Production Manager, Seoul

Job Description

Production Manager, Seoul, Frieze (Bilingual - Korean/English)

Who We Are:

Frieze is the world's leading platform for modern and contemporary art, dedicated to artists, galleries, collectors and art lovers alike. Frieze comprises three magazines – frieze, Frieze Masters Magazine and Frieze Week – and five international art fairs – Frieze London, Frieze Masters, Frieze New York, Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze Seoul. In October 2021, Frieze also launched No.9 Cork Street, a permanent space for visiting international galleries in the heart of Mayfair, London. Frieze is part of the IMG network.

About The Frieze Production Department

The Production team are responsible for delivering all physical elements of the fairs and ensuring it's safe, timely and successful delivery. This team is an operational one, based in London, made up of two distinct subsets, with a Head of Department for each:

Exhibitor Production – focuses on all production elements related to the Exhibitors at the fairs, including; booth builds, complex artwork installation, technical support, drafting, floor planning, art shipping logistics, Frieze Sculpture management, production schedules (venue builds), Health & Safety

Fair Production – encompasses all other areas of the fair, including; tent builds & related infrastructure, F&B, contract management, Partnership lounge support/production, other non-gallery build, fair design, site infrastructure, security, cleaning, contractor management, production schedule (tent builds), Health & Safety

Each fair has a Production Manager, who is responsible for all the Fair Production elements as well as coordinating with the various departments across Frieze. The Exhibitor Production Department work across all fairs but are more heavily involved in the US fairs where we don't have a single stand-building vendor (in the UK and Korea we use one stand-building vendor for each show) – for the US the internal team act as the stand-build vendor, and exhibitors order their additional walls, lights, etc from Frieze rather than an external party.

Who We Are Looking For

Frieze are looking for a Production Manager to join the team on a permanent basis and oversee the production and operational running of Frieze Seoul. It is essential that candidates have fluent language skills in both Korean and English.

The role will act as day-to-day liaison and management of various Frieze contractors, and internal stakeholders. You will work closely with both the Senior Production Manager and the Head of Fair Production, to ensure delivery of the events to a high standard, within budget and on time.

We are looking for someone who is a logical thinker with the ability to work to tight deadlines. You must have experience of managing budgets, as well as negotiating contracts and pricing for large scale consumer events.

Strong negotiation skills and an approachable manner are essential, as well as having the ability to co-ordinate between various stakeholders at different level of input and needs.

Ideally you will be based at the London office but we can consider candidates who are looking to be based in Korea.

The working hours are 10am – 6pm in the office and longer hours when working on site (you will get days in lieu for any weekend days on site).

Working hours will need to be adjusted to suit working across events and time zones at certain periods throughout the year.

Responsibilities Include But Not Limited To
• Management and operational delivery of Frieze Seoul
• Management and coordination of all non-gallery areas (eg furniture/equipment orders, services requirements, design and buld of catering spaces, storage/inventory etc)
• Engage and manage onsite caterers
• Procuring and managing fair contractors
• Act as Production team liaison with the venue and with other Seoul team members as required
• Help Frieze to build a strong relationship with the venue and local suppliers
• Act as the floor manager on-site and be the main contact for Korean contractors and venue management
• Ensure Production requirements and concerns are translated to/from Korean/English with contractors and other stakeholders
• Coordinate and help recruit Production freelancers / temporary staff needs for the fair (excluding Accreditation team)
• Attend meetings as required to take minutes and follow up actions with other team members and/or the wider Events team
• Prepare and manage the deparment timeline for Frieze Seoul
• Prepare and manage the Production Schedule
• Co-ordinate production signage requirements for the fair in collaboration with Marketing and Design teams
• Research and advise on local Health and Safety practices and operational standards for catering businesses
• Booking & coordinating internal & external meetings/debriefs/briefings
• Fair documentation collation (permits, safety documents, etc)
• Day to day management of Frieze Seoul production budget – purchase order raising, process invoices/payments (in conjunction with the Production Assistant in London)
• Support Head of Fair Production on future planning and budget forecasting
• Methodical filing and record keeping, arranging meetings, keeping minutes and follow up correspondence
• Research and development of new products and/or ways of working
• Post show evaluation and development reports
• Support the department and company's sustainability goals
• Working on other special projects that may launch in future, as needed

You Will Have The Following Strengths
• Minimum 3 years' experience working on large publicly attended events at Manager level
• Fluent in English and Korean
• Stakeholder liaison (internal and external)
• Experience in working with a number of contractors
• Experience in working in a team, as well as autonomously
• Experience in working to strict deadlines
• Local Health & Safety regulations
• Working with large budgets

We'd Also Love If You Have These
• Experience of working with temporary structures
• Background knowledge of the arts and gallery systems
• Some knowledge of working with CAD
• Knowledge of exhibition production (outside of the art world)
• Knowledge of best working practices in Korea
• Health & Safety qualification (IOSH or above)
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Innate high standards and concern for a high level of quality
• Excellent problem solver and multi-tasker
• Ability to calmly work under pressure
• Adaptable with excellent attention to detail
• Able to deal with a broad range of people at every level
• Self-motivated and able to take responsibility
• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office, in particular Excel
Our Values:
• We are fueled by Persistence, adapting and seeking solutions in the face of challenges.
• We support and elevate diverse voices, promoting equity and Inclusion within our company, industries and community.
• We operate with a spirit of Entrepreneurialism, a willingness to take risks and mindset that is built to disrupt.
• We rely on Collaboration across our network to power culture and unite people around the world.
• We hold ourselves to the highest standards of Excellence in every aspect of our work, including how we interact with one another, our clients and our partners.

Endeavor unites and brings people together in our love of sport, culture, and entertainment. We understand this can only be accomplished when we lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. As a global company that drives culture, we strive to reflect the world's diverse voices.  

Endeavor is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rjkxwb-3-136-17-147-42 in your application.