Production Manager

ABOUT US

Founded in 1963 and recipient of the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Seattle Rep remains one of the country’s leading not-for-profit regional theaters. Bold stories, brilliant artists, and passionate audiences come together to shape each season at Seattle Rep, which includes everything from new play workshops to world premieres, celebrated classics, and recent Broadway hits. Over the decades, we’ve launched landmark productions, provided training opportunities to generations of youth and emerging theater practitioners, and built programs that expand access to theater for audiences of all ages from across our diverse community.

We are powered by a year-round staff of professionals who are passionate about making theater that matters, and we believe that their best work happens in a people-centered culture where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported with compassion, generosity, and care. This culture is fully reflected in our:

Mission

Seattle Rep collaborates with extraordinary artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of our region.

Vision

Theater at the heart of public life

Values

Artistic Vitality, Sustainability, Generous and Inclusive Practices

ABOUT THE POSITION

Seattle Rep is seeking a collaborative, strategic, and highly organized Production Manager to help lead production operations and build the systems that make great theater possible.

Operating within a production department led by the Producing Director, this role serves as a key operational partner to the Technical Production Manager and production department heads.

We are looking for more than a production manager; we are looking for a builder and daily user of systems. Successful candidates will be energized by creating the structures, workflows, communication practices, and planning tools that support both productions and people.

This role is ideal for someone who finds satisfaction not only in delivering productions, but in creating the systems that allow people and projects to thrive. We are looking for a leader who brings warmth, curiosity, and genuine care to the work; who believes how we make theater matters as much as what we make; and who wants to help shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and people-centered way of working.

The successful candidate will bring strong production management experience and a demonstrated ability to build sustainable operational frameworks that support ambitious artistic work. You see systems not as bureaucracy, but as a service to artists, craftspeople, technicians, managers, and administrators. You understand that accurate calendars, clear documentation, thoughtful planning structures, transparent resource allocation, and reliable communication create the conditions for creative excellence.

Just as importantly, you are a user of the systems you build. You model consistency, accountability, and follow-through, and you help teams embrace tools and processes that make their work easier, more transparent, and effective.

The Production Manager works closely with the Technical Production Manager to coordinate the day-to-day planning and execution of productions. The role operates within a production department led by the Producing Director and supports broader departmental goals through strong systems, communication, planning, and leadership. The Production Manager is responsible for building and maintaining the organizational systems that support the department’s work while helping ensure the successful realization of Seattle Rep’s productions.

Typical Duties Include:

Production Leadership

• Lead the planning and execution of productions at Seattle Rep.
• Develop and manage production schedules, budgets, staffing plans, and resource allocation.
• Coordinate communication among artistic, production, and administrative teams.
• Supervise department heads and help them identify challenges, allocate resources, and develop solutions.
• Support production timelines and help ensure successful delivery across all phases of designing and building our shows.
• Partner with the Technical Production Manager in facilitating production meetings, department check-ins, and planning conversations.
• Partner with the Technical Production Manager in supporting technical rehearsals and other key production milestones, helping ensure effective communication, coordination, and problem-solving throughout the production process.
• Collaborate with artistic teams, directors, designers, stage management, production staff, and other internal partners.
• Monitor production budgets and spending, and support forecasting and adjustment conversations as needed.
• Support safe, effective, and well-coordinated production work across shops, rehearsal spaces, technical rehearsals, performances, and related activities.

Systems & Infrastructure Building

• Develop and maintain season-wide production planning systems.
• Build sustainable operational practices that improve communication, accountability, coordination, and efficiency across departments.
• Create and maintain production documentation, standards, procedures, and institutional knowledge.
• Build systems for project tracking, information sharing, scheduling, resource planning, and decision-making.
• Evaluate existing workflows and implement thoughtful operational improvements.
• Help establish consistent methods for planning, reporting, forecasting, handoffs, documentation, and follow-through.
• Champion the effective use of organizational tools, calendars, databases, production documents, and project-management platforms.
• Translate complex operational needs into clear, repeatable practices that support staff, artists, and collaborators.
• Strengthen organizational memory by ensuring information is captured, accessible, current, and usable.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Foster a warm, people-centered environment of collaboration, transparency, equity, safety, care, and mutual respect.
• Supervise, mentor, and partner with department heads and production staff.
• Help teams navigate competing priorities, changing circumstances, and cross-departmental needs.
• Facilitate productive communication among people with different roles, responsibilities, and perspectives.
• Promote workplace safety and best practices.
• Support a culture of continuous learning, organizational growth, and shared accountability.
• Model consistent use of production systems and help others understand how strong systems support stronger work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Commitment to cultivating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace via decisive action including consistently seeking out opportunities for self and community improvement in the areas of racial equity, accessibility, gender inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity.
• Significant professional experience in production management, technical theater, live performance, event production, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex production schedules, budgets, resources, and teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build, use, and sustain operational systems, workflows, documentation practices, or planning tools.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work across departments and translate complex production needs into clear, actionable plans.
• Experience supporting production staff, artists, designers, stage managers, technicians, or other creative collaborators.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Commitment to workplace safety, accessibility, sustainability, and inclusive production practices.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience as a Production Manager or senior production leader in a professional theater, performing arts organization, live entertainment venue, educational theater program, or comparable environment.
• Experience supervising or partnering with department heads in the areas of scenery, props, costumes, lighting, sound, video, stage operations, and stage management.
• Experience designing and implementing systems that improve organizational effectiveness, communication, accountability, and transparency.
• Experience with shared calendars, production databases, scheduling platforms, collaborative planning tools, project-management systems, or similar operational platforms.
• Ability to evaluate existing practices and lead thoughtful process improvements.
• Experience collaborating on season-wide planning, multi-project timelines, production calendars, or capital/resource planning.
• Familiarity with theatrical labor practices, collective bargaining agreements (AEA, SDC, USA, IATSE, and AFM), and safety standards.
• A systems mindset: curiosity, follow-through, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for creating tools that help people do their best work.

Seattle Rep is excited about and actively working towards becoming a more diverse, anti-racist organization. We are interested in attracting, developing, and advancing the most talented individuals regardless of their race, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, disability status or any other dimension of diversity. We strongly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQIA+, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and others from marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.

Every candidate brings something special to the table. If your experience and skills don't perfectly align with the job qualifications but you are excited about the role, feel your values align well with the Rep, and are willing to strive for excellence in your work, please apply. We will train the right candidate.

TO BE CONSIDERED

1. Submit a resume detailing related experience and education
2. Submit a cover letter that outlines how your related experience and education qualifies you for the position and illustrates why you want to work at Seattle Rep.

Applications will be reviewed once the position has closed.

Workplace accessibility and accommodations can be discussed with HR once an offer of employment has been extended.