Director of Operations

Summary

The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center seeks a highly organized, collaborative Director of Operations to provide essential business and operational support to the Vice President. This position plays a key supporting role in the centralized management of venue operations, booking coordination, financial workflows, and contract administration across both the Hippodrome Theatre and the M&T Bank Exchange. The Director of Operations will also assist in financial budgeting and forecasting and will be very comfortable in Microsoft Excel. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented, solutions-focused individual who thrives in a fast-paced, multi-venue environment and is eager to contribute to the success of a major performing arts institution.

The Director of Operations serves as the primary operational leader for the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center (FMPAC), supporting the Executive and Management teams in the execution of daily business operations. This role provides direct supervision to front-of-house and facilities teams, and manages all third-party vendors including security, concessions, and catering, ensuring exceptional service delivery, operational efficiency, and adherence to institutional standards. The Director of Operations acts as a central point of coordination for scheduling, resource allocation, and performance oversight across the Hippodrome Theatre and M&T Bank Exchange.

Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Business Support

Serve as a key partner to the Vice President in executing daily operational plans across all departments, ensuring smooth venue operations for performances, events, and rentals.

Support the Vice President with centralized systems, financial oversight, and business workflows.

Lead the effort to onboard new software to manage and track all repairs and maintenance needs in the facility, including daily / weekly / monthly / quarterly checklists and equipment inventory.

Ensure that all emergency preparedness documents and programs are regularly updated and staff trained.

Departmental Oversight

Manage facilities operations, including building maintenance, capital improvement coordination, and vendor relations.

Directly manage the Technical Director and Production Assistants, ensuring that both venues are fully supported and covered for all productions and events, and that resources and personnel are effectively and efficiently distributed

Ensure that production and guest production experiences are executed to world-class standards

Oversee third-party vendor relationships, including concessions, catering, and contracted security, ensuring contractual obligations and quality expectations are met.

Support and advise on front-of-house operations, acting as primary liaison between FMPAC management and The Hippodrome Foundation Inc, the non-profit partner that manages FOH programs, house managers, and ushers.

Booking & Promoter Relations

Support centralized booking processes and manage communications with promoters, producers, and agents in collaboration with the Special Events Department.

Maintain master performance and event calendars in coordination with programming, production, and events teams.

Ensure all booking and calendar activity is documented, organized, and aligned with broader institutional priorities.

Financial & Legal Administration

Support the Vice President in creating and reconciling show budgets, proformas, and forecasting models.

Assist in the settlement process for ticketed events and rentals, ensuring accuracy and transparency.

Help draft, review, and process contracts in coordination with legal counsel and the VP.

Cross Departmental Coordination

• Liaise with Guest Experience, Technical, Events, and Box Office leadership to ensure consistent operations and seamless communication across both venues.
• Foster a friendly, collaborative, and team-oriented environment by modeling professionalism, supporting colleagues, and exercising strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
• Promote efficient scheduling and calendar planning with a focus on maximizing venue utilization across both the Hippodrome Theatre and the M&T Bank Exchange.
• Supervise and develop staff involved in booking, business management, or event contracting to ensure clarity, consistency, and shared accountability.

Process Development & Efficiency

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies :

Establishes and maintains effective relationships

Able to work around unexpected changes of events or workload

Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel

Fosters team cooperation

Qualifications aka KSAOs

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily, the requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Communication Skills

Critical Thinking

Physical Demands

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to :

Work Environment

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to :

Acknowledgement

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Employees will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.

We offer competitive compensation including Vacation and Holiday Pay, health & welfare benefits, and a 401(k) retirement plan.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must possess work authorization which does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa.

Salary / Compensation : $85,000 per year