Associate Director of Projects

The Associate Director of Projects leads Crush's Event Manager team — accountable for their growth, their workload, and the quality of the projects they deliver. You'll partner with leadership on staffing, standards, and team development, while also serving as lead producer on your own portfolio of complex or high-profile programs, from opportunity handoff through final reconciliation and client sign-off.

Overview

Crush Studio is a design and production agency dedicated to the art of experiential events. We love telling stories through experiential design and strive to produce interiors, environments and events that are both beautiful and engaging! We are a women owned and led team known for our creativity, use of color and materials, and our stylish install outfits!

As Associate Director of Projects, you will lead Crush's project team — setting the standard for how every project is planned, budgeted, staffed, and delivered — while personally owning a select portfolio of Crush's most complex client programs. You are the bridge between leadership and the production floor: the person the team looks to for direction, and the person leadership trusts to keep every project on time, on budget, and on brand. When the stakes are highest, you're in the room — and when the team needs a call made, you make it.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned producer and a natural people leader ready to lead a team of event and production managers — solutions-oriented, energetic, positive and confident, with the determination, resourcefulness and fastidious attention to detail that experiential work demands. You bring the judgement to make high-stakes calls independently, and the leadership presence to develop a team that can do the same.

This role carries two jobs at once: leading the project team day to day, and running your own projects from pre-production through close-out. You'll balance hands-on delivery with the bigger picture — resourcing, standards, margin, and team growth.

You'll work alongside a talented, focused and passionate team that values creativity and precision in every project. As Associate Director of Projects, you'll shape how Crush plans, budgets, and executes — and help build the project function for the studio's next stage of growth.

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $95,000-$115,000. Final compensation details, including level and salary within the posted range, will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, skills, and qualifications relative to the role’s requirements.

This role is also eligible for an annual performance-based bonus.

Interview Loop & Timeline

If you’re seeing this job posting, we’re still looking for our person! We encourage anyone interested to still apply, regardless of the timing of you finding this role.

• Application Submissions & First Round Interview (30min)
• Second Round Interview (1hour)
• Final Round Interview & Case Study (1.5hour)
• Final Decision and Offer

Role & Responsibilities

ROLE-SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

The Associate Director of Projects leads Crush's Event Manager team — accountable for their growth, their workload, and the quality of the projects they deliver. You'll partner with leadership on staffing, standards, and team development, while also serving as lead producer on your own portfolio of complex or high-profile programs, from opportunity handoff through final reconciliation and client sign-off.

The responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to:

Team Leadership & Development

• Directly manage Crush's Event Managers (including contract and NYC-based team members) — setting priorities, providing direction, and removing roadblocks
• Hold regular 1:1s, set clear goals, and deliver ongoing feedback and annual performance reviews
• Coach and develop team members toward their next level; build a bench that can lead projects independently
• Partner with the Director of Operations on hiring, onboarding, and role design for the project team
• Serve as the primary escalation point across all active projects — stepping in on sensitive client situations, budget risk, or on-site issues
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and craft that reflects Crush values

Project Management

• Build and own the project timeline from kickoff through event close-out
• Maintain the client facing deck and internal playbook on each project, along with other core project documents
• Lead weekly internal project meetings - manage weekly meeting agendas, facilitate program development, capture and assign action items, identify questions for leadership
• Create and assign all tasks via digital platforms; hold the team accountable to deadlines, identify potential issues and help find solutions as needed
• Budget Ownership
• Manage the project budget by tracking, forecasting, and monitoring costs against all project budget categories and internal targets
• Manage budget reconciliation and invoicing
• Advise leadership on pricing, margin, and scoping decisions during the proposal phase
• Conduct venue site checks and produce key updates for active projects
• Capture detailed notes, measurements, and site photos and share findings to inform design, production, and budgeting. Identify logistical considerations including access points, load-in paths, power availability, and venue restrictions
• Production documentation
• Maintain and update essential production documents including Run of Show, call sheets, COIs, inventory checklists, venue details, pack lists, tasks lists, strike plans, and related program documentation
• Partner with the design team and production teams to create build and production packages to document and guide the production process
• Ensure post-project closeout and wrap report - analyzing wins and key learnings, and feeding lessons learned into studio-wide process improvements
• Internal communication -
• Brief the creative and design teams at kickoff; relay client feedback and approvals immediately
• Coordinate with Operations/Finance on invoicing schedules, expense approvals, and reconciliation
• Participate in weekly Crush-wide project status meetings with clear updates on each active project – flagging cross-project resourcing conflicts and opportunities where necessary
• Manage Production Coordinator or Event Coordinator when assigned, including the support of onboarding new team members

Team Workload & Project Support

• Balance workload and project assignments across your Event Managers; flag capacity gaps and resourcing conflicts to leadership early
• Review your team's project budgets, timelines, and client deliverables at key milestones; step in when something trends off track
• Bring clear updates on your team's projects to the weekly Crush-wide status meeting
• Advise leadership on freelance or contract support needs for your team's projects
• Partner with the Director of Partnerships on opportunity handoffs so Event Managers start each project with clear scope and expectations

Event Planning & Management

• Lead and manage the development of the guest experience, balancing various factors - setting and environment, client goals, on-site considerations, budget, and demographic research
• Develop creative programming ideas in order to spark engagement and interaction with guests
• Provide creative writing and concepting to support project development
• Provide creative support in various tasks
• Write copy for presentations, creative treatments
• Write copy and provide direction for guest-facing signage
• Research and coordinate with small and local businesses across various US markets, in order to execute personalized or interactive moments for events- including speciality programming contractors (e.g. embroiderers, calligraphers, etc) DJs, entertainment.
• Determine project support needs. Negotiate, contract, and manage production vendors as needed including but not limited to: AV, florists, photographers, catering, trucking and shipping, local labor, and convention center services.
• Brief vendors on creative direction, logistics, and timelines; serve as their primary day-of contact during all on-site activities
• Manage project storage units and inventory

