Head of Studio – Parental Leave Cover Full Time

59 Productions
JOB DESCRIPTION

Contract type: Full-time, 15-month fixed-term contract

Reports to: Director, Jenny Melville

Salary: £ 42,000 – £54,000 p/a dependent on experience

Key Relationships: Design team, Producing team, Directors and Executive team

Place of work: 59’s Studio, London. Hybrid studio/home working enabled

Annual Leave: 23 days plus 8 public holidays – with 1 additional days’ leave for each year of service, up to 10 days.

Benefits include: Workplace Pension, Season Ticket Loan Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme, Monthly Cultural Allowance of £50, Weekly Yoga and more. Benefits can be discussed further at any point in the application process.

Application Deadline: Midday, on Wednesday 10th April 2024

Interviews: Round 1 interviews on Thursday 18th April 2024 / Round 2 interviews on Tuesday 23rd April 2024.

Interviews will be in-person at our London studio, please let us know if you’re unable to join in-person, in your application.

Recruitment information webinar: Tuesday 2nd April 2024

Join us to hear more about the company’s portfolio of projects and insights about the role itself across our ambitious projects, with the opportunity to post questions to the panel. All attendees will be anonymous, therefore all questions posted will be anonymous.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

59 Productions is an Olivier and Tony Award-winning design studio based in London and New York. We create Story Driven Design, using innovation and imaginative design to tell new, compelling stories.

Collaboration is integral to how we work. Our team of designers, writers, directors, architects, animators, visual artists, producers, technologists and operations specialists deliver highly ambitious creative projects, and explore new mediums to create storytelling experiences for audiences around the world.

We have created work for over 15 years; most recently we created the visual effects for Stranger Things: The First Shadow in the West End with Sonia Friedman and Netflix, projected David Hockney’s ‘Bigger Christmas Trees’ onto Battersea Power Station with Apple as a gift to London, and co-own Lightroom in Kings Cross, recently launching The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks and David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller and further away) . Other recent work includes Sam and Her Amazing Book of Dinosaurs at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and the touring F1 Exhibition across Europe.

Historically, we’re recognised for our projection mapping onto some of the most celebrated, notable buildings around the world including the Sydney Opera House for Lighting the Sails and the historic artwork on the Washington Monument for Apollo 50 – Go for the Moon , the video design for the globe-trotting hit, ‘War Horse’, the design, creative direction and exhibition design of the record-breaking David Bowie Is at the V&A, and leading the video design of the London Olympic Opening Ceremony (2012).

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Head of Studio leads and curates the company’s project teams within our demanding design portfolio, both within the expert design team and drawing on our leading freelance network, to establish the productivity, scheduling, management and planning of the Studio model within 59’s interdisciplinary Design department. They are responsible for the expert allocation of design resources – both core and freelance – across the portfolio.

This role critically works beyond the core team to cultivate, build and sustain relationships with freelance colleagues who maximise opportunities for 59’s design capacity across specialisms meaning we are agile, flexible and open to increasing demand for the company’s work.

The ideal candidate will be fully engaged in the breadth of 59’s portfolio, a confident communicator with great instincts, an excellent strategic planner, with experience supporting collaborative creative processes. Perhaps you’re an experienced Head of Studio, Senior Producer, Project Manager or Design Manager, or maybe your experience lies in another area with relevant transferable skills.

We’re open to hearing from people with a variety of experience, we want to find the right person for this role and we will tailor it to the right person’s experience level, where relevant.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Day to day responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Creative Ecosystem:

• Working with the Directors and Executive to maintain established systems for nurturing the creative ecosystem within 59, including project analysis, group reflection and crits.

Management & Scheduling:

• Taking the Head of Studio role within the Heads of Department forum – communicating and advocating for the needs of the Studio in wider company discussions, decisions and policy making.
• Leading on the scheduling of the Studio including processes and protocols across workflow plans, project allocation, time management and oversight of capacity.
• Reviewing project budgets with project Producers and Directors, in order to ensure sufficient Studio time and resources are allocated, and that capacity is available to deliver.
• Working in collaboration with the Head of Design and Art Directors to allocate expertise in the design department across 59’s portfolio, to deliver work of the highest quality, incorporating both skillset and professional development into decision making.
• Leading on the sharing and communication of the schedule of the Studio teams to the wider company – both the weekly scheduling and long-range planning, to inform the phasing of projects and the deliverables schedule.
• Maintaining a detailed understanding of the capacity in the design studio – both within the core team and utilising freelance potential, to inform decisions on project selection.
• Contributing to the feasibility of projects with expert insight and discussion around realistic design schedule, resourcing, timeframes and costs.
• Devising and implementing solutions and reallocating resources, in the face of unexpected opportunities and challenges.
• Maintaining analytical systems enabling all in the Studio to do their best work.
• Leading on communication with freelancers contributing to the design process including negotiation of fees and timescales.
• Sustaining existing and cultivating new relationships with freelancers across a range of design specialisms and skills, positioning 59 as a key employer for the industry’s strongest global talent.
• Maintaining an accessible database of these networks as a 59 core asset.
• Line management of the design team as required.

Project Delivery:

• Collaborating with project teams to discuss and define a project’s overall design strategy, and inform the company’s overall design strategy with Directors, Executive & HoDs as required.
• Supporting Designers with managing their design, project or animation schedule on specific projects where supportive, working, for example, on the animation plan and shot breakdown for a project.

Team Development:

• Holding and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the expertise of the core design team.
• Discussing and devising the implementation of team development alongside the project portfolio in collaboration with Line Managers, Head of Design and COO.
• Working with the Head of Design and Art Directors to identify recruitment needs for the core team across the studio and discuss proposals with the Executive.
• Leading on a rolling recruitment plan for freelance design relationships responding to current and future capacity and creative needs.
• Collaborating with the Head of Design and Art Directors on the nature of new creative appointments, to develop new job descriptions and define how new roles sit and function effectively within the existing department.
• Working with the Head of Finance & Operations to devise and deliver recruitment plans for the design department.
• Representing 59 Productions at external events to scout for future talent.

PERSON SPECIFICATION Essential:

• Demonstrable experience (5+ years) within a creative environment or relevant industry
• Experience managing the workflow of innovative, ambitious and complex projects, including budgets, schedules and team
• Experience working closely with a variety of creative disciplines
• Strong project management skills
• Highly organised and efficient
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Hands-on experience working with autonomy and holding responsibility across a broad range of projects
• Experience understanding wellbeing in creative and, at times highly demanding, project environments
• Experience with Google Sheets

Desirable:

• Experience working with Designers, Animators and/or Architects
• Experience with Airtable
• Experience with InDesign

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit a comprehensive CV and a cover letter (maximum two A4 sides) or up to three minutes of audio describing your suitability for the position and how your skills and experience match the person specification, via the online form only.

Applicants should provide contact details for two references, we will seek your permission before making direct contact with any referees.

All applicants must be eligible to work within the UK.

If you would like to arrange a chat with the Head of Studio or Chief Operating Officer, to discuss the role in more detail in advance of applying. Please contact us at click apply for full job details