Manager of Media Services and Event Production

Job title: Manager of Media Services and Event Production

The University of Maine System is seeking a Manager of Media Services and Event Production to lead audiovisual, classroom, and event technology services for the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias. This position provides operational leadership for a customer-focused team supporting technology-enabled classrooms, conference rooms, and event spaces on the Orono and Machias campuses.

The manager is responsible for the reliability and continuous improvement of classroom and event technology services, the quality of the user experience, and the successful production of high-visibility University and external events. The role combines people leadership, service management, audiovisual operations, live event production, and cross-functional collaboration across UMS IT and campus departments.

This is an on-site position supporting the Orono and Machias campuses. Regular travel between campuses is required. The work involves evolving technology, tight schedules, shifting priorities, and time-sensitive live-event support. Work outside regular business hours, including occasional evenings and weekends, may be required to support University events and operational needs.

What You Will Do

• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop a geographically distributed team of Media Services technicians and student employees.
• Oversee day-to-day audiovisual, classroom, web-conferencing, lecture-capture, digital signage, and event technology support, including incident response and service restoration.
• Establish service standards, response expectations, escalation procedures, scheduling practices, and consistent communication with faculty, staff, students, and external clients.
• Use feedback, service trends, and recurring issues to improve the classroom and event technology experience.
• Coordinate the operational lifecycle of installed technology, including configuration, preventive maintenance, repair-or-replace recommendations, refresh planning, asset management, and disposition.
• Coordinate Media Services participation in audiovisual installations and renovations, including scheduling, site access, testing, operational handoff, and acceptance.
• Lead audiovisual refresh planning in alignment with academic needs, equipment condition, available resources, and UMS IT standards.
• Direct the end-to-end production of high-visibility events, including town halls, leadership meetings, ceremonies, graduations, and hybrid or livestreamed programs.
• Oversee technical production elements such as audio, video, lighting, streaming, graphics, contingency planning, and real-time troubleshooting, and serve as production lead when needed.
• Lead in-house media production, including event graphics, signage content, training videos, and post-production editing.
• Collaborate with Desktop Support, Classroom Technology, Facilities, vendors, integrators, and campus partners to coordinate troubleshooting, technology rollouts, and service improvements.
• Monitor performance and service metrics, manage competing priorities, and contribute to Campus Technology Services planning.

What We Are Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in audiovisual technology, live event production, classroom technology, or related technology services, including supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a customer-focused technology service or support function across multiple locations.
• Working knowledge of audiovisual and learning-space technologies, including control systems, audiovisual-over-IP, lecture capture, digital signage, streaming, lighting, and live production.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, coach, and develop technical employees, including experience with hiring, performance management, conflict resolution, and work planning.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical matters to nontechnical audiences and build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Ability to manage projects, service queues, schedules, and competing priorities and exercise sound judgment in time-sensitive situations.
• Ability to lift equipment weighing 30 to 50 pounds, occasionally lifting more than 50 pounds, and the ability to work at elevated heights using ladders or lifts.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project management experience, including experience leading organizational or service change.
• Experience with classroom construction or renovation projects and integrator-managed installations, including operational handoff and acceptance.
• Familiarity with TeamDynamix or a comparable IT service management platform.
• Experience coordinating audiovisual vendors or integration partners in an operational support environment.
• Industry certification such as AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist, or a relevant vendor certification in audiovisual switching, audio, lighting, streaming, or related platforms.
• Experience supporting classroom, academic, or learning-space technology in higher education or another large, distributed organization.

What We Offer

Our comprehensive benefits package can be worth up to 50% of your annual salary and is designed to support your health, financial well-being, professional growth, and work-life balance. Benefits include:

• Competitive salary: $57,000–$62,000 commensurate with education and experience. This is a fixed range set within a predefined wage band, so we're not able to negotiate a starting salary above it.
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Account (HSA) options.
• Employer-paid benefits, including basic life insurance and long-term disability coverage, with additional voluntary coverage options available.
• Retirement plan through TIAA with 10% employer contribution and opportunities for additional tax-deferred retirement savings
• Generous paid time off, including vacation and sick leave, plus 13 paid holidays each year
• Tuition waiver program for employees, including graduate courses and Maine Law, plus substantial tuition discounts for eligible spouses and dependent children
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness programs supporting your health and well-being
• Professional development and opportunities to grow your career within Maine's public university system
• Additional voluntary benefits, including pet insurance, home and auto insurance discounts, and supplemental disability and life insurance options

About the University of Maine

The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the state. UMaine is a land, sea and space grant university, and maintains a leadership role as the University of Maine System's flagship institution. UMaine is the state's public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, dedicated to providing excellent teaching, research and service for Maine, the nation and the world. More information about UMaine is at umaine.edu.

EEO Statement

The University of Maine System (the System) is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a no