Production Onsite Lead

Production Onsite Lead

Community Impact & Programs · Seattle, Washington

Position Summary

The Production Onsite Lead is a seasonal, temporary, part-time, non-exempt role, starting early to mid-May through September 30, 2025, with the possibility of extension based on business needs. Reporting to the Senior Production Manager, this position supports the organizational and onsite production functions of the Community Impact & Programs (CIP) team. This role supports the department’s activations, installations, and events, ensuring efficiency and consistency in implementing department processes, onsite tasks, and communication. The Production Onsite Lead provides logistical support and event execution for all internal and community program partner events with various complexities. This is a high-volume environment where work productivity, efficiency, and effective communication skills are a must. The position will also provide production support to other departments hosting events or other activations representing Friends of Waterfront Park.

About Friends of Waterfront Park

Friends of Waterfront Park (Friends) is a 501c3 non-profit. Through a public-private partnership with the City of Seattle, Friends is leading fundraising and programming, deepening public safety investments, and ensuring long-term stewardship of Waterfront Park now and for generations to come. The organization works closely with the City of Seattle, through Seattle Center, who provides park maintenance and public safety services. This model of a nonprofit managing and ensuring the success of a park is common across major U.S. cities, including Friends of the Highline and Brooklyn Bridge Parks Conservancy in New York, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, and Friends of the Underline in Miami.

Nearly 15 years in the making, Waterfront Park project represents a grand community vision for reimagining Seattle’s waterfront in the footprint of the old viaduct, a 1950’s infrastructure; creating a new kind of civic and cultural space. Seattle is a city known for innovation and Waterfront Park represents that spirit – it is so much more than simply a park. Waterfront Park is creating 20-acres of green space, inviting locals and visitors to reconnect with the water, the mountains, and each other. It will run from Belltown to Pioneer Square, and has a large urban footprint for programming, activation, and other park uses. Opening in 2025, Waterfront Park will serve as a fresh cultural anchor for downtown, offering free public programming co-curated with communities from across the region.

Friends’ vision goes far beyond the park’s 20 acres. Alongside the City of Seattle, we envision a common space that is truly safe and welcoming to everyone; a space that is centered in equity. Friends has an opportunity and an inherent responsibility to disrupt patterns of exclusion and serve as a model for public spaces in Seattle and around the country. We have already made progress by working to establish strong community ties and trust and delivering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community led programs at Pier 62, the first piece of the park to open to the public.

Land Acknowledgement

Waterfront Park is situated on the land of the Coast Salish peoples, who have resided here since time immemorial and continue to thrive. With respect and humility, we acknowledge the history of the waterfront, the dispossession of land from the Coast Salish people, and, most importantly, the strength and resilience of Native people and their culture through this history and to the present.

Equity Commitment

Friends recognizes and acknowledges historic and existing systemic racism embedded in our city. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization by prioritizing racial equity within the organization and in the public spaces we operate.

Responsibilities 

Production Support

• In collaboration with the Production Managers, oversee the onsite logistics and execution of events, specifically the production elements, including reviewing and executing the load in and load out schedule, technical riders, stage plots and input lists, and leading the event staff in onsite set-up, strike, and support during the event or activation.
• Set-up and operate Friends portable PA sound system and wireless microphones as needed for activations.
• Set up shore power feed for food trucks (20amps, 30amp and/or 50amp feeds) as needed.
• Ensure Friends-provided accessibility support resources (e.g., assisted listening device system, wheelchairs, etc.) are onsite and functioning for events and activations.
• Ensure the safety of all guests, performers, and personnel within this position’s areas of responsibility.
• Demonstrate flexibility, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills onsite decision making.
• Ensure DEAI values are ingrained at the core of decision making and are reflected outward to our guests and other staff.
• Provide ongoing feedback on ways we can make our programs, activations, installations, and events more inclusive and accessible.
• Provide high quality of service when working with artists, community partners, performers, staff, the public, and vendors.
• Communicate event and installation details with event staff and partners.
• Complete annual training and certification deemed necessary for the onsite roles and responsibilities.
• Support initiatives as assigned by Senior Production Manager, Production Manager, and/or Senior Director of CIP.

Administration & Team Building

• Support efforts to build an efficient and equitable team.
• Complete a post-event summary report after each activation.
• Participate in weekly production and post-event meetings, either in person or via video call, to ensure professional coordination for all Community Impact & Programs team activations, installations, and events.
• Coordinate and communicate with internal departments and external community partners to respond to questions and concerns to ensure smooth execution of events.
• Represent Friends effectively to a variety of audiences, including members of the public, organizational partners, artists, and Friends staff.

