staff with a professional national touring bus & truck show highly preferred. Environmental demands: Variable work shifts including working evenings and weekends. Long hours standing and/or moving quickly around the multi-story backstage area. Some exposure to outside elements while supervising artist load-ins. Occasional exposure to loud working environments caused by stage sound amplification. Occasional exposure to dim-lighting situations while shows are in progress. Ability to work in high spaces from ladders and aerial lifts and can lift up to 75lbs. Additional requirements: Demonstrated leadership ability in creating and maintaining a safe working environment. Demonstrated ability to communicate orally and in writing at a professional level with the ability to well represent the college. Demonstrated ability to perform mathematical calculations as they pertain to event cost estimating and billing, developing accurate payroll, developing and tracking budgets/expenditures, etc. Demonstrated ability to provide a vision and leadership for the venue in terms of continuously improving backstage operations and safety. Demonstrated knowledge of standard theatrical stage equipment and the ability to safely operate such equipment (i.e. counter-balanced rigging, chain motor rigging, audio/visual, lighting, and electrical systems). Demonstrated knowledge of industry standards in terms of venue services provided to facility renters, artists, and local/touring productions and how to “advance” the technical requirements of touring events. Demonstrated ability to supervise and/or train assigned personnel. Demonstrated ability to operate standard hand tools. Demonstrated ability to perform minor maintenance, repair, and/or modification of stage and sound equipment and oversee major maintenance & repairs. Willingness to work unusual and varying hours. Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to apply sound business procedures and practices in the management of the technical operations of a professional performance venue. Demonstrated ability to deal professionally and effectively with faculty, staff, students, and road show personnel. Demonstrated ability to design basic lighting plots and utilize standard theatrical lighting systems. Scenic and Lighting Design experience preferred. Live audio engineering experience preferred. Demonstrated ability to operate standard office computers and software packages to specifically include Outlook, Word and Excel. Experience with ETC lighting equipment including the ETC ION lighting console. Experience with digital audio consoles including DANTE audio software and DigiCo digital audio consoles. APPLICATION: To apply submit and attach the following: - Application at www.northwestms.edu
- Resume
- Design portfolio
- Three (3) references
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