Production Lead — Installations & Build-Outs

Production Lead — Installations & Build-Outs

Parasol Projects | New York, NY | Full-time, on-site | $75,000–$85,000/year

About Parasol Projects

Parasol Projects is New York City's pop-up agency. Since 2009 we've connected brands, galleries and creative studios with short-term retail and commercial spaces across the city. We bring exhibitions, showrooms, retail concepts and brand activations to life, and we're growing our own portfolio of spaces along the way.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced Production Lead to own our installations from planning through strike. You'll be on site for every install and the client's main point of contact on the ground. You'll run vendors and crews, solve problems as they come up and make sure every space opens on time and looks right.

You'll work alongside our Production Manager, who leads design and planning for upcoming projects. You make sure what was designed gets built, and built well. This role is for someone who takes ownership, not someone waiting for instructions.

We're an AI-forward team. We use Claude and similar tools every day to build install schedules, budget trackers, vendor comparisons and client updates, and we want someone who already works this way, or is eager to.

What You'll Own

• Installs and strikes: lead every installation on site, managing timelines, crews and quality from load-in to opening, then strike
• Clients: be the client's main contact on site, keeping them informed, handling changes and making good decisions in real time
• Vendors and crews: hire, schedule and manage fabricators, carpenters, electricians, painters, lighting, AV and delivery vendors
• Sourcing: find and buy materials, fixtures and furniture on budget and on schedule
• Drafting: produce and update floor plans, elevations and layouts in Vectorworks, build 3D models and renderings (Rhino, Enscape or similar), and check site measurements before anything is built
• Budgets: track production costs against the budget and flag overruns early
• Our spaces: lead improvements and renovations across Parasol's own spaces
• AI-enabled workflows: use tools like Claude to build and share interactive install schedules, checklists, sourcing comparisons and budget trackers (Claude artifacts), draft vendor and client communications, and summarize site notes, so the team spends less time on admin and more on execution

What We're Looking For

• 5 years in production for pop-ups, retail, exhibitions, experiential events or installations, ideally in New York
• Required software skills:
• Vectorworks: floor plans, elevations and construction-ready drawings
• 3D modeling: Rhino or other
• Renderings: Enscape or other
• Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign): presentation boards and graphics
• An established network of NYC vendors, fabricators and trades
• Experience with commercial or retail build-outs and renovations is a strong plus
• Proven ability to lead on site: you've been the person responsible when things go wrong, and you've fixed them
• Comfortable with clients and confident making decisions on site
• Hands-on with AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT or similar): you use them in your daily work, not just for the occasional email, and you've built your own trackers, templates or tools with them
• Organized and comfortable with project management tools (we use Basecamp)

Details

• Fully on-site in New York City
• Install schedules include early mornings, evenings and some weekends
• $75,000–$85,000/year, depending on experience

To Apply

Send your resume and a portfolio showing installations or build-outs you led, including architectural / design drawings, 3D models and renderings you produced. Also include one example of how you've used AI in your work, such as a link, screenshot or short description of something you built or automated. Tell us about one install you ran start to finish.

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $85,000