Manager of Operations and Production

The Pearl SF

Location: San Francisco, CA (on-site)

Reports to: General Manager

Direct reports: House Manager, Production Manager, event-day Bar staff, and event-day staff. Bar Manager (dotted-line).

Schedule: Full-time, exempt. Mix of weekday office hours and event-day presence (evenings and weekends as needed).

Role Overview

The Pearl is San Francisco’s premier event venue for corporate events, weddings, and other private events. We are hiring a Manager of Operations and Production to own event advancing and live execution from the moment a deal is signed through final closeout, while keeping the building running flawlessly in between.

This is a dual-portfolio execution role. The larger portion of your time is on the production side: owning the post-sale handoff from Sales, advancing events, and running live execution alongside our House Manager and production team. The remainder is spent as the primary steward of the physical venue, holding the building to a high standard through preventive maintenance ownership and contractor coordination.

You will work closely with Sales and Marketing leadership and report directly to the General Manager. Your success is measured by how invisible the seams are: between departments, between events, between a near-miss and a flawless guest experience.

What You'll Own

Production Advance and Event Execution

• Own the handoff from Sales the moment a contract is deposited. Review booked scope, identify needs, and coordinate vendors.

• Lead the full pre-event advance: technical requirements, A/V, load-in timing, vendor coordination, floorplan finalization, permits, and insurance.

• Produce and finalize the Event Sheet, Work Order, Bar Ops Document, and floorplans for every event. These are the day-of source of truth.

• Run event execution alongside the House Manager: guest experience, safety, and FOH on their side; technical execution and show flow on yours.

• Operate by our Event Day Priority Order: Safety, Guest Experience, Client Confidence, Team Stability, Perfection. In that order.

• Close out every event: review the Post Event Action Report, vendor feedback, and incident notes. Feed repeat-issue trends back to the GM, Sales, and Marketing.

Venue Operations and Facilities

• Own the day-to-day condition of the building. This doesn’t consume most of your time, but it is always your responsibility: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, audio/lighting infrastructure, kitchen, bars, restrooms, and exterior.

• Drive the preventive maintenance program: build and hold the calendar covering quarterly, monthly, weekly, and pre-event checks, and make sure work actually gets done.

• Own contractor and vendor relationships for building and event operations: A/V, cleaning, security, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, pest, waste, fire/life safety, and specialty trades. Source, vet, and manage them.

• Support venue compliance alongside the GM: ABC, fire marshal, health department, capacity, insurance certificates, and city permits.

• Track operating costs across vendor contracts, utilities, supplies, and labor. Flag variance to the GM.

Leadership and Team

• Lead the House Manager, Production Manager, and event-day team day-to-day: schedule, coach, and review performance. The Bar Manager reports to the GM but coordinates with you on event execution; event-day bar staff report directly to you.

• Contribute operational reality into pricing, sales scope, and marketing claims so we never over-promise.

• Hold the line on standards. Praise publicly, coach directly, and protect the guest experience.

• Make calls within your domain. Escalate to the GM when impact crosses departments or risks revenue or safety.

Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Operate inside The Pearl’s systems of record. If it isn’t in the system, it didn’t happen. If the system doesn’t exist, create it.

• Contribute to the weekly ops review and the monthly KPI review across departments.

• Fix root causes, not symptoms. Every event should teach us something, captured in process, not lost in heroics.

• Partner with Sales on the post-event loop and with Marketing on testimonial and content capture.

Key Performance Indicators

• Event readiness by deadline: Event Sheet finalized, floorplan locked, staffing confirmed

• Staffing coverage accuracy and event execution quality

• Service issue and incident frequency (trend, not just count)

• Bar readiness

• Post Event Action Report completion rate

• Repeat operational issue trends

• Unplanned building downtime: events impacted by facility failures

• Preventive maintenance completion rate

• Operating expense variance flagged to GM in a timely, accurate manner

Who You Are

• 4+ years in event production, venue operations, hospitality operations, or live entertainment, with experience supervising staff or vendors.

• You have run live events end-to-end: load-in, A/V, show flow, FOH, and closeout at venues serving 100 to 500+ guests, across both corporate and private/wedding events.

• You have familiarity with Bay Area event permitting, ABC compliance, ADA, fire/life safety, and SF-specific contractor and labor norms.

• You are systems-minded. Tripleseat, Google Workspace, Gusto, Nowsta, BEO workflows, and BOH/FOH tools are things you’ve used or can pick up quickly. You are comfortable adopting AI tools to improve how work gets done.

• You communicate clearly, directly, and calmly under pressure. You don’t blame other departments. You close loops.

• You operate by ‘no surprises.’ You escalate early, document everything, and treat handoffs as moments of responsibility, not moments to disappear.

Nice to Have

• Experience at an independent SF private event venue or music venue.

• Wedding and high-end private event background: comfort with discerning clients and high-touch execution.

• Corporate event and brand activation experience: comfort with B2B clients, brand standards, and AV-intensive production.

• Technical depth in audio, lighting, or staging.

• Existing relationships with Bay Area A/V, security, cleaning, and trades vendors.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base Salary: $90,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on experience

• Performance Bonus: 5 to 10% of base, tied to event execution KPIs, timely expense variance reporting, and team development

• Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k); paid time off; commuter/parking benefits; professional development budget

Why The Pearl

The Pearl is a place where good operators are given room to operate. You won’t be handed a rigid playbook or micromanaged through every decision. You’ll be trusted to own your domain, build what’s missing, and hold a high standard without someone looking over your shoulder.

That freedom comes with real responsibility. We expect you to lead without being asked, fix things before they escalate, and treat every event like your name is on it. In return, you’ll have meaningful scope, a team worth leading, and the satisfaction of running one of San Francisco’s most distinctive event venues at a genuinely high level.

If you want a role where your judgment is respected, your systems actually stick, and the work you do is visible in every event that leaves this building — this is it.

How We Work

One Team, One Experience

Guests see one team, not departments. Internal disagreements happen privately. Solutions happen publicly.

No Surprises

Flag risks as soon as you see them. Ask for help before it becomes urgent. Surprises on event day are process failures.

Leave It Better

Every shift, every event, every interaction: clean handoffs, clean spaces, clean communication.

The Pearl is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.