Production Manager, Institute of Politics

Department

IOP: Programming

About the Department

The University of Chicago Institute of Politics (IOP) was founded in 2013 by alumnus David Axelrod (AB ’76) to ignite in students a passion for public service, meaningful dialogue, and active participation in democracy. Nonpartisan by design, the IOP has quickly become a national leader in preparing the next generation of public servants. With more than 300 internships annually, student-led civic engagement programs, a world-class fellowship bringing in top policymakers and journalists, and one of the country’s most respected political speaker series, the IOP is a hub for conversation and action at the highest levels. It is a model for civil discourse and free expression, which is the through line in all of its programming.

Four core programs form the heart of the Institute:

● Career Development - a dedicated team providing students with one-on-one career advising and hands-on opportunities to explore careers in politics and public service. Each year the IOP provides over 300 paid internship opportunities worldwide in politics, public policy, government, nonprofits and journalism.
● Civic Engagement - a program that enables students to take an active role in solving social and political challenges in their communities during the academic year and to develop their leadership skills via student-led programs, workshops and trainings, political exploration treks and special programs.
● Pritzker Fellows Program - resident and visiting fellowships where distinguished political officials, policymakers, journalists, diplomats and others come to campus for an academic quarter to work closely with and mentor students.
● Speaker Series - enriching political and policy discourse on campus and in the greater Chicagoland area by providing a forum for diverse insights on key issues of the day. More than 1,400 speakers have come to campus from across the political spectrum, a testament to the IOP’s non-partisan commitment to elevating public conversation around important contemporary issues.

Job Summary

The Production Manager is responsible for overseeing the execution and logistics for the enriching and engaging events of the Institute of Politics’ robust Speakers Series. The Speaker Series sponsors 100+ public programs each year, bringing to campus over 200 leaders from the political, policy, foreign affairs, journalism, activism, and nonprofit sectors. The Production Manager leads the operational planning for and execution of all Speakers Series events, including all logistics related to venue, transportation, security, audio / visual, menu planning, and attendee registration. The Production Manager also leads production for other important events and partnerships that sit outside of the Speakers Series program and span multiple IOP programs, such as high-profile events that emerge with heads of state, conferences, or forums. This position reports to and works closely and collaboratively with the Senior Director of the Speaker Series and Fellows Programs who leads on the editorial planning and guest booking for all events in the Speaker Series. They will also work closely with the Senior Director and the Executive Director to establish overall goals for production of the Speaker Series and on the development of specific events.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes a full spectrum of day-to-day event logistics and other complex assignments with minimal guidance from others.
• Guides research, including vendor selection and contract negotiation. Keeps track of all expenses, prepares reports on costs, solves complex problems as they arise.
• Negotiates contracts with vendors and coordinates vendor services. Evaluates and monitors the performance of vendors, working with the Senior Director of Speaker Series and Fellows Programs to resolve any such performance issues.
• Oversees establishment of production protocols and effective processes to manage event logistics, including ticketing, staffing, travel booking and vendor relations.
• Works closely with Senior Director of the Speaker Series and Fellows Program to develop event briefings or run of show documents, and ensures smooth coordination between planning and execution of Speakers events.
• Assists the Senior Director and Director of Communications to develop promotional materials and outreach strategies to cultivate audiences.
• Manages Speaker Series’ events in Neon and serves as lead IOP communicator to Speaker Series event attendees.
• Creates event pages, monitors registration numbers, and communicates with registrants of any programmatic changes.
• Oversees process for tracking and maintaining key Speakers Series metrics and audience feedback.
• Manages all accessibility requests, ensuring all such requests are res