Director, Production (Arena AVL)

About the role

The Director, Production leads the management and execution of all arena Audio, Video and Lighting (AVL) systems for Honda Center live events and sports, including hockey, basketball, volleyball, boxing, concerts and private corporate events. The role is hands-on, overseeing staff scheduling, production planning, technical workflows, event-day execution and run-of-show support, and owns the departmental budget and long-term technical roadmap. It is an on-site position.

Key responsibilities

• Set the technical production strategy and standards for live sports, tournaments and entertainment events
• Partner with senior venue leadership on AVL infrastructure planning, technology upgrades and system architecture
• Oversee Media Technology Specialists' programming, configuration and troubleshooting of LED fascia boards, concession menus, IPTV and video scoreboards
• Own the broadcast control room strategy for in-venue presentation and external streaming, including vendor and rights-holder relationships
• Serve as executive point of contact with event managers, show producers, arena operations and promoters, and act as a producer for stakeholders
• Recruit, train, schedule and supervise a pool of freelance AVL technicians and event-day crew, and set up staffing for non-Ducks events
• Lead performance management, mentorship and career development for managers and technical staff
• Own the production budget, forecast expenses, plan annual capital expenditures and approve preventative maintenance schedules
• Negotiate vendor contracts, manage inventory of cables, microphones, lighting fixtures and broadcast components, and establish rapid-response protocols for technical failures

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus
• 8-10 years of live AVL production experience in a sports arena, stadium or major theater
• 6+ years in a senior management or director-level role leading technical departments
• Proven experience owning departmental budgets, CapEx planning and vendor contract negotiation
• Experience in a creative producer role, writing scripts and run-of-show preferred
• Flexible schedule including nights, weekends and holidays, and ability to stand for long event days and work at heights

Required skills

• Professional broadcast video control room operations
• Sports replay systems (Evertz Dream Catcher) and sports graphics engines (Ross Xpression)
• Digital audio consoles (Yamaha, Dante, QSYS) and wireless mic systems
• Entertainment lighting consoles (GrandMA, High End Systems) and DMX/ArtNet routing
• Video encoding, streaming protocols and digital signage software
• Budget ownership, forecasting and capital planning