Technical Director

JOB DETAILS

Job Title: Technical Director
Reports To: Director, Production | Land Production
Direct Reports: Manager, Health and Safety; Production Technicians
Place of Work: NYC HQ, 34-01 38th Avenue, Suite 302 – New York, NY 11101
Other: Full Time
Salary: $70K-$75K

ABOUT RWS GLOBAL

JOB OVERVIEW

The Technical Director will lead and oversee the technical aspects of all theme park entertainment productions across the US and EME/APAC. This role requires a detail-oriented leader with comprehensive experience and expertise delivering world-class live entertainment experiences, operational excellence, and aligning with brand standards and guidelines. The Technical Director will lead a team of entertainment technical designers, installation and operations technicians and collaborate extensively with producers, project/production managers, show directors, vendors and clients to deliver high-quality productions and experiences that align with the creative vision and operational requirements of each property. This role will also lead the efforts of the Manager, Health and Safety to ensure compliance with safety standards, guidelines and local laws/regulations for all park productions across the globe.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategy and Leadership: Define and execute the entertainment technical strategy for entertainment productions (seasonal events, haunts, holidays, IP activations etc.) across all parks in conjunction with local park leadership and Project/Production Managers. Function as a key member of RWS Global Production leadership team which creates and produces live entertainment experiences throughout the US and EMEA.
• Relationship Management: Collaborate cross-functionally with corporate and park teams to ensure world-class technical support services to all park productions, maintain safety & risk management practices, and leverage shared services (HR, Finance, Legal) to deliver projects on time and on budget.
• Production Planning & Scheduling: Develop detailed technical production schedules, timelines, and workflows for various projects, ensuring all elements are planned, organized, and executed on time and within scope.
• Continuous Improvement: Maintain and continuously improve key performance indicators (KPIs) such as guest satisfaction scores (NPS), employee engagement scores, show uptime, production cost targets and safety incident metrics across all parks.
• Budget Management: Manage the technical services portion of all production budgets to include labor expense and technician staffing levels, equipment rental/maintenance and purchasing, vendor contracts, and monitoring respective financial KPI’s to ensure tech budgets and profit margins meet established goals.
• Quality Control: Ensure all tech production deliverables meet the highest standards of show quality, creative intent and sustainment, and are in full compliance with all local and regional/country regulations, guidelines and laws.
• Risk Management: Working with the Manager, Health and Safety Identify and mitigate potential risks associated with production activities including employee activities and performances, developing contingency plans to address technical, operational, or compliance challenges.
• Flexible Schedule: Project locations span the globe and may require extended hours which include work over weekends and holidays and include international travel to project site locations as needed.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Degree in Technical Theater Production, Live Event Production, Production Management, Sports Event Management or a related field; equivalent professional experience considered.
• 7+ years of experience in entertainment technical production management, sports production or live event industries.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong knowledge and experience leading live entertainment technical production processes, to include budgeting, labor management, technician and vendor scheduling, logistics, entertainment programming, strategic planning and safety protocols.
• Proficiency in operations management software and tools, such as Wrike, Microsoft Project, Asana, Trello, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with health and safety regulations and best practices in entertainment production environments.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.

Character Attributes:

• Leadership: Enables project team members to achieve collective results through planning, collaboration, and confident decision making.
• Strong Communicator: Able to provide clear direction to team members, crew, talent, vendors, and stakeholders, ensuring clear understanding and alignment across all project activities.
• Highly Organized: Exceptional at planning and managing complex schedules and resources.
• Detail-Oriented: Attentive to all parts of the project process.
• Team-Oriented: Works collaboratively with diverse teams, fostering a positive working environment that encourages cooperation and communication.
• Proactive Problem Solver: Anticipate potential challenges and develop thoughtful contingency plans to quickly address project challenges to client satisfaction.
• Decisive: Confident in making quick, informed decisions.
• Adaptable: Flexible to last-minute changes, unforeseen challenges, or evolving project needs.
• Professional Attitude: Effectively navigate high-stress situations. Representing yourself, the project and RWS in the most positive way.
• Resourceful: Finds creative solutions to optimize resources, manage costs, and maintain quality, within budget parameters.
• Budget-Conscious: Ability to create and track budgets, expenses, P&L, negotiate with vendors and find cost effective solutions to project challenges.
• Safety-Focused: Prioritizes health and safety of all project team members, enforcing protocols and ensuring compliance with industry regulations, codes and laws.
• Time Management: Capable of handling multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring all project deliverables are completed on schedule.
• Flexible Schedule: Project locations span the globe and may require extended hours which include work over weekends and holidays and include international travel to project site locations as needed.
• Ethical & Professional: Upholds high standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability

Company Benefits:

• Competitive Salary
• Flexible working schedule and remote work options
• Company 401K
• Health Benefits – Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment
• Opportunity to work on a variety of project types including theme parks, resort hotels, entertainment centers, live shows, temporary experiences and many others.

While this is intended to be an accurate description of the job, this is not necessarily an comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the position, and may require that other or different tasks be performed as necessary and assigned.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT:
DIVERSE IS WHO WE ARE
Way more than a box to check, diversity is core to RWS Global culture. We value it, promote it, protect it and hire it. All differences are welcome here. We know for a fact that each employee’s individual background, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, and capabilities are a contribution to our culture, as well as our reputation and achievements. So, bring all of who you are, no questions asked.