The Role
Leads live event production teams and manages complex projects from planning through delivery. Responsibilities include resource allocation, budgeting, supplier and freelancer negotiation, scheduling, technical production, venue coordination, health and safety compliance, financial reconciliation, and process improvement. The role is client-facing, supports business development, develops supplier and venue relationships, and will build a Riyadh-based production team and local operational infrastructure.
Summary Generated by Built In
The Production Lead is responsible for the day-to-day management of the relevant team members of the wider Production team, planning resourcing needs, booking freelance staff as required, ensuring consistency in all projects, and taking overall responsibility for the delivery of all relevant projects. Whilst there is a focus required on overall team management and future planning, the Senior Production Lead will also perform a “hands on” production role on the bigger and more complex projects. This is a client facing role and it is expected that the Lead will be able to present project budgets, pitch budgets, programme budgets and other material as necessary to client groups and purchasing teams. The Lead is also expected to adopt a proactive, client-facing role as needed to support client services and business development, facilitating local client acquisition and strengthening existing client relationships.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure projects are delivered on budget and on-time to the highest possible standards for all projects.
- Manage the workflow and resourcing of projects within the role remit, in combination with the other Directors & resourcing personnel.
- Ensure the production team are working to Imagination standards – profi table business practise, health and safety standards are met, projects commercially sound, appropriate documentation & supplier best practice.
- Help drive constant process and delivery improvements across delivery teams.
- Motivate, guide and support the wider production team and contribute to their development of all team members.
- Create practical working solutions to creative proposals – turning the vision into reality.
- Budgeting of projects and programmes of work, ensuring best value pricing, negotiating with suppliers and making contractor selection.
- Oversee fi nancial control of 3rd party spend, ensuring any other Production Managers plan and deliver all aspects of assigned projects within the agreed timeframe and budget.
- Capable of wholly creating and managing large scale, complex budgets.
- Negotiate favourable costs and terms with all suppliers and freelancers to deliver value to Imagination and its clients. Unrestricted 1
- On project completion, work with the Project Director/Manager to ensure a timely and precise fi nancial reconciliation of all production budgets.
- Specification of technical equipment and manufacturing, in conjunction with Imagination specialist teams (lighting and sound teams, design production etc).
- Collaborating with the creative production team to develop solutions for live event (all streams) situations;
- Scheduling of all trades throughout pre-production and delivery phases.
- Produce overall project time plan with Project Management & Creative and ensure all Imagination processes are adhered to.
- Liaise with venues and carry out site visits as appropriate, reporting back as to suitability for required event mode..
- Developing and maintaining relationships with suppliers and ensuring new and innovative products and services are introduced.
- Manage Health and Safety on all projects in conjunction with the Imagination H&S Manager, including creation of all documentation to UK/appropriate global / regional standards.
- Fulfilling the role in compliance with company policies and procedures, for example (but not limited) ISO documentation, Information Security training.
- Ensure the production team works in compliance within Imagination policies and guidelines.
- Ensure debriefs are undertaken on all projects and results are communicated, best-practice and learnings are shared with the production team.
- Build on existing supplier and provider relationships and actively seek new ones across all production and technical delivery streams.
- Strengthen and expand on relationships with key entities (Civil Defense, GEA, SCEGA etc) to help facilitate a compliant production process efficiently.
- Build on and further develop venue database and venue managers relationships.
- Enhance and manage Riyadh storage facility to ensure items and provisions are prepared pre-event and reset post-event.
- Build on existing in-country resources that are already in play across key disciplines (site managers, IT experts, printing specialists, gifting vendors etc).
- In time, build a Riyadh based production team across all skill levels.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Educated to degree level/professional qualifi cation or qualifi ed by experience;
- Solid relevant experience in similar industries and at an appropriate level, including international and multidisciplinary work;
- Proven experience of managing a team of Production / Technical Managers;
- Broad understanding of technical elements including digital, staging, AV and construction processes;
- Confident and experienced with budgeting and negotiating large scale projects, roadshows and exhibitions;
- Flexible and adaptable to new challenges and requirements;
- Must be able to communicate well and build relationships with clients, other departments / colleagues;
- Interest in general industry and technologies;
- Computer literate in the Microsoft Offi ce suite of programs;
- Ability to generate, understand and interpret technical drawings;
- Working knowledge of international / regional Health and Safety and Compliance regulations.
Benefits
- Comprehensive paid time off benefits
- Hybrid work model, where our team comes into the office a minimum of 3 days per week
- Comprehensive health insurance
- Public profile and exposure increase as a thought leader and prominent talent for the office, featured in publications and as a panellist, speaker and judge in select events
- Monthly breakfasts and monthly social sessions
- Select educational support for growth and upskilling
Skills Required
- Degree-level education, professional qualification, or equivalent experience
- Relevant production experience in similar industries at an appropriate level
- International and multidisciplinary production experience
- Experience managing Production or Technical Managers
- Broad understanding of digital, staging, audiovisual, and construction processes
- Experience budgeting and negotiating large-scale projects, roadshows, and exhibitions
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills with clients and colleagues
- Computer literacy, including Microsoft Office
- Ability to generate, understand, and interpret technical drawings
- Working knowledge of international or regional health, safety, and compliance regulations
- Flexibility and adaptability to new challenges and requirements
- Interest in the general production industry and technologies
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The Company
What We Do
Imagination is an Experience Design Company headquartered in London, with 13 studios worldwide. Founded over 50 years ago on a principle of Independent Creativity - we bring together diverse groups of strategic, creative and practical people to find creative and inspired answers to client challenges. We remain independent to this day. We have earned a reputation for consistently challenging and changing the status quo, through our core offers of Consulting, Destinations, Content and Live. Imagination’s clients include LG, Ford, IKEA, LVMH, Samsung, Jaguar Land Rover, HSBC, Major League Baseball, 3M, Turkish Airlines, Shell and Telstra. Imagination was awarded silver at Campaign’s Global Brand Experience Agency of the Year Awards 2022, ranked 38 in Newsweek’s UK Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces 2022 and won the Grand Prix award at Campaign Tech Awards for their recent work with Visa Masters of Movement
