Experiential Director of Production

Overview About Tinsel Tinsel is an experiential agency that blends strategic storytelling with immersive environments to help brands show up in culture, not just in campaigns. We create unforgettable brand experiences that live across physical, digital, and hybrid spaces. Known for avant-garde aesthetics, complex logistics, and creative rigor, Tinsel is a minority- and women-founded Stagwell network partner, activating across markets nationwide and globally. Our expertise in beverage alcohol, tech, lifestyle, and entertainment brands positions us at the forefront of experiential design. 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. You will lead a team of producers and coordinators, driving accountability, consistency, and craft across concurrent programs of varying scale and complexity. As a senior production leader, you will maintain a real-time view of program health, quality, timelines, budgets, and margins. Report clearly to leadership, while mentoring the team responsible for day-to-day delivery. Responsibilities Key Responsibilities Program Oversight and 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. - In partnership with the Executive Director, 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 30 Days — Acclimate & Activate - Quickly acclimate to active projects, the team, and Tinsel's processes—jumping straight into live work and contributing to delivery from day one. - Stand up the weekly production team meeting and begin building relationships with the existing team through 1:1s and day-to-day collaboration. - Develop a working view of portfolio health: program status, risks, budgets, and team workloads across all open programs. - Connect with the Finance team to understand current budgeting systems, reporting outputs, and reconciliation practices. 60 Days — Systematize & Report - Develop a system of production review that rolls up to the Executive Director, structured around key department tenets (quality of pre-production and end product, timelines, budgets, team clarity, and production strategy). - Establish a regular portfolio-level financial reporting cadence (budget, burn, margin), aligned with Finance including weekly reconciliation activities. - Identify cost savings, risk mitigation, and process improvements, with a timeline for implementation based on company priorities. - Formalize the vendor network and on-call freelancer pool aligned to portfolio needs. 90 Days — Elevate the End Product - Identify opportunities to improve Tinsel's end product across the portfolio, begin implementation, and establish a plan with milestones for continued improvement. - Implement scalable, consistent production processes across all activations. - Deliver post-program reporting templates with learnings, margin analysis, and recommendations. - Build development and growth plans for producers and coordinators. - Partner with the Executive Director and Head of Accounts on best-in-class budgeting and competitive pricing standards for proposals and pitches. Initial Deliverables 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 Qualifications Skills & Requirements - 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. - 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. Travel & Collaboration - Travel: 20–40% for site visits, activations, and client engagements, depending on program load. - Participation in company offsites as planned. - Foster a culture of teamwork and collaboration, both internally and externally, aligned with Tinsel's values. Equal Opportunities Commitment to Core Values - Strategic Excellence: We never settle—holding high standards for foresight, accountability, and creative caliber. - Continuous Learning & Growth: We cultivate curiosity and resilience to productively learn from setbacks. - Teamwork & Inclusion: We recognize the value of every individual and believe collective grit and adaptability drive success. - Empathy, Honesty, & Respect: We extend empathy and candor, constructively managing conflict with dignity. Compensation Salary Range for this role is: $155,000-$175,000/year