Assistant Technical Director

Position Overview

Are you looking for an exciting, unique and rewarding career in the performing arts? An opportunity to enrich, educate and entertain audiences of all ages? If so, then the Assistant Technical Director position may be your ticket to one of the most exciting and rewarding performing arts careers in the Midwest!

The Lied Center is hiring an Assistant Technical Director, who will help to facilitate a variety of theatrical/production tasks, projects and assignments. You will work alongside some of the most FUN theatre professionals and staff in the Midwest!

In addition, KU offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, 9 paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a great retirement program, medical and dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options and state of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. KU also offers employees educational opportunities for employees. KU is a great place to work!

About the Lied Center of Kansas

The Lied Center of Kansas serves the state's flagship university, students and the greater community by functioning as a catalyst for the arts, creativity, engagement and community building through the following core activities:

• Presenting a series of world-class artists which activates our community to strengthen its connection with the arts. Constant public feedback and conversation shape the Lied series.
• Engaging our community through experiential learning in the performing arts and our world by providing opportunities to attend, explore, participate and create.
• Serving as a communal gathering space for shared experience, connection, conversation and the celebration of achievement.

About Lawrence, KS

The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, a community of about 95,000. Only 35 miles west of Kansas City and 20 miles east of Topeka, you will never be far from barbecue, jazz, museum culture, and more. Lawrence has a lively downtown and a thriving arts and music scene, and its local government has enacted ordinances supporting equality for all members of its population. Lawrence locals covet the numerous sports and recreational opportunities, local shops, and a wide range of locally-owned restaurants.

Job Description

40% - Assists and supervises event set-ups, load-ins, shows, and load-out activities:

• Works closely with Lied Center artists, clients, and their representatives in advancing and coordinating on-site technical requirements.
• Supervises in any department (i.e. Electrics, Video, Carpentry, Rigging, Sound, Props) during show load-ins.
• Independently supervises performances.
• Skillfully and safely uses and operates various types of technical theater equipment, including, but not limited to lighting, rigging, sound, projection, video recording/streaming, and shop equipment.

30% - Hiring, training, and supervising technical crew:

• Assists in hiring, training and supervising tech crew consisting of professional stagehands, students, and other production staff.

20% - Other duties as assigned:

• Participates in departmental staff meetings and production planning meetings.
• Maintains and repairs technical theater equipment and production equipment.
• Makes recommendations for new and replacement technical equipment.
• Prepares tech equipment and labor expenses for event bills in a timely manner for client invoicing by Event & Operations Manager.

10% - Plans and makes production-related decisions and arrangements:

• Prepares provided lighting plots, determining substitutions, ordering color and other lighting consumables in advance of light hangs.
• Assists with audio input lists and patching.
• Assists with video equipment set up for livestreaming.

Position Requirements

1. Physical strength, dexterity and endurance, with or without an accommodation.
2. Varying hours for event production, including significant night and weekend hours.

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor's Degree in Theatre or related field PLUS minimum two (2) years of professional experience in performing arts or an equivalent combination of education/experience.
2. Experience using the Microsoft Office Suite, as evidenced in application materials.

This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Two - four years technical experience in a presenting venue.
2. Experience working with faculty, staff, artists, visiting production personnel and the general public, as evidenced in application materials.
3. Excellent interpersonal skills communication skills, as evidenced by prior work experience.
4. Experience working both independently and on a team, as evidenced in application materials.
5. Experience working with and supervising student employees in a college or university environment, as evidenced in application materials.
6. Sound production experience, as evidenced in application materials.
7. Lighting design experience, as evidenced in application materials.
8. Video production and web streaming experience, as evidenced in application materials.
9. Experience in technical theater and stage management techniques including reading and implementing lighting and sound plots, stage sets and drawings, rigging and ground plans and calling shows, as evidenced in application materials.

Contact Information to Applicants

Derek Kwan
kwan@ku.edu

Additional Candidate Instruction

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins April 7th, 2026, and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Advertised Salary Range

Minimum $40,000

Application Review Begins

07-Apr-2026

Anticipated Start Date

15-Apr-2026

Primary Campus

University of Kansas Lawrence Campus

FTE: 1.0
Reg/Temp: Regular
FLSA Status: Nonexempt
Employee Class: U-Unclassified Professional Staff
Work Location Assignment: On-Site