Director, Production Services

The Director, Production Services at Original X Productions is responsible for the overall quality, consistency, functionality, and execution of the guest-facing show experience within an assigned attraction. This role serves as the operational steward of the experience, ensuring guests consistently receive the intended emotional, visual, interactive, and storytelling experience as envisioned by the OGX Creative & Design Studio.

The Director oversees both the attraction's show operations team and technical services team, leading the daily execution, maintenance, and continuous improvement of all guest-facing experiences. This includes responsibility for staffing, scheduling, training, coaching, performance management, operational readiness, technical reliability, and cross-functional collaboration.

Working closely with the Creative & Design Studio, Production, and Venue Operations teams, this role ensures creative standards are successfully translated into daily operations while maintaining the highest levels of guest satisfaction, safety, and operational excellence.

This role requires flexibility to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and maintenance windows as business needs dictate.

*This is the remote role. Preference will be given to candidates in the New York Tristate area*

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES (include but are not limited to):

Show Experience Leadership

• Serve as the operational owner of the guest experience, ensuring consistent execution of creative, storytelling, and experiential standards.

• Maintain the overall quality, pacing, atmosphere, immersion, and presentation of the attraction.

• Conduct routine walkthroughs to evaluate show quality and identify operational, scenic, technical, or presentation opportunities.

• Partner with the Creative & Design Studio on experience updates, seasonal overlays, activations, and show enhancements.

• Protect and uphold the integrity of the attraction while continuously seeking opportunities for improvement.

Team Leadership & Staff Management

• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, schedule, supervise, and develop guest experience staff, cast members (where applicable), and technical personnel.

• Foster a culture focused on hospitality, teamwork, accountability, technical excellence, and guest satisfaction.

• Lead daily operational meetings, shift communication, and show readiness activities.

• Provide coaching, feedback, and performance management while supporting employee development and career growth.

• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and operational coverage to meet business needs.

Technical Operations & Show Systems

• Oversee the daily operation, functionality, and reliability of all show systems and technical infrastructure.

• Coordinate preventative maintenance, repairs, troubleshooting, and issue resolution with internal teams and external vendors.

• Monitor system performance and identify recurring issues to improve long-term operational reliability.

• Minimize technical downtime through proactive planning and communication.

• Support maintenance schedules, overnight work, installations, and operational refreshes.

Show Operations & Quality Control

• Direct the daily operation of the attraction during business hours.

• Monitor guest flow, show timing, transitions, resets, cleanliness, and presentation standards throughout the experience.

• Ensure operational procedures and technical systems work seamlessly to maintain immersion and guest satisfaction.

• Maintain operational documentation, standard operating procedures, training materials, and technical guidelines.

• Analyze operational trends and implement sustainable process improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with the Creative & Design Studio to maintain and enhance experiential quality.

• Collaborate with Production, Technical Design, Venue Operations, Marketing, and external vendors to support attraction initiatives.

• Assist in implementing creative updates, operational enhancements, technical upgrades, and special activations.

• Communicate operational challenges and technical considerations while protecting the guest experience.

Safety & Operational Readiness

• Ensure all show environments and technical systems operate safely and consistently.

• Promote compliance with company safety policies and operational procedures.

• Support incident reporting, operational follow-up, and corrective action planning.

• Maintain overall operational readiness to deliver a safe and exceptional guest experience.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Entertainment Management, Technical Production, Hospitality, Business Management, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• 5+ years of leadership experience within immersive entertainment, themed entertainment, attractions, live events, museums, theatrical operations, or related industries.

• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary operational and technical teams.

• Strong understanding of immersive storytelling, experiential operations, and guest engagement.

• Working knowledge of show systems including lighting, audio, media playback, interactive technologies, scenic environments, and attraction operations.

• Exceptional leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

• Proven ability to balance creative standards, operational execution, and technical requirements in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and maintenance windows.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience managing immersive attractions or guest-facing entertainment venues.

• Experience leading technical operations teams within themed entertainment or live entertainment environments.

• Background in themed entertainment, experiential marketing, museums, live events, or interactive attractions.

• Experience supporting attraction openings, operational refreshes, or ongoing lifecycle management.

• Experience with preventative maintenance planning, operational documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

ABOUT ORIGINAL X PRODUCTIONS

Original X Productions are the operators of premier worldwide location-based entertainment experiences, including The FRIENDS™ Experience and Hershey Super Sweet Adventure. Our team is comprised of guest experience-focused storytellers who are passionate, strive for excellence, are committed to safety, and value fun in everything they do.

The salary range for this role considers a range of variables used in making compensation decisions and may include but is not limited to; experience, training, licenses, certifications, skill sets, business needs, travel. Compensation decisions are dependent on the unique variables that are present. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $85,000- $95,000. This range has not been adjusted based on the geographic location of the successful incumbent.