Location: Remote, anywhere in US or Canada

Who We Are

We are a design company that connects people with brands, services and experiences through products that people want. Our growing team of designers, developers, producers, strategists, and content creators is based in Culver City, California. We believe in the power of empathic design, a robust product strategy and inventing at the intersection of creativity and code to further humanity's relationship with technology.

If you thrive in a highly collaborative environment and would jump at the opportunity to take on new product design and development with user empathy and significant impact at its core - Left Field Labs is the place for you!

Who We Are Seeking

Left Field Labs is seeking a passionate and experienced Executive Director, Production to join our remote team. This is a key leadership role, responsible for continuously defining and driving the agency’s production vision, roadmap, reputation of operational excellence, and leading a team of talented and dedicated Producers. You will work alongside a group of dedicated strategists, creatives, and technologists to bring high quality concepts and solutions to market. You will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight and management of the company’s projects.

The Executive Director, Production works side-by-side with project teams and is responsible for overseeing the successful execution and delivery of Left Field Labs’ projects. The role combines deep expertise with the ability to handle high-touch and detail-oriented client interactions.

The Executive Director, Production will oversee a team of Executive Producers, Program Managers, Producers, and Resource Managers ensuring project teams are set up for success, deliveries satisfy client requirements, and teams execute quality deliverables. A positive attitude and outlook are a necessity, along with excellent, clear communication and professionalism. Organization and thoughtfulness will be the leading qualities in everything you do, while focusing on a sense of timeliness and accountability.

The Executive Director, Production reports to the General Manager.

What You Will Do

Production

• Oversee all production processes at the agency, and its vendor partnerships, including the management of the Production teams throughout a project’s lifecycle
• Establish and manage project execution and delivery standards
• Consistently elevate the design and execution of production processes, staffing and allocations, client satisfaction of deliverables, prioritization of all deliverables, and ensure quality of work meets agency standards
• Represent LFL as a production subject matter expert both internally and externally (client, partners, etc.)
• Ensure production teams are properly prioritizing responsibilities to meet deadlines in a fast paced environment
• Engage with the project management and operational community within the industry, garner insights and bring those back to the company in an effort to enhance our own practices
• Lead, coach, and inspire production teams to deliver ground-breaking work
• Lead the implementation of cross-functional project teams to achieve project objectives
• Present production strategies during reviews and pitches often attending meetings as a representative of the agency
• Establish and maintain timely reporting mechanisms of project health (client satisfaction, quality, budget, timeline, and resourcing), resource allocations/utilization, challenges, and opportunities to broader leadership team
• Continuously evaluate production processes and methodologies to ensure high performing outcomes (quality of work, quantity of projects, client satisfaction, etc.)
• Ensure production team has proper training and onboarding to be able to successfully lead project goals and outcomes
• When needed, serve as the production lead on client account(s), overseeing project deliverables

Team Leadership

• Lead performance reviews for production staff using on LFL policies and procedures
• Perform ad-hoc coaching for underperforming team members and outline clear growth and opportunity plans for performance improvement
• Develop and maintain consistent documentation for the production team and ensure all departments, including executive leadership and HR, are educated on the operations of this discipline
• Onboard new production team members to follow LFL processes and procedures, including but not limited to systems training
• Work with executive leadership and talent aquisition to evaluate needs, interview and recruit production talent
• Develop and nurture strategic relationships with freelancers, vendor partners, and clients

Resource Management

• Lead resource management team and ensure project teams are setup for success through strong collaboration with both talent acquisition and vendor partners
• Ensure project teams are resourced with the right talent for the work, not just the talent available
• Ensure project leadership teams have clear resourcing plans in place for the duration of a project lifecycle
• Proactively communicate all resourcing constraints/challenges to project leadership teams and executive leadership, including solutions and measures taken to mitigate project risks
• Continuously evaluate resourcing processes and strategies to ensure project teams are highly optimized

Business Development

• Act as a strategic partner to the sales team and take a lead role in new business opportunities, scoping efforts, and new business pitching
• Instill trust in our clients by ensuring we fully understand their processes, workflows, and systems, and they understand ours
• Assist and provide guidance to Executive Producers and executive leadership throughout the new business process
• Review/approve budgets, SOWs, and resourcing plans associated with new business opportunities

OUTCOMES

Leadership & Values

• Demonstration of leadership in the form of clear vision, open communication, efficient action, and embodiment of LFL values
• Managing and mentoring Executive Producers and Producers from beginning to end of each engagement’s lifecycle

Clear Vision

• Leadership in developing goals and objectives for the LFL production department
• In collaboration with other Executive Directors and department leads, assist in identifying primary objective(s)of all projects
• Aligning project resources and personnel to deliver excellence in in project execution
• Collaborating, establishing, refining, and iterating LFL production processes
• Applying initiative to evolve process through facilitating collaborative input from the overall LFL team

Open Communication

• Reporting real-time status to LFL leadership, while anticipating “what’s next”
• Liaising with other Executive Directors and department leads to ensure quality and client satisfaction standards are met and maintained
• Responding to all LFL leadership communication in person, messaging, or email
• Charting team-wide daily and overall progress through regular dialog and collaboration
• Formally scheduling regular LFL leadership check-ins as it pertains to project statuses, opportunities, and/or challenges
• Detailing issues and promoting solutions on a quarterly basis as it pertains to execution processes and/or department operations

Efficient Action

• Owning accountability and driving company logistics toward positive results
• Managing client relations at a leadership level, while strategically accessing LFL executive leadership as needed
• Communicating LFL executive leadership directives to Production team
• Maintaining up-to-date contingency plans for LFL production operations, including but not limited to: Redundant resource planning, Internal resource reconfigurations, Dynamic external resourcing

LFL Values

• Manifesting excellence in an empathetic, collaborative environment to elevate business through positive experiences with healthy outcomes
• Solution-oriented enthusiasm through words, attitude, and actions
• Championing the LFL brand to staff, clients, community, prospective candidates, and beyond

What You will need to be successful

• 10+ years in a production field at a digital agency (or related experience) with a proven track record of building/managing highly effective cross functional teams
• 3+ years management/leadership experience within a digital agency
• Portfolio of high quality work demonstrating ability to manage teams towards execution
• Excellent written and verbal communication and teamwork skills
• Ability to self-manage while managing assigned teams and projects

Left Field Labs is an E-Verify employer. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees in the United States.

Please click on the following links for more information: E-Verify Participation Poster. For more information visit the USCIS’ website: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/employees

Left Field Labs is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and team members regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant's criminal history (LAMC 189.00). Left Field Labs makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled team members.

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