Position Status: Full-Time
Classification: Exempt
Position Overview
The Technical Director (TD) serves as a critical member of the Robertson College-Community Center (RCCC) team, bringing technical expertise to all building clients. The TD will manage all technical aspects of the RCCC for diverse programming including concerts, films, live theatre, music, and dance. The TD supervises, trains and mentors a range of technical staff in addition to maintaining and safeguarding the technical assets of the RCCC.
The ideal candidate will excel at working in teams, have strong technical skills and be knowledgeable about all areas of technical theatre operations, including rigging, scenery, lighting, sound, and projection.
The TD is expected to work with a great deal of independence and must exercise independent judgment in performing a wide variety of duties.
The Technical Director (TD) has the daily responsibility for the technical operations of the Robertson College Community Center, including Keppel Auditorium (1500 seat, 48’ Proscenium, Hedrick Little Theatre (230 seat, Thrust) and the Florence Busby Corriher Theatre 100+/- Black Box-Separate building)
Technical Oversight and Execution
- Oversee the scheduling, implementation, and supervision of the technical elements involved in RCCC activities for internal and external clients.
- Review performance riders for all clients ensuring all equipment is planned, budgeted, ordered, and properly staffed by the technical team.
- Supervise and assist with set and stage construction, assembly, and management.
- Supervise and assist with event rigging, load in and load out.
- Maintain safety standards for the RCCC staff and internal and external clients.
- Orient facility renters and visiting productions to safety, technical characteristics, and other areas of facility operations.
- Perform preventive maintenance on equipment.
Technical Planning and Communications
- Chair the RCCC Operations and Planning Committee. (Members: Shuford School of Performing Arts technical faculty and staff, Director of Catawba Conferences, Salisbury Symphony Technical Director)
- Maintain the stage operations calendar; scheduling time and labor for load in, load out, maintenance and training.
- With other qualified faculty and staff, establish maintenance schedules for stage equipment.
- With other qualified faculty and staff, establish training and certification required for employees, equipment operators and show crew to operate stage equipment.
Budget Management
- Chair the RCCC Operations and Planning Committee to develop budget priorities.
- Direct the repair and replacement budget following the priorities established by the RCCC Operations and Planning Committee and the President’s Cabinet.
Team Leadership
- Lead the Stage Operations Team to safeguard the technical assets of the RCCC, including supervising the use of lighting, sound, communications equipment, and the use and maintenance of stage facilities.
- Lead safety training and certification for all stage operations activities.
- Exercise overall supervision of lighting, sound, and set construction for the theatre and music departments.
- Exercise overall supervision of event load in, setup and strike for building renters based on RCCC policies established by the RCCC Operations and Planning Committee.
- Exercise overall quality control for the training of campus personnel involved in the set-up, maintenance, and operations of events in the RCCC.
General
- Partner with the faculty and staff of the Shuford School of Performing Arts, Catawba Conferences and Events, and Catawba College facilities and maintenance departments where facilities and technical systems overlap.
Compensation:
12 month, full-time position. Compensation commensurate with experience, salary range $50,000-$85,000 annually. Benefits include medical, vision, Life and long-term disability insurance, Employee Assistance Program, paid time off, and voluntary pre-tax programs for retirement (403[b]), dental. This is an Exempt position, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and available immediately.
Qualifications and Comments
- The candidate will have experience working in a professional performing arts environment.
- 3+ years of experience as a Technical Director experience is preferred.
- Candidates with equivalent experience in technical production including live performing lighting, sound, AV, film, or commercial production are encouraged to apply.
- VectorWorks is the campus CAD platform.
- The ability to understand and discern information from technical and design drawings and technical riders is vital.
This position requires some non-traditional hours as needed. Applicants must be comfortable lifting objects 50+ pounds regularly and working at heights above 25’.
Because a TD may be called upon to deal with a wide range of technical issues, he or she benefits from a working knowledge of techniques, methods and procedures of theatre, dance, and music productions and presentations including stage, set, sound and lighting design and implementation; stage management; computerized lighting systems; stage carpentry; appropriate safety precautions and procedures.
ABOUT CATAWBA:
Founded in 1851 in Newton, North Carolina, Catawba was started by German pioneers who had traveled from eastern Pennsylvania to settle in the valleys of the Haw, Yadkin, and Catawba Rivers. In 1890, Catawba became a coeducational institution and the first woman graduate completed her studies in 1893. In 1925, Catawba moved and re-opened to its current location in Salisbury, NC, which is about 45 minutes from Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte, two hours from the mountains, and four hours from the beaches.
Today, Catawba College has 41 buildings on 276 wooded acres on a residential campus. Catawba is known for its 189 acre on-campus ecological preserve. Ranked as one of the best colleges in the south, Catawba offers 70 academic majors to approximately 1,300 students representing 34 U.S. states and 19 foreign countries. Students are instructed by nearly 90 full-time faculty, more than 83% of whom hold the highest degree in their field.
Catawba provides an education focused on an institutional philosophy of a liberal education, which entails a broad range of knowledge, intellectual and practical skills, and individual and social responsibility fostered and developed in all academic programs. Catawba is a learning community that provides students unique opportunities to explore vocation, helping students to consider their calling, their passions, and their purpose as they prepare to reach their highest potential. Catawba’s mission is to provide “students an education rich in personal attention that blends the knowledge and competencies of liberal studies with career preparation” and to enable “students to reach their highest potential while becoming responsible citizens.” More information about Catawba College is located at www.catawba.edu.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Applicants shall submit the following materials, in a single file, pdf version only, to employment@catawba.edu:
- A letter of application;
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae; and
- Contact information for three (3) professional references.
Catawba College is an equal opportunity employer. As such, Catawba is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status, unless allowed by law and deemed necessary to Catawba operations. Candidates must successfully pass a background check and drug screening before employment begins, and Catawba complies with all federal, state, and local laws governing non-discrimination.
