Event Production Manager

About the role

The Event Production & Catering Manager is the architect of the OTG experience, embodying Danny Meyer’s idea that “Hospitality happens for you, not to you.” This role is responsible for translating each client's vision and OTG's own creative vision for its public markets and events into a curated, executable plan, and doing it through systems and processes that make excellence repeatable across markets, public events, and catering.

Responsibilities

• Translate each client's vision into a curated, executable event experience; bring OTG's own creative vision to life across public markets and events
• Own season-opening creator curation across markets and public events—setting each season's opening lineup with taste and intent
• Own catering creator curation—matching the right creators and experiences to each catering event
• Partner with the Onsite Event Manager, who owns mid-season public event creator booking, creator onboarding, and creator performance in the field
• Define and own OTG's brand standards and spec standards across all event types—the definitive reference for what materials, setups, and guest-facing presentation should be
• Build and maintain the systems and process that make production repeatable: SOPs, event checklists, planning tools, and the workflows producers operate within
• Maintain and evolve standards and systems; ensure they are documented, accessible, and consistently applied
• Partner with the Onsite Event Manager, who procures, maintains, and executes to these standards in the field
• Own the operational planning lifecycle of all OTG events—markets, public events, and catering—from sales handoff through event-ready
• Produce accurate, complete, field-ready BEOs and Public Event Playbooks; remain accountable for their accuracy through execution, including corrections that bounce back from the field
• Design full production plans: logistics, crew requirements, vendor commitments, timelines, and floor plans
• Incorporate marketing's activation and content-collection requirements into the BEO and Public Event Playbook, so the field can execute them (marketing is principally responsible for activation and content)
• Review every event brief and plan before it is marked event-ready
• Own vendor sourcing, contracting, and onboarding across staffing platforms (e.g. Instawork), AV, decor, rentals, and entertainment partners
• Set clear performance expectations with vendors at the point of contracting
• Act on vendor performance trends—fill rates, no-show rates, quality scores, cost—reported from the field by the Onsite Event Manager, and adjust sourcing decisions accordingly
• Evaluate and onboard new vendor partners as program needs evolve; maintain backup options for high-volume periods
• Serve as OTG's primary relationship holder with venue partners across all active Bay Area markets, public event sites, and catering locations
• Own key account relationships—building trust, resolving issues, and deepening partnerships over time
• Identify and cultivate new venue partnerships; support operational due diligence and the opening process for new locations
• Develop and document site-specific best practices for each venue: access protocols, setup logistics, load-in/load-out procedures, permit requirements, and relationship contacts
• Directly manage the team of Catering Event Producers, who plan catering events end-to-end through event-ready
• Provide regular 1:1s, performance feedback, and development plans for each direct report
• Own onboarding for new producers; maintain and improve the producer training and planning program
• Manage scheduling and workload distribution across the producer team; flag capacity issues to the Head of Operations proactively
• Report and resolve planning- and spec-side defects; partner with the Onsite Event Manager on field-side defects, using the BEO bounce-back as the model
• Partner with the Head of Operations on labor forecasting, budget adherence, and program improvement

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of event production, catering operations, or hospitality experience—including meaningful time planning and curating complex, multi-vendor activations
• At least 2 years directly supervising event or catering planning teams
• A strong eye for curation and experience design—able to translate a client's vision into a plan that delivers
• Demonstrated experience sourcing and contracting 3rd party vendors—staffing platforms, AV, decor, or entertainment
• Experience managing venue relationships and key accounts, and developing site-specific operational protocols
• Strong systems thinking and documentation discipline; builds process that scales
• A natural communicator—warm, direct, and confident with clients, venue partners, creators, vendors, and team members
• Proficiency in Google Suite; comfort with CRM/event management platforms (Salesforce or similar a plus)
• Valid California Driver's License with a clean driving record; reliable transportation to Bay Area event sites
• Bachelor's Degree preferred, not required

Schedule & Details

• Type: Full-Time, Exempt Salaried
• Compensation: $105,000–$115,000/year
• Schedule: Primarily weekday planning hours, with nights and weekends as needed to support event operations
• Location: San Francisco (primary) with regular Bay Area travel
• Reports to: Head of Operations (currently CEO)

Physical Demands

This role combines planning and production management with periodic onsite presence. You'll need to stand, walk, and move through event sites for extended periods at times. The role occasionally involves moving and lifting equipment up to 25 lbs. Outdoor work in variable Bay Area weather is part of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We're committed to building a team that reflects the communities we activate in. Off the Grid is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.