Production & Events Manager: Esperanza Arts Center

Esperanza is a faith-based organization committed to strengthening the Hispanic community through a variety of programs and services, focused primarily on community development capacity building, workforce development, education, and advocacy. Through our work, we strive to follow the biblical mandate to serve “the least of these” by equipping and empowering Hispanic communities for advancement. To carry out our mission successfully, we rely on a diverse and talented group of individuals united by a common commitment to the core values of faith, integrity, and excellence.

Guided by these core values, Esperanza Arts Center will touch the lives of, and foster positive social change in, the Latino community through the arts. We offer an exciting, dynamic, and rewarding work environment where we commit to fostering the professional development of our staff and value the contributions of each team member.

Teatro Esperanza is also a forum for learning for young people in our community. Through our Mentor Fellow internship program, students gain insights, understanding, and real-world experience in production and arts administration guided and trained by industry professionals. As the primary Mentor Fellow production supervisor and trainer, you must be an articulate and compelling representative of your work with a passion and gift for teaching and mentoring others.

An integral part of the Esperanza Arts Center team, the Production & Events Manager is the primary artist and client contact for all productions and rental events. The Production & Events Manager is responsible for all aspects of production and artist/client communications for a wide variety of programs, series, residencies, and public and private rental events. These programs represent diverse traditions, disciplines, and backgrounds, and take place in performance and presentation spaces ranging from 30 to 800 seats. You are the hub of a wheel whose end product is a consistently positive, professional, memorable, and meaningful experience for all participants through exemplary, well-managed productions and well-maintained facilities.

Essential Functions:

1. Manages and coordinates all tech and production-related duties and communications with internal departments, rental event clients, artist partners, resident companies, and presented artists for both on-campus and portable outdoor/offsite productions and events.
2. Professional-level capacity to run a 32-channel audio board and manage all aspects of a theatrical audiovisual system.
3. Engages and supervises outside contractors and production staff, including audio engineers, lighting designers, set crew, videographers, and media operators (film, television, radio).
4. Trains and supervises all paid and unpaid back of house support staff, including primarily EAC’s team of Mentor Fellow interns, in all aspects of production to prepare Mentor Fellows for entry level work in the industry.
5. Monitors expenditures to ensure production costs are in accord with allotted budget for each program and event.
6. Addresses on-site production needs in all spaces utilized for Esperanza Arts Center programs and events, including equipment rentals, sets, props, draperies, rigging, lighting, projections, and sound.
7. Primary rental client contact and event production liaison for all public and private events, performances, and recording project facility rentals. Orients facility users to safety, technical characteristics, and other areas of operations; facilitates the use of the technical and production needs by resident companies and others engaged by or renting the facility.
8. Coordinates and manages load-ins, set-ups, rehearsals, run of shows, and strike schedules in accord with EAC’s master calendar.
9. Monitors the condition of technical and production equipment arranging for repair and replacement as needed and within budget requirements; performs preventative maintenance on equipment when possible.
10. Responsible for keeping spaces and all related systems and equipment in optimal and readily usable state.
11. Works in close collaboration with SVP of Esperanza Arts Center to ensure smooth run of show and seamless coordination and communication between front and back of house operations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Understanding of Esperanza’s mission, goals, and objectives and ability to work independently with a high level of energy and contribute as part of a larger team.
2. Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for Esperanza’s mission.
3. Professionalism and maturity in working with and acting as primary technical/production manager for rental clients, producers, and artists representing a wide spectrum of familiarity with production needs, technical systems, and equipment.
4. Demonstrated experience and capacity to lead, manage, motivate, inspire, train, and collaborate with staff, artists, community partners, and volunteers.
5. Comprehensive knowledge of, and interest in, a variety of performing arts disciplines and all aspects of arts venue production management.
6. Extensive knowledge of technical workflow, signal flow, and mapping, and ability to troubleshoot a wide range of technical production issues under pressure.
7. Experience and a high degree of comfort working with K-12 children and their families, as well as professional artists and speakers of diverse backgrounds.
8. Persuasive advocate on behalf of Latino arts and culture who is able to connect with a broad spectrum of people in meaningful and positive ways.
9. Fluency in Spanish and English preferred.

Experience, Education, and Licensure:

1. Has at least three (3) years of experience in a production leadership capacity in a non-profit organization, professional/university theater, or arts organization or institution.
2. Proven experience establishing and executing production models for a variety of disciplines.
3. Knowledge of broadcasting and streaming protocol and procedures, including FCC and Fair Use Act guidelines.
4. Knowledge of audio, lighting, streaming/broadcast, multi-camera production, and video software/controllers.
5. Demonstrated ability to generate and execute complex creative ideas and projects and to assimilate and organize large amounts of information.
6. Proven ability to consistently work well with others, demonstrating at all times respect for diverse constituencies and within the cultural and arts landscape of Hunting Park, the Philadelphia region, and beyond.
7. Highly proficient in Office, including Word and Excel.
8. BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university in a related field of study or equivalent disciplines.

Must work non-traditional hours (evenings and weekends) based on EAC event calendar, and operational and performance schedule needs.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will frequently stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or equipment; reach with hands and arms; balance; talk or hear. The employee will regularly climb stairs; stoop; kneel; crouch or crawl.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, push/pull, and lift theater arts equipment, props, sound/stage equipment.

Operate standard office equipment; frequent keyboarding; frequent desktop computer work.

Specific vision abilities required by the job include frequent reading and close vision; distance vision; color vision; peripheral vision; depth perception; and the ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; certain performances may create loud sounds during the event.

Theatrical lighting will range from conventional minimal set-up to a combination of strobe, video, and other dynamic stage effects and environments.

Work is primarily indoors, with occasional outdoor productions.

Light travel in the local area to attend events, programs, and community forums.

Position may require occasional trips to attend relevant conferences, seminars, and meetings.

Must work non-traditional hours (evenings and weekends) based on EAC event calendar, and operational and performance schedule needs.

To Apply:

Please forward your resume to both the emails below for consideration of the job.