Senior Technical Manager

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

$125K — $135K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8-10+ years in live event production, audiovisual services, or museum operations.
  • 3-5 years of supervisory or management experience.
  • Expert knowledge of audio, video, lighting, and event technologies.
  • Demonstrated experience leading technical teams in complex environments.
  • Experience working with collective bargaining frameworks and unionized environments.
  • Strong organizational and operational planning skills.
  • Excellent communication abilities.

Responsibilities

  • Lead production portfolios for high-profile initiatives and events.
  • Provide technical leadership for complex productions including audiovisual systems.
  • Evaluate and approve technical designs and production approaches.
  • Oversee event production operations and staffing strategies.
  • Resolve operational challenges for high-profile events.
  • Manage workforce strategy including hiring and training.
  • Ensure compliance with labor and regulatory standards and maintain documentation.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
  • 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching.
  • Generous paid time off including annual leave and holidays.
  • Long-term disability coverage.
  • Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account options.
  • Commuter benefits for transportation expenses.
  • Financial planning services and assistance for professional development.
  • Discount at Museum shops and subsidized staff cafeteria.
  • Access to the Museums Council pass for free admission to cultural institutions.
Full Job Description
GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES

The Senior Technical Manager, Production Operations is a senior operational leader within Audio Visual & Media Services (AVMS), responsible for overseeing museum-wide event production operations, production staffing strategy, technical standards, and workforce coordination.

This position leads the planning, staffing, and execution of the AVMS portfolio across hundreds of events annually at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, including Met Live Arts performances, lectures, symposia, educational programs, donor events, Board of Trustees meetings, screenings, institutional meetings, and special events.

Working closely with AVMS leadership, Technical Managers, union technicians, museum stakeholders, and external vendors, the Senior Technical Manager ensures that AVMS operates through documented systems, consistent standards, and sustainable staffing models while maintaining compliance with Museum policies, labor agreements, and safety requirements.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES

  • Lead assigned production portfolios including Met Live Arts, Musical Instruments, film screenings, high-profile initiatives, and other museum-wide productions, serving as the senior technical authority from planning through post-event reconciliation.


  • Provide technical leadership and oversight for complex productions, including audio, video, projection, lighting, livestreaming, networking, show control, and presentation technologies


  • Evaluate and approve technical designs, system configurations, signal flows, equipment deployment, and production approaches.


  • Oversee production operations and execution, ensuring appropriate staffing, technical planning, documentation, run-of-show development, risk management, troubleshooting, and adherence to AVMS standards and museum best practices.


  • Provide operational leadership and escalation support to Technical Managers and production teams, resolving complex technical, staffing, stakeholder, and service-delivery challenges while ensuring successful outcomes for high-profile and high-risk events.


  • Lead workforce and staffing management for assigned portfolios, including staffing strategy, scheduling, hiring, onboarding, training, payroll review, performance management, workload balancing, and effective use of Outlook, Lasso, Artifax, Workday, and related operational systems.


  • Ensure labor, HR, and regulatory compliance by applying Collective Bargaining Agreements, organizational policies, and HR procedures, partnering with HR as necessary


  • Oversee operational systems, documentation, and controls, ensuring event records, staffing information, production documentation, metrics, and reporting are complete and accurate


  • Manage financial and administrative operations including procurement, vendor relationships, event expenses, quotes, invoices, budgets, etc. while providing operational input into equipment lifecycle planning, capital projects, technology roadmaps, and infrastructure modernization.


  • Drive technical and operational improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance AV infrastructure, production workflows, staffing models, equipment standards, and service delivery


  • Build strong cross-functional partnerships and stakeholder relationships with Audience Engagement, Education, Met Live Arts, Curatorial, Special Events, Security, Facilities and more as needed.


REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

  • 8-10+ years of progressively responsible experience in live event production, performing arts production, audiovisual services, museum operations, or related fields.


  • 3-5 years of supervisory or management experience.


  • Expert knowledge of professional audio, video, projection, lighting, livestreaming, presentation, and event-production technologies, including troubleshooting, system integration, signal flow, and live-event operations.


  • Demonstrated experience leading technical teams and managing complex production operations.


  • Experience working within unionized environments and collective bargaining frameworks.


  • Experience with event scheduling, resource planning, and workforce management.


  • Strong organizational and operational planning skills.


  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.


  • Ability to manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously.


  • Availability for frequent evening and weekend work as operational needs require.


  • Experience in museums, performing arts organizations, cultural institutions, or higher education preferred


  • Experience with Artifax, Lasso, Workday, Microsoft 365, AutoCAD, QLab, and production-management software preferred


  • Budgeting, procurement, and vendor management experience preferred


  • Experience developing operational procedures and service-delivery standards preferred


COMPENSATION
  • Pay Rate: $125,000 - $135,000 / Annually


The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Visa Sponsorship

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. "Commuting distance" means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the "Tri-state and PA" areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.
  • Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
  • 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
  • Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
  • Long-term disability coverage
  • Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
  • Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
  • Free financial-planning services
  • Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
  • 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
  • A subsidized staff cafeteria
  • Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions


We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

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