Senior Production Manager, FRAME

At Frieze we believe art is vital to communities and cultures. Bringing together galleries artists institutions and art lovers all over the world to make art flourish.

Frieze is the worlds leading platform for modern and contemporary art dedicated to artists galleries collectors and art lovers alike. Frieze comprises three magazines frieze Frieze Masters Magazine and Frieze Week and seven international art fairs Frieze London Frieze Masters Frieze New York Frieze Los Angeles Frieze Seoul The Armory Show and EXPO Chicago. Legacy art fair brands The Armory Show and EXPO Chicago were acquired by Frieze in September 2023. In October 2021 Frieze also launched No.9 Cork Street a permanent space for visiting international galleries in the heart of Mayfair London.

About the Frieze Production Department

The Production team are responsible for delivering all physical elements of the fairs and ensuring its safe timely and successful team is an operational one based in London made up of two distinct subsets with a Head of Department for each:

Exhibitor Production focuses on all production elements related to the Exhibitors at the fairs including; booth builds complex artwork installation technical support drafting floor planning art shipping logistics Frieze Sculpture management production schedules (venue builds) Health & Safety.

Fair Production encompasses all other areas of the fair including; tent builds & related infrastructure F&B contract management Partnership lounge support/production other non-gallery build fair design site infrastructure security cleaning contractor management production schedule (tent builds) Health & Safety.

Frieze FRAME this newly formed department although working closely with the above teams is a stand-alone team who will act as the Frieze in-house production will primarily be sold to existing and new sponsors across the Frieze Fairs portfolio offering a turn-key production management service for their on-site brand activations.

Frieze FRAME is a newly created department at Frieze and the Senior Production Manager this role is a key in managing our clients event production to ensure delivery to the highest standard of quality across client activations.

• Define project scope objectives and deliverables in collaboration with clients and internal stakeholders

• Develop comprehensive project plans outlining key milestones resource requirements and budget allocations

• Manage project resources effectively - assigning tasks tracking progress and adjusting freelance resource allocations as needed to meet project objectives and deadlines

• Manage and communicate RASCIs project timing plans milestones accountabilities and dependencies.

• Forecast project scope of work resource needs and budget requirements working closely with the Head of Department to monitor project expenses track variances and implement cost-saving measures where necessary

• Supporting new business pitches and strategic planning initiatives with feasibility studies production methodologies and proposals to drive project success

• Advising clients and internal teams on creative and practical production solutions

• Collaborating with cross-functional teams on the end-to-end production process from concept through to completion

• Effectively manage relationships with suppliers negotiating contracts and agreements to secure favourable terms and pricing while maintaining the highest level of service and quality

• Responsible for H&S documentation and working with contractors and stakeholders to ensure the activation complies with H&S and venue regulations.

• Creating briefing documents and technical specs to share with production suppliers

• Implement key process documentation for all production elements

• Budget forecasting management and reconciliation

• Ensuring cost trackers are kept up to date and the client is kept abreast of spend

• Providing production leadership onsite overseeing delivery carrying out final technical checks ensuring that all elements are executed according to project specs and timeline

• Reporting and evaluation across projects with ability to confidently implement and push forward learnings and best practices across future projects

• Developing our overall offering by staying ahead of the latest production techniques suggesting ways in which these can be adopted and deployed across our activations.

• Ensure sustainability initiatives are delivered

• Working closely with the Experience Designer to ensure timelines are followed and a smooth delivery of all projects

• Source and manage additional resources to support with project delivery (Freelancers: Artworkers Event Producers Brand Ambassadors)

Please Notee.g. shift(s)/ unsocial hours/ travel etc

• Flexibility to work evenings weekends and travel as required

• When on-site longer working hours will be required

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience as a Production Manager with a focus on luxury brands activations and experiential marketing

• Working knowledge of event production disciplines such as custom fabrication AV power distribution rigging and logistics

• Experience with writing and managing production schedules

• Proven track record of successfully managing projects from conception to completion within budget and on schedule

• Proven strong negotiation and relationship-building skills

• Excellent supplier knowledge / black book in the above areas

• Must have a good understanding of legal obligations Health & Safety and the roles of all duty holders under CDM

• Extensive budget management experience

• Experienced in balancing and executing creative direction vs operational realities

Desirable

• Experience in the art world

• Experience working with luxury brands

Skills and Abilities

Mandatory

• Previous experience includes working in an experiential production agency

• Excellent communication skills

• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with sponsors suppliers and vendors

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport and establish credibility with clients stakeholders and team members at all levels

• Strong organisational and time management skills with excellent attention to detail

• Team player with the ability to foster strong relationships with cross-functional teams

• Ability to work both autonomously and as a team

Desirable

• Multi-Lingual (English Korean Spanish)

Qualifications and Training

Mandatory

• Health & Safety qualification(s) e.g. IOSH

Desirable

• Previous experience working in the art world

• Bachelors degree in Event Management Marketing Business Administration or related field

Our Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Frieze unites people inourlove of the arts. Weunderstand this can only beaccomplishedwhen we harness the entirety of ourcompany andleadwith a lensofdiversity equityandinclusionin everything we a global company thatdrivesculture we are committed topracticing anti-discriminationincludingrace genderidentity sexual orientationand disability together withartists writers and cultural practitioners from all is still much work to be done to address systemic inequality and discrimination within the arts and culture industry and we are dedicated to making progresstoboth within our own organization and the art world at large.