Collaboration, Values, and Culture

• Collaboration
  • Collaborate as a member of the Community Impact & Programs Team, providing thought partnership and support as needed.
  • Work collaboratively with and learn from the entire organization, and with external partners, stakeholders, and community.
• Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI)
  • Contribute to an inclusive workplace culture and adhere to Friends’ Community Agreements.
  • Engage in regular conversations about race and equity through all-staff meetings, trainings.
  • Incorporate values of DEAI in all facets of this job and when collaborating across teams.
• Community
  • Incorporate the org-wide value/ethos of centering community throughout work (e.g., attend community events, seek out and listen to diverse communities and perspectives).
• Culture
  • Contribute to organizational culture by participating in team building activities to help build a fun, welcoming, and productive workplace.

Minimum Qualifications

• A minimum of 2 years of experience working in live events or performing arts.
• Demonstrated experience and familiarity with technical production and live event operations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, to work collaboratively as a member of a team, and delegate.
• Familiarity with set-up and operation of small, portable PA sound systems.
• Ability to stay organized, focused, and solution-oriented when faced with stressful situations and multiple priorities.
• Cultural competency with underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, Latine, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+ communities, and the ability to bring this lens to conversations about anti-racism, anti-oppression and embedding equity in all aspects of work.
• Ability to thrive in an environment that requires nimbleness, working through ambiguity, and responding to fast-paced, evolving opportunities.
• Willingness to operate with a flexible schedule. Must be able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Willing and able to work in different work environments, including outside, exposed to prevailing weather conditions for events, as well as shared office spaces.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Familiarity with using virtual meetings and collaboration platforms such as Google Meet and Google Docs, FaceTime and iWork suite, Microsoft Teams, and/or Zoom.

Desired Qualifications

• Additional experience in live events, venue operations, and/or technical production in the arts.
• Familiarity working with a wide variety of art and culture performances and/or marketplaces.
• Familiarity with electrical distribution systems, including feeder cable, 30amp and/or 50amp food truck power connections and mobile breaker panels for stage power.
• Lived experience and cultural competency with underrepresented communities, specifically Black, Indigenous, Latine, disabled, and LGBTQ+ communities, and the ability to bring this lens to conversations about anti-racism, anti-oppression, and embedding equity in all aspects of work.
• Certifications, 2+ years of college education, a plus but not required.

Other Requirements 

• This position is contingent on passing a criminal background check.

Working Conditions

This work is 80% in-person outdoors in Waterfront Park and 20% remote or indoors at our office. The nature of this position and the required days in-person and onsite are subject to change based on the needs of the organization, as well as the event and activation schedule.

• Outdoor work is done in various weather conditions, including heat, wind, rain, and cold.
• Waterfront Park spans 15 city blocks (about 1 mile) and movement between different spaces in the park, sometimes on the same day, may be required.
• Meetings, when required, typically occur during office hours (Monday-Friday, 9-5).
• About the office space:
  • Our office is on the second floor. There is elevator access at the front entrance.
  • Restrooms have braille labels.
  • The office building contains a parent’s room, a wellness room, a kitchen, as well as several meeting rooms.
  • Music and ferry horns can often be heard from the office. However, noise cancelling headphones and other accommodations may be provided.

The physical requirements of this role listed below are representative of those that may need to be met by an employee in this role:

• Frequently move audio equipment or tent infrastructure weighing up to 50 pounds across concrete. Carts, hand trucks, and casters are available as needed.
• Actively move within and between various park locations throughout 1 mile of Waterfront Park.
• Ability to work for an extended period in outdoor environmental conditions consisting of wind, rain, snow, and heat.
• Operate a computer and/or smartphone.
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule as determined by the event and activation schedule.

Compensation and Benefits

This is an hourly, exempt, seasonal contract position with an hourly salary range of $26.44/hour to $35.50/hour. Projected average of 16-20 hours per week.

Projected seasonal contract dates early to mid-May 2025 – September 30, 2025, with the possibility of extension based on business needs.

Benefits include paid time off, ORCA regional transit pass (does not include Washington State Ferries) and an optional 3% retirement account match.

How to Apply

Please upload a resume and answer the following application questions.

1. In a paragraph, please describe your experience with event production (including the number of years of experience).
2. Friends has committed to becoming an anti-racist organization by prioritizing racial equity within the organization and in the public spaces we operate. How would you describe journey to understand anti-racism and anti-oppression?
3. Are you available to work weekends and evenings May through September?
4. Did you review the working conditions in the job description? And if so, are you comfortable with the working conditions?

Friends is committed to improving hiring practices to be more inclusive and anti-ableist. We have reviewed the job requirements and only include physical abilities when completely necessary. During the interview process, we email the panel questions ahead of time. We are also able to provide captioning and/or interpretation (e.g., ASL) if requested. If you need specific assistance and/or accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please let us know by emailing our People & Culture team at dei@waterfrontparkseattle.org.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but priority will be given to applications received by March 7th, 2025.