Vice President of Stage Production & Operations

Position Summary

The Vice President of Stage Production & Operations (VP) will serve as the senior functional leader for Stage Production, Front of House, Hospitality, and Building Operations at The Granada Theatre (Granada), ensuring performances, events, rentals, resident company engagements, and touring productions are delivered safely, efficiently, and to high standards of service, technical excellence, readiness, and financial stewardship.

The VP will guide labor administration, estimating and settlements, budgets, asset planning, emergency readiness, venue systems, and operational improvement.

The VP will partner closely with the Chief Operating Officer on workforce planning, union relations, safety, risk, systems, and major operational issues, while supporting the CEO’s strategic, artistic, capital, and external responsibilities by providing the technical, financial, scheduling, and feasibility information needed for decision making and leading implementation following approval.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, people-centered executive who develops strong managers, builds an accountable and collaborative team, and improves how the theatre operates. This leader combines sound judgment, financial and technical expertise, responsiveness to resident companies and other partners, and a willingness to support operational needs at every level—from resolving urgent issues to presenting recommendations to the Board.

The VP of Stage Production & Operations will report to the Chief Operating Officer, with a dotted-line relationship to the Chief Executive Officer.

Organization

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA), dba The Granada Theatre, is a privately funded 501(c)(3) organization established in 1983 that provides production, sales, and administrative support to arts organizations throughout the Santa Barbara region. Its most visible service is the operation of The Granada Theatre, a historic performing arts venue in downtown Santa Barbara. The Granada’s mission is to provide a vibrant, state of-the-art venue where world-class artistic performances are available to the widest possible audience, promoting appreciation for the performing arts and enhancing quality of life in the community.

Built in 1924, The Granada Theatre has been part of Santa Barbara’s arts and entertainment landscape for more than a century. The approximately 1,500-seat venue underwent a major renovation before reopening in 2008, with improvements designed around the technical and artistic needs of its resident companies. Today, the theatre features a 50-foot proscenium, flexible stage and orchestra pit configurations, modern lighting and sound systems, digital cinema capabilities, dressing rooms, rehearsal and production spaces, and other backstage amenities supporting a wide range of performances and events.

The Granada is home to eight resident companies: American Theatre Guild, CAMA, Santa Barbara Choral Society, Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, State Street Ballet, The Santa Barbara Symphony, and UCSB Arts & Lectures. Together with regional and national touring productions, these partnerships bring Broadway, classical music, opera, ballet, choral performance, lectures, film, and other live arts experiences to the theatre throughout the year.

The Granada Theatre is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Palmer G. Jackson, Jr., who also serves as Chief Executive Officer. The current board includes 18 directors, supported by life trustee and emeritus director designations. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, SBCPA reported a total revenue of $11.9 million, with 34% from contributions, 27% from program services, 14% from investments, and 25% from other revenue sources. As of June 30, 2025, SBCPA held an endowment valued at approximately $77.6 million.

Sources: edited from granadasb.org; propublica.org

Community

Santa Barbara, California, is a coastal city situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Santa Barbara’s 2025 population at 86,422, and 51.9% of residents age 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Downtown Santa Barbara and State Street are hubs of cultural and civic life, with restaurants, shops, galleries, museums, historic architecture, and performing arts venues, including The Granada Theatre.

Sources: edited from Santabarbaraca.com; santabarbaraca.gov; census.gov

Role and Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Labor Relations

• Build a high-performing, collaborative management team through coaching, delegation, regular performance feedback, effective hiring, and leadership development; empower managers to solve problems and deliver results through their teams.
• Strengthen operational continuity through cross-training, backup coverage, and clearly defined decision authority for nights, weekends, emergencies, and other critical operating periods.
• Partner closely with the COO on event readiness, workforce planning, financial performance, safety and risk labor matters, facilities, capital needs, and emerging operational priorities.
• Provide operational, technical, financial, capital, performance, and risk information to support CEO-led fundraising, donor engagement, Board reporting, and other executive priorities.
• Oversee day-to-day administration of applicable collective bargaining agreements and labor requirements, including staffing practices, scheduling, work rules, and documentation; partner with the COO and Human Resources on labor strategy, significant grievances, collective bargaining negotiations, and sensitive employee relations matters.
• Foster effective coordination with Finance, Human Resources, Contracts & Administration, Marketing/Programming, Development, Technology, and other departments.

Financial Management, Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Develop operational improvement plans aligned with organizational priorities, including staffing efficiency, financial performance, systems adoption, and sustainable resource allocation; report progress and recommendations to the COO.
• Develop and manage annual and multi-year operating budgets and forecasts across Stage Production, Front of House, Hospitality, and Building Operations.
• Monitor labor costs, vendor spending, rentals, maintenance expenses, and budget variances, implementing corrective action as needed.
• Establish consistent standards for production estimating, rate structures, cost recovery, approvals, documentation, and event settlement.
• Partner with Finance and Contracts & Administration to maintain efficient workflows from booking and contract handoff through advance, execution, settlement, invoicing, and close-out.
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of Standard Operating Procedures across production, Front of House, Hospitality, building operations, safety, and related workflows.

Stage Production & Technical Operations

• Supervise the full production lifecycle, including advancing, technical review, estimating, staffing, load-in, rehearsal, performance, load-out, settlement documentation, and post-event follow-up.
• Establish clear production-management responsibilities based on each engagement’s scope, technical complexity, staffing needs, and operational requirements.
• Maintain department-wide accountability for cross-functional coordination, resource-capacity decisions, issue resolution, and an integrated operational calendar.
• Ensure production schedules, technical riders, labor, equipment, accessibility, hospitality, building impacts, and safety requirements are reviewed early and aligned with venue capabilities and resources.
• Maintain high technical and operational standards across lighting, audio, rigging, stage systems, theatrical equipment, backstage operations, and production support.
• Oversee theatrical equipment maintenance, repairs, rentals, lifecycle planning, and capital replacement needs.
• Build and sustain collaborative relationships with resident companies and touring productions; anticipate production and service needs, ensure timely and responsive communication, resolve operational concerns, and strengthen the overall partner experience.

