Production Planning in Manchester

Location: Manchester

Type: Full Time - Fully office based

Reports to: Directors / Production Leadership Team

About Visual Architects

Visual Architects is a creative production company specialising in immersive environments, scenic builds, fabrication, commercial interiors, festivals, hospitality projects, and large scale experiential installations across the UK and Europe. We deliver technically challenging and visually impactful projects for brands, venues, agencies, and live events, combining creativity with operational excellence across design, production, fabrication, logistics, and installation.

As the business continues to grow, we are looking for an experienced and highly organised Head of Production from a fabrication, scenic build, events, exhibitions, commercial interiors, or experiential production background who understands how to manage complex builds, fast moving deadlines, workforce coordination, procurement, workshop scheduling, and operational delivery at scale.

The Role

The Head of Production is responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and operational delivery of all production and fabrication projects across the business. This role is heavily focused on:

• production planning
• build scheduling
• workforce allocation
• procurement coordination
• operational oversight
• workshop scheduling
• ensuring projects are built and delivered on time and to a high standard

The successful candidate must come from a hands on production, fabrication, scenic, exhibitions, or live events environment and understand the realities of workshop operations, fabrication timelines, supplier management, labour planning, logistics coordination, and live project delivery. Strong planning, communication, and organisational skills are absolutely essential for this role.

The successful candidate will initially work closely with the current production leadership team and company directors to learn internal workflows, systems, supplier networks, operational structures, and company processes before gradually taking ownership of the department. This role would suit someone who thrives in a fast paced production environment and is capable of managing multiple complex projects simultaneously while maintaining high operational standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Production Planning & Project Delivery
• Oversee the full production and build schedule across all projects
• Create realistic production timelines and ensure projects are delivered on time
• Coordinate fabrication schedules, production priorities, and operational planning across multiple departments
• Ensure projects move efficiently from approved concept through to final delivery and installation
• Monitor build progress daily and proactively resolve delays, risks, or operational issues
• Work closely with Project Managers, Creative Producers, Designers, and Workshop Managers to ensure smooth project execution
• Manage multiple large scale builds and live projects simultaneously while balancing operational capacity
• Review technical build approaches, fabrication feasibility, and production costings to ensure projects are commercially viable and achievable before entering production
• Workforce Planning & Resource Allocation
• Plan and coordinate workforce allocation across workshop, fabrication, scenic, logistics, and installation teams
• Ensure labour requirements are planned correctly across all active projects
• Support recruitment and onboarding within the production department where required
• Procurement & Materials Coordination
• Oversee material requirements across all active projects
• Work closely with the materials, stock control, and procurement function to manage material ordering, stock levels, forecasting, and procurement requirements
• Liaise with suppliers and subcontractors regarding lead times, deliveries, availability, and costs
• Ensure materials are ordered and delivered in line with production schedules to avoid delays
• Workshop & Build Oversight
• Work in direct collaboration with the Workshop Manager, who oversees the day to day operation of the workshop and fabrication floor
• Ensure workshop schedules and production priorities remain aligned with project deadlines
• Oversee build progress and fabrication timelines across all active projects
• Ensure builds are completed to the required quality standards and technical specifications
• Support practical problem solving and build solutions throughout the production process
• Ensure safe, organised, and efficient working practices across all production areas
• Operational Leadership & Communication
• Lead and support the wider production department in a fast paced operational environment
• Maintain clear communication across all departments regarding timelines, delays, operational risks, and production updates
• Attend planning and operational meetings to support company wide coordination
• Help create a positive, accountable, and solutions focused production culture
• Help improve production systems, workflows, scheduling processes, and operational efficiencies as the company continues to scale

Skills & Experience Required

• Proven experience within fabrication, scenic build, exhibitions, live events, production, commercial interiors, construction, or experiential environments
• Strong understanding of build environments and workshop operations
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• Experience managing production schedules, build timelines, and operational delivery
• Strong understanding of materials, fabrication processes, and logistics coordination
• Experience managing workforce allocation and operational resources
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple deadlines simultaneously
• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Commercial awareness and ability to work within budgets and timelines
• Proactive and solutions focused mindset

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be someone who:

• understands the realities of production and build environments
• can confidently manage fast paced build schedules
• is highly organised and operationally strong
• can balance multiple moving projects simultaneously
• understands technical fabrication and production processes
• can help ensure projects are commercially viable before entering production
• knows how to keep teams aligned, accountable, and delivering under pressure

This role would suit someone currently working as:

• Production Manager
• Senior Production Coordinator
• Workshop Manager
• Build Manager
• Scenic Production Manager
• Technical Production Manager
• Operations Manager