Director of Operations

Department Information

Since opening its doors in 1941, IU Auditorium has served as a university and community gathering place, hosting a diverse array of world-class artists, entertainers, musicians, and lecturers in its opulent 3,200-seat theatre. The Auditorium has been host for over 80 years to the world’s top performers and speakers, from the Metropolitan Opera and Les Miserables to Kevin Hart and John Kerry. As the leading performing arts organization in South Central Indiana in terms of quality, leadership, innovation, and overall guest satisfaction, IU Auditorium exists to create world-class arts and event experiences at Indiana University.

In addition to the wide variety of arts and entertainment events, the Auditorium continues to serve as the community’s gathering place, hosting a variety of university ceremonies, orientation programs, conferences, weddings, and special events. IU Auditorium presents approximately 20–25 events each year by national touring artists, and serves as host to an additional 250–300 rental events that take place at the Auditorium and its three off-site venues.

Indiana University Bloomington is a public research institution with a total enrollment of 47,000 students and some of the top academic programs in a range of disciplines. With Big 10 sports, more than 700 student organizations, a vibrant artist community, and plenty of other opportunities for involvement, IU is a campus full of energy and life. With a focus on student exposure and interaction with the arts, the Auditorium is ensuring its vital role in the greater university for years to come.

For more information about IU Auditorium, click here.

For information about the generous benefits offered by IU, click here.

Job Summary

Indiana University Auditorium has created a new Director of Operations position that will be responsible for leading all aspects of venue management, safety, and security at IU Auditorium and its off-site venues.

Department Specific Responsibilities

• Oversees the planning and management of events, ensuring the development and implementation of innovative and cost-effective systems.
• Serves as the primary steward of the facility, the front- and back-of-house operations, food and beverage operations, regular building operation and maintenance, and major capital improvements.
• Collaborates with and advocates for internal and external stakeholders who utilize the Auditorium venues and ensures that each and every guest experiences high-quality facilities and services.
• Establishes and/or maintain the highest standard of event and production values possible.
• Oversees and manages all venue operations, including backstage, front-of-house, concessions, hospitality, security, and maintenance teams, ensuring facilities are properly and efficiently utilized.
• Inspires, mentors, evaluates, and guides a high-performing team that supports the Auditorium’s mission and strategic plan; a culture of inclusion, growth, continuous improvement; and staff well-being, both personally and professionally.
• Supervises the Events, Guest Services, and Backstage departments, including four full-time IATSE-represented appointed stagehands. Participate in annual local stagehand union negotiations. Ensure specialty training and certifications in compliance with federal law, industry standards, and university regulations.
• Reviews and evaluates information and contracts for prospective and booked events, providing advice to programming and booking team members regarding feasibility of events.
• Ensures all advance work is completed in a timely and professional manner.
• Reviews and advises on estimates and schedules for labor, production, catering, and other backstage expenses, negotiating work-rule implementation with touring production and local stagehand staff.
• Reviews and approves purchasing requisitions and purchase orders for event-related rental/supplemental equipment.
• Builds, implements, and maintains innovative policies, procedures, and processes that elevate service and support to all internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensures that all production-related hospitality and catering requests and needs are well-managed, and that the food, beverage, and services provided are of high quality.
• Serves as a liaison between visiting artists/staff/clients and Auditorium staff, advising on appropriate resolution as needed.
• Commits to customer satisfaction with a high value on multiple stakeholder needs, anticipating challenges, and developing appropriate solutions.
• Verifies that facilities are managed in compliance with codes, ordinances, regulations, laws, and other requirements.
• Researches and develop opportunities for shared inventory, services, and resources to ensure economies of scale and create impactful efficiencies within the Auditorium operation and Bloomington campus.
• Develops and maintains long-term capital planning for all venues, including plans for repair and replacement of assets.
• Oversees the maintenance of production equipment and stage-related areas of the facility, ensuring necessary inspection records are maintained. Manage backstage and production-related capital investments and equipment purchases, and ensure the proper maintenance, repair, and installation of these systems and other technical assets.
• Develops and manages the backstage/production departmental budget and oversee and advise on the preparation of other operational-related accounts.
• Regularly reviews all operational-related financials and provide concise, relevant, and timely updates to fulfill policy-setting and decision-making responsibilities.
• Sustains ongoing self-directed education in order to stay current regarding new trends and developments in theatre, facility, and event-related techniques, trends, processes, and equipment.

General Responsibilities

• Provides day-to-day operational management of event services staff.
• Establishes short-term operational objectives.
• Identifies operational issues and/or areas of improvement and implements solutions to improve processes and/or operational efficiency.
• Analyzes, monitors, and evaluates performance of assigned staff; establishes work priorities, conducts performance reviews, and provides corrective action as needed.
• Ensures adequate staffing and effective scheduling; participates and informs employment decisions for assigned staff.
• Provides direct supervision and oversight of assigned staff and activities; impacts, and is held accountable for, the performance of team and/or assigned staff.
• Ensures and provides training to assigned staff to improve event services; researches and identifies development opportunities for assigned staff.
• Researches and stays up-to-date on new industry event services standards, best practices, and emerging technology; keeps next-level leader(s) informed of trends as well as significant problems.

Qualifications

EDUCATION

Required

Bachelor’s degree in performing arts, venue management, events, hospitality, and/or technical production

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

2 years in business, conferences, events, customer service, or related field

Preferred

5 years of experience in a venue that hosts large-scale professional tours and events
Combinations of related education and experience may be considered

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient communication skills
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism and diplomacy
• Demonstrates and excellent time management, organizational, and priority-setting skills
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality
• Excellent collaboration and team building skills
• Effectively coaches and delivers constructive feedback Instills commitment to organizational goals
• Demonstrates ability to effectively coach and deliver constructive feedback, and to instill commitment to organizational goals

Preferred

• Flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty
• Highly thorough and dependable
• Ability to demonstrate a high level of accuracy, even under pressure
• Demonstrates ability to maintain confidential information
• Demonstrates customer service skills
• Commitment to working with people from diverse backgrounds and commitment to cultural competency

Working Conditions / Demands

This role regularly requires the ability to effectively communicate. This role requires the ability to remain in a stationary position as well as the ability to move about the workplace for long durations. The role requires the ability to ascend/descend ladders/stairs, to position one’s self in low level positions, detect a variety of chemicals and/or gases, and to operate machinery, tools, and controls. The role requires the ability to ascend to rooftops and move in tight spaces to perform and complete inspections. This role requires the ability to move objects weighing up to 25 pounds. The role requires the ability to detect items in close proximity as well as far away; discern between colors; detect objects in peripheral space of self; discern items in detail; and to have good depth perception.

Work Location

Bloomington, Indiana

Work Hours

This job often requires working on evenings, weekends, and holidays.

To apply, visit: go.iu.edu/4MVT