Building Operations, Safety & Capital Planning

• Oversee The Granada Theatre’s building and operational spaces to ensure the venue remains safe, secure, accessible, functional, and show‑ready.
• Manage preventive maintenance, repairs, building systems, custodial services, vendors, contractors, access control, security, deliveries, inspections, and emergency response.
• Ensure fire and life‑safety systems, evacuation procedures, emergency protocols, incident documentation, and corrective actions are maintained and regularly reviewed.
• Partner with the COO, Human Resources, and external resources to strengthen safety policies, training, hazard identification, emergency preparedness, and risk management.
• Develop an integrated, multi-year asset and capital plan addressing theatrical equipment and building infrastructure, including priorities, costs, risks, and timing.
• Create and recommend capital project proposals for executive review and lead operational implementation following approval.

Front of House, Hospitality & Event Operations

• Provide executive oversight of Front of House and Hospitality to ensure safe, accessible, welcoming, and consistent experiences for patrons, artists, volunteers, resident companies, renters, and guests.
• Establish standards for event preparation, staffing, house management, patron flow, accessibility, concessions and bar operations, hospitality, emergency response, and service recovery.
• Ensure Front of House, Hospitality, Stage Production, Facilities, Security, and other teams operate from coordinated event information and timelines.
• Review staffing models, training, certifications, timekeeping, payroll inputs, service levels, and operational readiness to ensure appropriate coverage and compliance.
• Promote a culture of service, professionalism, responsiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Traits and Characteristics

The Vice President of Stage Production & Operations will be a resourceful, analytical, and results-oriented leader who brings a practical approach to complex operational challenges and makes thoughtful use of time, talent, energy, and resources. They will be persistent and decisive, seeing priorities through despite obstacles while drawing on experience, intuition, and sound judgment to respond effectively in fast-moving production and venue environments. Intentional and highly collaborative, the Vice President will build strong relationships across departments, with resident companies, artists, union partners, vendors, and other stakeholders, contributing wherever needed to advance shared goals rather than seeking individual recognition. They will be comfortable operating in competitive and high-pressure situations, bringing appropriate assertiveness while maintaining professionalism and trust. Organized and people-oriented, they will gather, confirm, and synthesize information carefully, communicate clearly, and establish the structure and accountability needed for consistent execution. With a strong focus on practical results, collaboration, and continuous improvement, the Vice President will strengthen operational performance while supporting an exceptional experience for artists, audiences, partners, and colleagues.

Other key competencies include:

• People Management: A collaborative and encouraging leader who inspires, mentors, and develops talent by recognizing individual strengths, fostering professional growth, and empowering others to succeed. Leads through positive reinforcement, constructive feedback, and a genuine commitment to building confidence, accountability, and high-performing teams.
• Time and Priority Management: The aptitude to ascertain competing priorities, resolve difficulties, and overcome obstacles, while maximizing the use of time and resources to attain the desired outcomes.
• Goal Orientation and Decision Making: The ability to set and pursue goals while analyzing all aspects of each situation to consistently make sound decisions.
• Project Management: The proficiency to identify and manage concurrent tasks and systems while leveraging resources and people’s talents, to obtain results.
• Personal Accountability: The capability to take responsibility, be accountable, listen and use feedback, and analyze data to learn from mistakes, possessing a high degree of awareness of the impact of personal actions and decisions.
• Self-Starting and Leadership: The dexterity to demonstrate initiative to inspire, build trust, and create a sense of purpose and direction and ensure work is effectively completed and desired outcomes are reached.

Qualifications

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in live performance, theatre production, venue operations, or a closely related environment is preferred, including significant leadership responsibility for multidisciplinary operational teams.

Demonstrated experience leading complex productions and events from advance through execution and closeout is essential, along with substantial experience working in union environments and administering collective bargaining agreements.

Strong financial and operational acumen, including budgeting, production estimating, labor costing, event settlement, vendor management, and capital and asset planning, is needed.

Experience overseeing or integrating Front of House, Hospitality, facilities, patron operations, safety, and emergency readiness is strongly preferred, particularly in a historic theatre, multi-use performing arts venue, resident-company model, or touring environment.

Extensive knowledge of theatrical production systems, building operations, labor practices, life-safety requirements, and venue-management technology is highly valued, along with exceptional judgment, communication, collaboration, and team leadership skills.

A bachelor’s degree in Theatre Production, Technical Theatre, Arts Administration, Facilities Management, Hospitality, Business, Engineering, or a related field is desirable, with an advanced degree, professional training, or equivalent experience preferred.

This is a primarily in-person leadership role, requiring the ability to move throughout a multi-level historic theatre and backstage environment; sit, stand, walk, bend, twist, climb stairs, push and pull; use standard office and communication equipment; and occasionally lift up to 30 pounds.

Compensation and Benefits

Granada offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package, including an annual salary range of $150,000 to $200,000. Benefits include a medical plan with the base plan paid by Granada, with costs varying for upgraded plan options; a 403(b) retirement plan with a 20% employer match on individual contributions; paid holidays; paid time off based on years of service; and 40 hours of sick time.

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts/The Granada Theatre is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.