Technical and Buildings Manager

Technical and Buildings Manager - Richmond Theatre, London

Richmond Theatre is seeking an experienced Technical & Building professional to lead a skilled and dedicated team while overseeing one of the UK's most beautiful historic theatres.

Located in the heart of Richmond, this stunning 126-year-old venue presents a diverse programme of productions throughout the year, including plays, musical, dance, opera, talks, comedy, and the much-loved annual pantomime.

Recent highlights have included acclaimed productions such as Prima Facie starring Jodie Comer, alongside memorable evenings with celebrated performers including Nick Mohammed, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian Mc Kellen, to name a few.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in preserving and developing a landmark venue while supporting world-class live entertainment.

You’ll report to the Theatre Director and be responsible for the Technical, Maintenance and Stage Door teams.

You’ll also work closely with all Heads of Department, venue business management and central department colleagues (particularly Technical Operations, Risk Management and Property & Facilities).

The Technical & Buildings Manager will maintain a cohesive, efficient, cost-effective and robust operational, technical and facilities maintenance structure at the theatre.

They will ensure a high standard of day-to-day technical service, safety and welfare management, alongside property and facilities management, whilst always keeping the customers, the production and events at the heart of what they do.

This will be achieved through effective management and leadership, excellent planning, budget management, and efficient scheduling of the theatre team.

Please note, your role may involve working with children or vulnerable people.

Key responsibilities

• Take the lead role in ensuring a cohesive, efficient, cost-effective, and robust technical and maintenance structure for the venue.
• Act as the main point of contact for Producers, Tour Managers and Contractors ensuring all visitors and companies receive the highest standards of customer service.
• Manage the implementation, monitoring and cultural approach to workplace safety and compliance across all the technical operations ensuring the business meets its requirements in accordance with Health & Safety at Work Regulations (1999) for venue employees, visiting companies, and third-party contractors.
• Play an active role in the venue senior management team participating in management meetings and contributing to the overall success of business.
• Manage building and technical expenditure and projects, and to ensure the building is presented to the highest standard day-to-day.
• Set a positive culture when it comes to managing Risk across the site, particularly with focus on safe delivery of BOH operations.
• Liaise and align work with ATG’s central Group Operations team consisting of Property, Technical, Facilities, Risk and Procurement.
• Plan and report on all this work as appropriate.
• Technical
• Take the lead on all technical matters ensuring that all visiting companies receive a full technical service and that all shows, and events are presented to audiences at the highest standard possible.

Lead the technical staff which will require an amount of time working on stage as an active member of the technical team.

• Work closely with productions and events to ensure their technical needs are met as economically as possible, always ensuring that these comply with agreed contractual terms.
• Work closely with colleagues in the building delivering events that sit in addition to the theatrical calendar, such as the Theatre Manager on private events and hires deliver and the Creative Learning and ATGE Inspire Producer on events and engagement activities.
• Plan as far ahead as possible ensuring all technical personnel are scheduled efficiently and effectively and produce and approve rosters in good time.

Ensure budgets are met and all regulations and good practice adhered to.

• Ensure that the producers, event managers, and production teams receive the highest standards of customer care.
• Act as the primary contact point for all pre-production event meetings and communications ensuring that accurate information regarding technical, production and health and safety requirements are supplied in advance and actioned.
• Play an active role in ATGE-wide technical, production and health and safety activities.
• Safety, Health, Welfare
• Manage the implementation and monitoring of procedures and facilities in accordance with Health & Safety at Work Regulations (1999) for theatre employees and visiting companies, ensuring that safety culture is high on the agenda of all staff and that continuous improvement is always reached for.
• Lead on all building and technical safety and welfare matters relating to the venue.
• Work with the Theatre Director and other senior management to ensure all operations and procedures within the theatre meet current legislation, industry best working practices, and ATGE policies.
• Ensure all relevant processes are completed to an appropriate standard and documented to protect the company’s interests.
• Ensure the building, permanent and temporary installations and loose equipment is tested and inspected in accordance with relevant legislation, best practice, and ATGE guidance.
• Lead on the development and monitoring of risk assessments relating to the building, plant, and technical operations.
• Ensure that suitable levels of competencies for staff and third parties can be demonstrated for any works being undertaken.
• Budget and Finance
• Along with the Theatre Director prepare all budgets relating to your areas of operation and then ensure that these budgets are achieved, reviewed regularly, and reported on.
• Be responsible for all purchases and investment relating to the building, facilities, and technical works.
• Ensure that materials and services required by the technical and maintenance team are ordered in accordance with the company’s approved procedures, supplying information for accounts and calculating contra charges.
• Maintenance and Facilities Management
• Ensure that the property, soft & hard services, plant, and equipment relating to Richmond Theatre is maintained, tested, inspected, and presented to the highest standard.

Align with group policies and procedures on day-to-day planned and preventative maintenance.

Prepare and update maintenance plans to facilitate the planning of investment across the venue; align with group contracts and centralised policies and procedures across technical, FM, property, and risk.

