Production manager

Deadline: 12 noon on 24 March 2025

Salary: from £30,000-£33,000 per annum, depending on experience – where £33,000 equates to a high level of relevant experience across the role and a strong demonstration of competence through the application process.

Hours: Full-time. Main office at Cobden Works, Salford, UK.

Walk the Plank seeks a brilliant production manager to support the delivery of the company’s ongoing programme of ambitious arts and cultural activity.

This is an exciting time for the new Production Manager to join Walk the Plank, one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, and winner of several recent awards including: National Outdoor Events Association -’Sustainability’, Access All Areas - ‘Best Operations’, Event Production Show - ‘Best Use of Tech', Global Web Excellence - ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Cultural’.

Walk the Plank is one of the UK’s leading outdoor arts organisations with a reputation for creating innovative productions and performances which engage artists and communities in a wide range of outdoor settings.

Walk the Plank’s track record of making work that engages citizens in public celebration is founded on ambitious creativity that connects with ordinary people. From fire gardens and site-responsive installations to parades and festivals, the company consistently attracts acclaim and showcases talent.

As one of three Production Managers, you will have a chance to work on projects in many different locations, as part of an exciting creative environment.

Our production team plays a crucial role ensuring that each project is executed to the highest standards for our clients – from festivals and local authorities to government agencies and commercial clients – with regard to artistic quality, budgets, creativity, safety, sustainability and audience engagement.

Liaison with:

• Internal: Walk the Plank team and freelance creative and production team, stage managers, rigging and show crews, and our marketing and comms team.
• External: Clients, promoters, suppliers and freelance contractors.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral with particular attention to detail.
• Ability to get on with a wide variety of people at all levels and to work well within a team.
• Ability to deal with and manage different people from wide-ranging backgrounds in diverse circumstances including under pressure.
• A highly proactive approach to production management, taking a lead where necessary to ensure essential tasks and processes are carried out.
• Ability to work on own initiative and willing to learn new techniques/skills in accordance with agreed changes to working practice.
• Ability to deliver high-quality work under time pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Willingness to engage with company’s strategies around Sustainability and Environmental responsibility, including monitoring, and advocacy within your teams.
• A problem solver, with a calm and methodical approach.
• Ability to deal with correct prioritisation of tasks including when faced with limited resources.
• Produce work to a high level of accuracy using a methodical approach.
• High level of competency using Microsoft Office Suite (in particular Excel).
• Passport holder, not subject to travel restrictions.
• Eligible to work in the UK.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a similar role in the live events or creative industries sector.
• Good knowledge of and enthusiasm for the arts.
• Relevant Health and Safety qualification/s.
• Full, clean driving licence, with ability to drive 7.5T.
• Competent in creating scale site plans in Autocad or similar.
• Experience of working with pyrotechnics and/or special effects.

Terms and conditions

• Work pattern: The nature of our work means that members of our production team are required to work flexibly, and outside normal hours to ensure the effective delivery of our work. We operate a time off in lieu system to compensate for time worked beyond contracted hours. The spread of our work is extensive, so you must be prepared to travel and stay overnight where required. Some overseas travel may be necessary.
• Holiday/TOIL/Leave: Includes 24 paid holiday days plus 8 Bank Holidays, Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) as per company policy and statutory sick pay entitlement.
• Office and Home Working: We believe that sharing a space on a regular basis, interacting across the different parts of the company, and picking up on new threads and conversations together helps us to deliver great work and is an important and worthwhile part of our company culture. For that reason, we encourage office working as the norm. However, we will of course support flexible working and working from home where it is beneficial or necessary for the employee or company.
• Pension: We offer 3% company pension contribution in addition to employee contributions

Walk the Plank is committed to equal opportunities, and is Disability Confident Committed Employer, a Living Wage Employer, a Mental Health Aware Employer and a Creative Access Employer Partner.

We value a diverse team and welcome applications from all sectors of the community as part of our aim to reflect the diversity of our audiences.

D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent applicants fulfilling the basic criteria for the role will be interviewed. If you have any specific access requirements for the interview or foresee any barriers to the proposed way of working, please specify if you are invited to interview.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.