Director of Production

Position Summary

The Director of Production oversees end-product quality, operational performance, and financial reporting across all open programs in Tinsel's portfolio. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role is the connective tissue between strategy and execution, ensuring every program in flight is delivered to Tinsel's creative standard, run with operational discipline, and tracked with financial rigor.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Oversight & Delivery Quality

  • Maintain oversight of all open programs, ensuring each meets Tinsel's standards for creative caliber, safety, and brand alignment from pre-production through final delivery.
  • Uphold a high caliber of pre-production and end product across the portfolio, stepping in as senior production lead on high-profile or at-risk programs as needed.
  • Drive consistency in kickoffs, scope definition, timelines, milestones, and deliverables across all programs.
  • Act as the first point of escalation for production challenges, providing timely, strategic solutions and keeping the Executive Director informed of risks.
  • Conduct program health check-ins across the portfolio and enforce escalation guardrails.

• Operations & Process

  • Implement and enforce production playbooks, RACI models, workback frameworks, and naming/folder conventions across all active programs, in partnership with the Executive Director and Director of Operations.
  • Hold a weekly production team meeting to align on program status, priorities, and resourcing, and invest in building strong relationships across the existing team.
  • Partner with the Executive Director to serve as the responsible party for the production team's billable coverage and utilization—monitoring resourcing across programs and ensuring efficient, profitable deployment of producers, coordinators, and freelancers (accountability sits with the Executive Director).
  • Ensure production tools and platforms (e.g., Monday.com) are used consistently and reflect accurate, current program status.
  • Identify process improvements, cost savings, and risk-mitigation opportunities across the portfolio and drive their adoption.

• Financial Reporting & Budget Performance

  • Own portfolio-level financial reporting for all open programs: budget status, burn rate, margin tracking, and variance flags, delivered on a regular cadence to the Executive Director and leadership.
  • Liaise with the Finance team to align production budgeting systems with reporting output, including weekly reconciliation activities.
  • Ensure programs are delivered on budget while achieving margin and profitability targets.
  • Partner with producers to build, pressure-test, and maintain detailed program budgets and reconciliations.
  • Conduct post-program financial reviews and wrap reporting, documenting learnings, margin analysis, and recommendations.

• New Business, Proposals & Pitching

  • Lead production input on proposals and pitches, including production strategy, approach, and pricing.
  • Provide feasibility and cost counsel during scoping to ensure new business is won on terms Tinsel can deliver profitably.
  • Develop pricing frameworks and estimate templates that keep pitch budgets competitive and margin-sound.

• Team Leadership & Mentorship

  • Directly manage a team of producers and coordinators, setting clear roles, expectations, and growth paths.
  • Mentor and develop production talent at all levels, fostering accountability, collaboration, and creativity.
  • Lead cross-functional collaboration with creative, account, strategy, and field teams, resolving friction constructively and maintaining momentum.
  • Contribute to hiring, onboarding, and succession planning for the production team in partnership with the Executive Director.

• Vendor & Logistics Management

  • Oversee vendor and venue sourcing, negotiation, and management across programs, ensuring competitive pricing, quality, and compliance.
  • Enforce double- and triple-bidding standards to optimize value.
  • Oversee permitting, staffing, fabrication, shipping, and installation logistics across concurrent activations.
  • Monitor vendor performance and contribute to the ongoing development of Tinsel's vendor and freelancer network.

What Success Looks Like

• 30-60-90 Plan

  • Within 30 Days: Working Portfolio Health View (programs, budgets, risks, workloads); Weekly Production Team Meeting established; Finance Systems & Reconciliation Practices Review.
  • Within 60 Days: Production Review System rolling up to Executive Director (v1); Portfolio Financial Reporting Cadence, aligned with Finance including weekly recon; Cost-Savings & Margin Opportunities Report.
  • Within 90 Days: End-Product Improvement Plan with implementation milestones; Post-Program Learnings Report (templatized); Team Development & Growth Plans.

Skills & Requirements

• Experience

  • 7–10 years in experiential marketing or event production, with senior-level experience managing complex, multi-market programs.
  • Proven ability to oversee multiple concurrent programs with premium execution and consistent quality.
  • Demonstrated experience managing and developing teams of producers and coordinators.
  • Expertise in budget management, financial reporting, vendor negotiations, and contract management.
  • Experience contributing production strategy and pricing to proposals and new business pitches.

• Qualifications

  • High EQ with strong communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
  • Proficiency in project management platforms (e.g., Monday.com, Smartsheet, Asana) and budget tracking tools.
  • Willingness to travel 20–40% for site visits, activations, and client meetings, depending on program load.
  • Availability for flexible work schedules, including nights and weekends when required.