Design Associate

Overview of the Organization:

Studio RRD is a lighting design studio fueled by limitless thinking, precision and exacting visual mastery. We explore the intersection of design, technology, and architecture to push boundaries and deliver the intended human experience.

• Our studio was assembled through years of collaborative visual mastery across a variety of disciplines in art, theater, fashion, music and architecture.

• Our team is composed of shared, but singly distinctive talent includes designers, renderers, draftsmen and production professionals brought together by a desire to push the limits of light.

• Our collaborative experience and inspired arts training has informed a cross-pollinated team aesthetic, merging compelling and striking elements from every corner of the globe to shape both the visual and visceral human experience.

Job Summary:

Studio RRD is seeking a Design Associate to join our team of lighting professionals. Successful candidates will have a thorough knowledge of lighting design and associated technical systems, as well as developed management skills. Design Associates are the primary support to senior design staff, directly managing execution of all aspects of their projects. Candidates will be expected to navigate a crowded scheduled of projects across a variety of disciplines. Design Associates coordinate with Design and Production staff for a deeply meticulous advance process, accounting for every potential need and obstacle in order to successfully build large-scale installations. Design staff fully plan the technical framework and support systems needed to realize a client’s aesthetic, including rigging and engineering temporary structures, charting and implementing power distribution systems, designing the architecture of lighting control networks, and much more.

Expected Qualifications:

• Experience in all disciplines of lighting design is welcome, whether theatrical, event, concert, broadcast, film/photography, retail, exhibit, or architectural.

• Rich experience across several fields, 4 years of seasoned and varied work as a lighting designer.

• Full proficiency in industry standard software tools (Vectorworks, LW, etc.), as well as cross-industry standard office tools (Excel, Word, etc.)

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

• Unflappable, adaptable, and able to maintain positivity in a fast-paced environment.

• Successful history managing stagehand labor and leading independent projects.

• Bachelor’s Degree in some field of Lighting Design or demonstrably relevant program.

• Comprehensive and evolving knowledge of lighting technology and the technical systems of temporary events staging.

Job Responsibilities:

• Assist senior staff in the development and visualization of design concepts.

• Research and generate realistic cost analysis for purchasing, sub-rentals, custom fabrication, etc.

• Survey project sites to identify and plan for logistical limitations and design opportunities.

• Directly assess production needs (lighting equipment, labor, heavy equipment, power, production support, etc.) and ripple information out to appropriate providers.

• Communicate with clients and vendors regularly to create a schedule, define scope, and advance production needs.

• Direct the onsite design of an event: layout installation details, focus lights, collaborate with console programmers, and interface with clients and partner vendors.

• Manage an Assistant Designer, who provides support through drafting, and other design work.

• Assist senior staff in departmental management.

• Collaborate in the creation, organization, and maintenance of the company’s digital assets and databases.

This position is paid hourly, with overtime after 40 hours per week, with a starting rate of between $40 - $65/hr, depending on experience. This is a limited-duration freelance position, starting on August 17th and continuing until December 18th, with the potential to extend past that. All interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@studiorrd.com with Design Associate Submission in the subject line. Please ensure attached documents include your name in the document name. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.