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Production Manager

Open City Documentary Festival celebrates the art of non-fiction, creating an open space in London to nurture and champion the art of creative documentary and non-fiction filmmakers. The festival is based at UCL within the Department of Anthropology.  

The fifteenth edition of the festival will take place from the 6th – 11th of May 2025. 

Dates:  

3 days per week from w/c 10th March  

4 days per week from w/c 31st March  

Full time from 6th – 11th May (inclusive of weekend)    

4 days wrap-up after festival  

Fee: £5670

£140/day for 33 days, £175/day for 6 days (to account for longer days worked during the festival) 

Location: London 

Reports to: Festival Producer 

Responsible for:  Volunteer Coordinator, Venue Coordinators 

Main Purpose of the Job:  

Working alongside the Festival Producer, the Production Manager will help manage all events taking place within the festival from budgeting, contracting suppliers, engaging and delivering on sponsorships, and overseeing the smooth running of events.  

During the day, the Production Manager will be based at our Festival Hub at Rich Mix to support the running of the Expanded Realities Exhibition, Talks and Workshops, 1:1s, networking sessions, happy hours and any other events taking place there.  

They will line-manage a team of Venue Coordinators, helping them liaise with their designated cinema venues, and supporting them at complex screening events.  

Additional Details: 

The position holder must be available to work the full dates of the festival 6th -11th of May, including the weekend. Flexible working hours will be required during the festival dates. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Oversee production of the Festival Hub at Rich Mix supporting the Expanded Realities (ExR) Producer and the Talks and Workshops Coordinator with the set-up and de-rig of their spaces.  
• Work with the ExR Producer, Guest team, Technical Manager and Talks & Workshops Coordinator to create an inventory of all items required in each space.  
• Act as venue manager at the Festival Hub for the duration of the festival, working with the venue staff to ensure smooth running of festival spaces within the building. 
• Work with the Marketing and venue teams to oversee production design and signage at the Festival Hub.  
• Work with the Festival Producer and Marketing Manager to engage and manage sponsors. Liase with sponsors on delivery of stock and ensure all partnership commitments are fulfilled.  
• Assist with hiring and managing external Venue Coordinators. Organise a pre-festival briefing and meetings between Venue Coordinator and the managers at their assigned cinema venue.  
• Manage the Volunteer Coordinator and provide all information needed for scheduling volunteers. 
• Support the exhibition Curators and ExR Technical Producer on the design and production of the expanded realities exhibition.  
• Oversee daily guest and team lunches, networking sessions and 1:1s.  
• Working with the Festival Producer to ensure the smooth delivery of festival parties and social events. 
• Work with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure events are adequately staffed by volunteers.  
• Produce daily schedules and contact lists for team members. 
• Produce procedure sheets for all screenings, talks and other live events. Circulate with wider team and external venues.  
• Work with Technical Manager to plan logistics and requirements for all events. 
• Produce risk assessments and insurance inventories for the festival.  
• Organise a pre-festival briefing for full festival team. 
• Work with the marketing team to oversee audience feedback process.  
• Manage production budget and provide all relevant information for accounting on production-related activities. 
• Manage Venue Coordinators each day, troubleshooting any issues raised by the venue coordination team. 
• Manage daily production meetings with the wider team. 
• Write evaluation/debrief report and thank you emails, and tidy-up paperwork in week after festival.  
• Act as an ambassador for Open City Documentary Festival at all events attended. 
• Any other duties that are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job, as requested by the festival team. 

Person Specification 

Essential Criteria:  

• Experience working on large scale events or festivals in a production capacity, ideally within a film, arts, or cultural setting.   
• Demonstrated ability to manage staff and lead a team.  
• A good knowledge of film formats. 
• Strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to checking the accuracy of information.  
• Excellent administrative and organisational skills and proven ability to plan, prioritise and manage a varied workload.  
• Proven ability to anticipate issues and adjust approaches where necessary.  
• Experience in creating schedules and identifying areas where additional support is needed.  
• Experience of monitoring and delivering a budget .  

As part of London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. 

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates currently underrepresented in UCL’s workforce and within the cultural sector. These include: people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQ+ people.  

Research suggests that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every task in the job description. If you’re excited about the position but don’t feel that you meet 100% of the criteria we still encourage you to apply.

To apply please complete this form and email your CV to info@opencitylondon.com with the subject line “Production Manager Application 2025”.  

Applications close at 11:59pm on Monday the 20th of January and interviews will be held w/c 4th of February 2025.