Production Director

at  Imagination

Imagination is a world-leading experience design company founded on the principle of independent creativity. We create experiences that change the status quo, from strategy through to delivery.
As Production Director you will join our Live Production department providing office and on-site direction at a senior level leading on the delivery of technical and production requirements, for a wide range of sometimes complex live events and exhibitions.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure projects are on budget and on-time
• Agree initial budget split
• Agree design deliverables in response to budget split, pitch or RFPs
• Manage the workflow and resourcing of projects
• Ensure the wider Production team are working to Imagination standards
• Motivate, guide and support the production team and contribute to their development
• Creating practical working solutions to creative proposals
• Budgeting projects ensuring best value pricing, negotiating with suppliers and making contractor selection
• Present budgets and in depth financial studies to clients and purchasing teams
• Conduct supplier bids, market tests and negotiate pricing
• Specification of technical equipment and manufacturing
• Develop solutions for live event situations
• Scheduling of all trades throughout delivery phases
• Produce project time plan and ensure all Imagination processes are adhered to
• Liaise with venues and carry out site visits as appropriate
• Build relationships with suppliers and introduce new and innovative products
• Management of all technical and manufacturing trades throughout the process
• Producing on site schedules and managing on-site freelance staff as required
• Manage client properties at Imagination Warehouse
• Manage Health and Safety on all projects in conjunction with the Imagination Health and Safety Manager, including creation of all documentation to UK standards
• Presenting budgets and in depth financial studies to client teams and client purchasing teams as required
• Manage major exhibitions & events

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Creative Agency experience/Production experience working across a range of live events and exhibitions.
• International live event experience
• Understanding of technical staging, AV and construction processes
• Confident and experienced with budgeting and negotiating all scale of projects
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite of programs
• Able to understand and interpret technical drawings and have a basic use of AutoCad or Vectorworks
• Working knowledge of current UK and European Health and Safety regulations

Job Benefits

What we can offer you:

• Work with a state-of-the-art product and deliver it to exciting and innovative brands.
• Learning and development opportunities that contribute to professional growth.
• Travel to exciting destinations around the world (role dependent).

Benefits and perks offered

Wellness

• Private Medical Insurance (including discounted gym options)
• Discounted Healthcare Cash Plan
• Help at hand EAP
• In-Office Gym (London office only)
• Life Insurance 4 x salary
• Health Assessment (BUPA)
• Dedicated DE&I Board

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave
• Birthday day off and gift
• Discretionary Annual Bonus
• Generous Family Leave policies with New Parent Coaching & Support
• Various learning & development platforms for e-learning
• Enhanced pension contribution
• Cyclescheme
• Discounted Private Dental
• Income Protection (Employee)
• Subsidised Electric Car Scheme
• Home technology tax free loan

Perks

• Hybrid Working (3 office days)
• Company socials
• Pet friendly office
• Lunch & Learns
• Wellness webinars
• Educational webinars
• Subsidised Cafe (London office only)

About Imagination
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.
Our Beliefs and Behaviours:

We have identified four foundational beliefs that underpin Independent Creativity. More powerful than generic corporate values, they motivate us to act, to foster the behaviours that lead to success:

• We believe curiosity is the root of original insights and ideas… so we look at the world with fresh eyes, we experiment, invent and up-end conventions.
• We believe rigour results in better choices… so we ask precise, provocative questions.
• We believe bravery tames the unknown… so we demand ambition, confident that together we can meet ‘never been done before challenges’.
• We believe respect builds stronger teams and continued success… so we recognise the uniqueness and unique potential in each individual, we are accountable to each other, we play as a team.

Imagination believes that diversity, equity and inclusion are more than just words, and more than a legal framework or a moral obligation - they are guiding principles that, when acted upon, make us stronger, more innovative and more creative as an organisation.
We commit to not only significantly increasing our efforts to effect change today, but also to ensure that our efforts will be sustained for the long-term. To support us on this journey we have appointed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board to help shape our plans to bring about positive change, to help us learn and keep us all moving forward together.
We believe the responsibility for a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace ultimately rests with all of us.
We believe that all employees should feel a sense of belonging at Imagination - regardless of their race, religion or belief, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability or background.
We believe racism has no place within our workplace or our work culture and we reject all forms of hatred, prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.
We believe that Black Lives Matter and it is our expectation that all employees become actively committed to making unbiased choices and are anti-racist in everything they do.
Our Imagination community must share and live these beliefs, as diversity makes us stronger.
Our priority is humanity and our efforts towards a more diverse, more equitable and more inclusive workplace are never done.

• Ensure projects are on budget and on-time
• Agree initial budget split
• Agree design deliverables in response to budget split, pitch or RFPs
• Manage the workflow and resourcing of projects
• Ensure the wider Production team are working to Imagination standards
• Motivate, guide and support the production team and contribute to their development
• Creating practical working solutions to creative proposals
• Budgeting projects ensuring best value pricing, negotiating with suppliers and making contractor selection
• Present budgets and in depth financial studies to clients and purchasing teams
• Conduct supplier bids, market tests and negotiate pricing
• Specification of technical equipment and manufacturing
• Develop solutions for live event situations
• Scheduling of all trades throughout delivery phases
• Produce project time plan and ensure all Imagination processes are adhered to
• Liaise with venues and carry out site visits as appropriate
• Build relationships with suppliers and introduce new and innovative products
• Management of all technical and manufacturing trades throughout the process
• Producing on site schedules and managing on-site freelance staff as required
• Manage client properties at Imagination Warehouse
• Manage Health and Safety on all projects in conjunction with the Imagination Health and Safety Manager, including creation of all documentation to UK standards
• Presenting budgets and in depth financial studies to client teams and client purchasing teams as required
• Manage major exhibitions & event