Associate Director, Site Operations

Associate Director, Site Operations

The Associate Director, Site Operations is a full-time exempt position with Kilowatt Events, Inc. This role is responsible for leading and managing the Operations department, as well as taking the lead on some of our biggest and most complex events. This role has an emphasis on site planning, temporary construction, and overall crowd flow and strategic design. It requires exceptional communication skills, strong live-event operational expertise, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges of nontraditional venues, temporary event sites, outdoor environments, and large public-facing events.

This role is hybrid with a presence in the San Diego office at agreed upon intervals and travel to events around the country required. There is a preference towards having leadership roles based in San Diego with a regular presence in the headquarter office. Relocation to San Diego will be available to the selected candidate. Health benefits will be provided after 60 days.

Why You Will Love This Role

1. Work on High-Profile Events: From world-class sporting events to internationally televised broadcasts, you'll take the lead in delivering memorable, headline-worthy events.

2. Make a Real Impact: As a key decision-maker, you'll directly shape event success and collaborate with top-tier clients, sponsors, and venues.

3. Travel and Flexibility: You won't sit behind a desk all day with this role, you will have a good mix of onsite work at event locations combined with periods of planning from your home or the Kilowatt office. We don't micromanage schedules; people are held accountable for getting their work done and servicing clients exceptionally, but not punching a clock.

4. Building and Leading a Team: Work with a growing company to lead and build a department of talented professionals. Help influence decision making that molds the company and team's future.

Essential Functions

Team Leadership & Oversight

• Lead, mentor, and support the Operations Team, ensuring alignment across all projects.
• Provide regular touchpoints, clear communication, and accountability to maintain efficiency and consistency in event execution.
• Provide strategic guidance on event operations, advising teams on best practices and troubleshooting challenges. Step in on high-priority or at-risk projects as needed to ensure smooth execution.
• Collaborate with Director, Events on full-time employee event assignments.

Pre-planning and Post-event Reconciliation

• Oversee the full scope of production for assigned events including sourcing suppliers, populating orders, and managing onsite execution. Suppliers include, but not limited to, scaffolding, tenting, power, heavy equipment, internet, staging, carpentry, fence, and utilities.
• Ensure events comply with all legal, permitting, and regulatory requirements (i.e. city ordinances, safety codes, union rules).
• Serve as primary point of contact and coordinate communications, in a timely, positive, and efficient manner for client team, production and operations vendors, sponsor operations, event staff, venues, and key event stakeholders.
• Create event staffing plans for the advance and onsite execution.
• Work closely with all event stakeholders to garner a holistic understanding of goals to ensure success.
• Create and track event budgets, manage billbacks, reconcile invoices, and ensure overall alignment throughout planning and execution with projected costs.

Event Layout & Design

• Create event layouts and floor plans, utilizing software such as CAD or VectorWorks. Prior experience with VectorWorks is a requirement.
• Collaborate with the design and production teams to ensure event spaces are optimized for attendee flow, accessibility, and safety.
• Create plans for access point for vehicles, staff, and fans that contemplates the needs of the events and the requirements for security, accessibility and emergency support

Process Optimization & Systems Implementation

• Regularly identify inefficiencies and collaborate with the Director, Events to implement systems to streamline event operations.
• Ensure platforms, tools, and workflows are optimized to support the team's needs while keeping costs efficient.
• Ensure that staff assignments support the company and staff objectives, project workflows are clear, and event logistics are executed at the highest.
• Maintain vendor order templates and implement SOPs for best vendor and event practices.

Client & Vendor Management

• Support and strengthen relationships with key vendors, venues, stakeholders, contractors and partners to enhance operational efficiency.
• Identify new business opportunities and support Sales Team in RFPs and proposals as needed.
• Provide operational oversight on vendor contracts, negotiations, and logistics.

Professional Development

• Continuously work on professional development to stay current on trends, research, technology, and networking opportunities relevant to events and self-development.
• Contribute to creative ideation and event design by collaborating on concepts for opening ceremonies, experiential activations, or fan experiences.

Health and Safety

• Ensure adherence to industry regulations, safety standards, and risk mitigation strategies across all event operations.

Qualifications

1. 8+ years working in the event industry. 2. 5+ years onsite event experience in site operations on major outdoor events, temporary event sites, and/or televised broadcasts. 3. Ability to travel frequently and for extended durations (up to 2-3 weeks at a time). 4. Construction experience building temporary structures for event settings. 5. Proficiency in CAD or VectorWorks, or other mapping software. 6. Heavy equipment experience with forklifts and aerial lifts (certification will be required and provided by KWE). 7. Exceptional communication and leadership skills. 8. Strong computer literacy required Microsoft Office Suite preferred. 9. The ability to manage multiple projects and tasks at one time in a highly organized and clearly communicated way. 10. A desire to troubleshoot and problem solve with a strong ability to think critically. 11. 3+ Professional References required.

Who We Are:

Kilowatt Events is a woman owned, live event production business that specializes in building and operating temporary event venues, designing custom brand activations, and creating turnkey programs for the fan experience. Our expertise has supported televised world-class sporting productions, Red Carpets, Lifestyle Festivals, Fortune 100 Corporate Events and is proud to have collected a Sports EMMY for our work on the College Football National Championship for ESPN. Kilowatt is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. The annual base salary range for this position is $105,000 - $110,000, plus commission, benefits, and bonus. All Kilowatt Events compensation remains subject to final determination based on individual candidate qualifications, experience, or other reasonable criteria consistent with Kilowatt Events' operational business needs and applicable law.