The Director of Production and Presentation (DPP) serves as the artistic and operational authority responsible for the comprehensive execution, strategic alignment, and day-to-day success of PRAx. This role operates at the intersection of artistic vision and technical excellence, providing oversight of all production and rental operations while ensuring that each presentation achieves the highest standards of aesthetic integrity, operational efficiency, and audience impact.
Charged with stewarding a robust portfolio of more than 180 annual events, the DPP leads a highly complex production ecosystem requiring advanced project management, cross-functional integration, and sophisticated logistical coordination. The position orchestrates the seamless alignment of multiple operational domains, including but not limited to lighting, audio engineering, stage operations, technical direction, artist hospitality, event services, and ensemble management. This coordination encompasses the full lifecycle of production—intake and interpretation of technical riders, strategic resource allocation, staffing design, and real-time execution—across a dynamic and frequently overlapping event calendar.
The DPP brings a deeply informed artistic perspective to all venue operations, ensuring that technical decisions in sound, lighting, staging, and spatial design are guided by—and elevate—the creative intent of each production. In doing so, the role safeguards PRAx’s commitment to both aesthetic distinction and flawless implementation, integrating artistic vision with precise technical delivery across diverse programming.
As a leader of people and systems, the DPP establishes the conditions for departmental success through the oversight of production staff and operational units. This includes responsibility for developing and managing production budgets, constructing detailed daily and long-range schedules, procuring and specifying backline and technical assets, and driving continuous innovation in presentation practices. The role requires not only operational rigor but also a forward-looking creative sensibility to ensure PRAx remains a vibrant and evolving destination for artists and audiences alike.
While PRAx primarily functions as a presenting venue for touring artists and university ensembles, the DPP navigates a nuanced balance of collaboration and autonomy. In instances where visiting artists do not provide dedicated designers or engineers, the DPP and their teams assume expanded creative authorship, shaping the visual and sonic identity of each performance and reinforcing the distinct signature aesthetic of PRAx.
Beyond hosted programming, the DPP also plays a critical leadership role in the conceptualization and execution of original, high-impact institutional events, including season launches, festivals, and donor engagement experiences. These initiatives demand a heightened level of creative direction, strategic planning, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with the DPP often originating core production concepts and guiding them through to realization.
As a member of PRAx’s senior leadership team, the Director of Production and Presentation contributes to organizational strategy, institutional visioning, and long-term planning, ensuring that production capabilities not only support but actively advance PRAx’s mission and artistic ambitions.
Position Duties
- 25% Artistic Leadership
- 40% Administrative Leadership and Planning
- 15% Training, Contracting, and Supervision
- 15% Live Event Operations and Execution
- 5% Other Duties as Assigned
Minimum/Required Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s Degree
- 5 years’ experience in project management, logistics, production management, venue operations, or related areas
- 2 years’ experience in the performing arts
- Supervisory experience
- This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in an arts field
- Master’s Degree
- Project Management Certification
- 5 years’ experience in a performing arts venue in a leadership role.
Compensation and Benefits
- Annual salary range of $80,000 to $90,000.
- Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
- Paid leave and holiday programs.
- A 70% tuition reduction available system-wide across Oregon, rather than only at OSU.
- Employees may choose between participation in the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), which combines a pension and investment account funded by the University, or the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), a portable defined-contribution plan administered through TIAA.
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