The Head of Production ensures the success of all awarded projects as well as the appropriate management of resources throughout Rodeo FX India, guiding the production team through milestones. In collaboration with the department heads and supervisors, this person will find creative ways to ensure the production team provides the highest possible quality of work, on time and on budget, while meeting client requirements.
This person defines production standards and ensures they are applied across all projects.
This person will act as a resource and coach to their team and will drive performance while ensuring a high level of engagement, employee development, performance management and ultimately, supporting the team in achieving their goals.
Main responsibilities:
- Support the shows production teams on assessing their show’s crewing needs based on milestones, priorities and scope of work. Give recommendations on immediate crewing priorities in between shows to department heads and to the resources manager;
- Maintain an overview of all ongoing projects, staying up to date on projects that deviate from the original time estimates, and working with the team to ensure they stay on track;
- Act as a resource throughout the life of the project, periodically checking in and assessing the work of the VFX Project Managers. Identify areas for improvement and ensure that all issues are addressed, or that training/coaching is provided;
- Raise awareness of issues to Studio leadership, and help remove roadblocks impacting show deliveries. Identify and help keep track of requirements and flags that need to be addressed;
- Ensure the production team respects the established data structure by updating all required information on an ongoing basis, ensuring accessibility of information to executives and other departments;
- Ensure the maintenance of ongoing positive and collaborative working relationships between Production and the various VFX departments, ensuring fluid communication on the status of projects, changes, etc;
- Review and analyse dashboards and reports on a regular basis, formulating recommendations and strategies to improve performance as needed;
- Coordinate and review post-mortems of all projects to develop a clear understanding of what needs to be improved and lead the implementation of the changes needed in production;
- Establish common standards of practice for production and ensure they are applied across project teams;
- Give guidance and objectives to the Global Production Manager and leads to establish best practices and ensure that work methods are consistent across the team, and aligned with Rodeo’s structure;
- Identify global training needs for production and, in conjunction with the Training Manager, develop and implement a training plan and calendar to ensure the ongoing professional development of the departement. Oversee the preparation and update of training materials and seminars, and assist with Producer training on production tools and on standard Rodeo show organizational structures;
- Lead monthly department meetings to provide updates, stay informed of ongoing projects and encourage the sharing of knowledge and information within the department;
- Communicate the staffing needs of their team to the recruitment team. Assist in screening candidates and conduct interviews, making recommendations for hires;
- Review the performance of their team and ensure that they receive regular feedback through the mid and post mortem process, collecting feedback from the VFX Producers as needed. In conjunction with Department Managers, conduct annual performance reviews and make recommendations for salary reviews. Decide on promotions (levels and/or positions), manage disciplinary or performance issues, and terminations;
- Ensure the production team is staffed with the appropriate balance of skills and experience to meet the company’s current and planned business needs. Ensure a plan is in place for team members with downtime, reassigning them to other projects, or using time for training or to work on special projects;
- Actively monitor the work climate in his/her team, taking steps to maintain a positive work environment and adherence to company values;
- May temporarily replace Producers on projects, or to start projects, as needed.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge and seek the latest technological advances and work methods within their specialty;
- Positively represent Rodeo FX within the VFX and related communities, both locally and in the worldwide market, to further grow the company’s reputation as an industry leader. This can include giving conferences, participating in panels and actively participating in industry events.