• Ensure that the building is presented to the highest standards, and that the building is always safe for use by our staff and costumers.
• Ensure that all plant, services, and equipment is maintained, fit for purpose and in-line with legislation, best practice and ATGE guidance.
• Project manage and /or support the delivery of repair/capital investment projects along with Theatre Director, ATGE property team, head of FM or head of technical operations as appropriate.
• Maintain technical, facilities and building records, drawings, O+Ms and general information ensuring that information is up to date and relevant, storing the data on the appropriate ATG system.
• With the Theatre Director develop a regime of planned maintenance, testing and inspection for all aspects of the venue.
• Staff Development, Training and Communication
• Develop a skilled, cohesive, and motivated team by ensuring high standards of recruitment, communication, development, and training.

This includes our permanently contracted technical and maintenance staff and our Stage Door team.

• Recruit, train, appraise and manage your team to ensure business and individual objectives are achieved.
• Lead on staff training and development and ensure that appropriate technical, facilities and safety training is delivered.
• Lead on all other personnel matters relating to your team. Ensure all ATGE’s HR policies and procedures are met and implemented.
• In conjunction with the Venue Administrator, ensure all personnel changes or updates for the BOH employees are processed in accordance with the company’s procedures.
• Co-ordinate timesheets (and relevant ATGE systems), ensuring that they are correct and ready for processing by the Administrator.

To ensure the timesheets adhere to agreed (and costed) staffing calls.

• Ensure regular and effective communication across your team.
• Set up regular team meetings to ensure the team is well informed and motivated. To also communicate company information, procedures, and goals.

Your skills, qualities, and experience.

Essential

• IOSHH Certificate, First Aid, Fire Marshal Risk qualifications
• Working at Height Harness and Rescue and Pyrotechnics qualifications
• Extensive experience of managing technical teams within live performance venues.
• Experience in staff management, leadership, training, and supervision.
• Experience in safety legislation, implementation of safe systems and developing safety culture.
• Experience in managing buildings and building facilities.
• Understanding of ETC Eos System, counterweight flying systems, sound systems and operation (Allen & Heath)
• Excellent written and oral communication, with general certificates in English and Maths
• Highly computer literate – proficient with Word, Excel, Outlook, Microsoft Teams and Share Point
• Ability to work under pressure and with a high degree of autonomy.
• Ability to develop, manage and apply systems and procedures.
• Ability to promote and represent the organisation.
• Flexibility to working hours including weekends and evenings

Desirable

• NEBOSH Certificate
• Management/ leadership qualification
• Knowledge of/ qualification regarding BS7909
• PPE & Rigging equipment inspection qualification and IPAF qualification Understanding of employment law, financial management and budget planning.
• Overview of operational security systems
• Understanding of Network and infrastructure and demonstration of CAD proficiency

About Us - Our values

ATG Entertainment’s values set the tone for how we work, how we treat one another, and the culture we continue to build across the UK and the wider organisation.

• THRIVE doing what we love (with passion and dynamism)
• CONNECT through every act (with collaboration and kindness)
• DARE to do different (with curiosity and courage)
• PERFORM at our best (with customer focus and ownership)
• Our Corporate Social Responsibility pillars

Everyone at ATG Entertainment is expected to play their part in achieving our goals and upholding our Corporate Social Responsibility priorities:

Inclusion

Committing to creating and upholding a positive, inclusive culture that nurtures potential and supports well-being.

Sustainability

Playing your part in reducing our environmental impact and finding more sustainable ways of working.

Next Generations

Encouraging the next generation in live entertainment by contributing to our outreach and training programmes, including mentoring students and trainees, and supporting our Creative Learning and Community Partnerships work.

Our culture

You’ll help us uphold a positive culture around meeting our obligations, by having a positive attitude to health and safety, legal and insurance requirements and take care to understand our policies and procedures.

We are all expected to participate actively in the life of the company, and opportunities will arise for you to collaborate with others across the business.

Everyone at ATG Entertainment is expected to be flexible and adapt as the needs of the business change, taking on new or different responsibilities as the need arises.

Our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Mission Statement - A Stage for Everyone

Our stages are a platform for compelling stories – stories that are for all, by all, and of all.

We shine our spotlight on our differences and believe that understanding and celebrating these differences makes us better global citizens.

We are passionate about the pursuit of true diversity and equality.

We strive to make our venues beacons of these ideals in our communities.

Onstage and off, we hold ourselves accountable for nurturing an inclusive culture, one in which everyone can bring their authentic selves.

At ATG entertainment, we provide a stage for everyone.

We recognise that we do not have all the answers; but we strive to listen, to learn and to change in order to ensure ATG Entertainment becomes a truly inclusive organisation.

We therefore welcome and encourage applications from individuals from the widest possible range of backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from those currently underrepresented in our workforce.

We are a Disability Confident Committed Employer, which means that we are taking action to ensure that people with disabilities and long-term health conditions feel supported, engaged and able to fulfil their potential in the workplace.

We will offer an interview or recruitment event to disabled candidates who tell us they wish to participate in the scheme and who demonstrate in their application that they best meet the essential criteria for the role.

Where we receive more applications than we are reasonably able to interview for any given role, we will retain applications for the next available interview opportunity wherever possible.

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