Production Strategy & Planning

• Identify production needs to support the production of experiential events and custom environments from concept through execution and closeout - working with production team members to create production timelines, game plans, and solve for various event logistics
• Initiate project planning and build production approaches that align scope, timing, budget, and staffing needs
• Own production priorities across multiple concurrent projects, balancing deadlines, deliverables, resources, and team bandwidth
• Lead internal and external conversations related to production objectives, milestones, risks, and execution planning throughout all phases of a project
• Identify labor and project needs for schlepping, moving, production assistance.
• Direct on-site vendors and labor crew — assign tasks, manage call times, enforce breaks, and resolve issues in real time
• Manage post-event shipping, returns, resale, and inventory logging in Crush’s tracking system
• Act as a mentor for members of our production team, stepping in as needed as a secondary escalation point across projects, feeding into studio-wide process improvements
• Partner with leadership on refining studio-wide production processes, templates, and best practices

Financial Stewardship

• Advise leadership on pricing, margin, and scoping during the proposal phase
• Set and enforce budgeting standards across the project team, from estimate through reconciliation
• Coordinate with Operations/Finance on invoicing schedules, expense approvals, and project financial reporting
• Track project profitability across the portfolio and surface trends and learnings to leadership

Process, Standards & Studio Strategy

• Partner with the Director of Operations to refine tools and systems (Airtable, Monday.com, Clockify, and related platforms), as well as project management standards — templates, playbooks, timelines, and documentation — and keep them current
• Lead post-project wrap reviews and turn key learnings into studio-wide process improvements
• Participate in leadership planning sessions, contributing the project team's perspective on capacity, growth, and priorities
• Partner with production and design leads on build and production packages, timelines, and production approaches across projects

CRUSH GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES (ALL ROLES)

• Working in events and deadline-based projects requires working some evenings and weekends, and occasional overnight installs. Crush balances work/life balance with flex policies (see benefits)
• Crush will do its best to accommodate personal schedules and needs in scheduling and planning
• Studio collaboration and organization. Being part of a “real live working studio” requires physical presence, active engagement by all team members, and shared responsibility zoning physical materials and keeping them accessible and usable for the entire team
• General production hands-on work during production including, in-studio gifting projects and load-in /load-out of events, as well as on-site event management. Tasks include cleaning, sweeping, moving,, organizing, hanging, zip-tying, gaff taping, cord management, fluffing pillows, steaming/ironing and moving furniture
• Assist with event packing, unloading and reloading, and the organization of event materials as needed during production, install, and strike processes

Work Schedule, Locations & Travel

• This position is based in the office with working hours of 9-5 MT, with flexibility to work from/home most Mondays and Fridays as projects and studio work allow.
• Travel estimated every 4-8 weeks

ROLE SPECIFIC

• Exceptional communication skills, able to manage needs across multiple stakeholders — clients, internal teams, and external partners, including at the executive/senior-client level
• 8+ years of experience in event, experiential production, or design/production industries, including 2–3+ years directly managing event or project managers (1:1s, performance reviews, development)
• Demonstrated ownership of complex $250K+ project budgets from proposal through reconciliation, with strong financial literacy tracking actuals in real time
• Experience negotiating and managing vendor, fabricator, and rental house relationships and contracts
• Ability to calculate material orders using square footage, design measurements, and material sizing
• Ability to research and propose production solutions without firsthand experience, using historical references, critical thinking, and outreach research
• Experience working in physical labor-intensive environments
• Proficiency with Airtable, Monday.com, or comparable project tracking tools
• Proven ability to independently manage multiple concurrent projects and vendor relationships without close oversight, and to serve as the primary on-site decision-maker during install, execution, and strike
• Disciplined, systematic approach with strong accountability for deadlines and budgets, and the judgement to set that standard for others
• Strong emotional IQ and business acumen

CRUSH GENERAL (ALL ROLES)

• Professional appearance and demeanor with excellent interpersonal, verbal & written communication skills
• High-sense of responsibility, ability to self-manage and work autonomously
• Ability to utilize critical thinking skills and determine best solutions based on industry knowledge, Crush standards, and client expectations
• A team player: ability to collaborate with various levels of management, coworkers, clients - with the ability to process multiple streams of input and synthesize into action
• High energy, self-starter that contributes to the team while maintaining a “can-do,” solutions-oriented attitude.
• Must be able to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects up to 50 lbs
• Growth mindset with an eagerness to learn new methods and practices and engage in robust discussions in order to improve self and team performance
• Affinity for arts & crafts, hands-on, physical work, design and decor
• Affinity for creating meaningful moments of human connection within our spaces, with our clients, and with our team

Crush Values

• From the Heart — We bring our whole selves to every project — mind, body, and heart. Our commitment to crushing it is rooted in a culture that is genuine, playful, and fueled by a love of humans and design.
• Dirty Hands & Determination — We roll up our sleeves and get to work, no task too big or too small. We pool our collective creativity, energy, and experience in service of our clients, colleagues, and community.
• Always Be Prepared — We own every detail, from our digital docs to our physical toolkits. In events, a wild card is around every corner, by committing to our processes and checklists, we create space for creativity, efficiency, and smart problem-solving.
• You Can Sit With Us — We create an inclusive environment where everyone has a seat at the table. We lead with humility, and extend our care to clients, vendors, partners, neighbors, and the planet.
• Make it Shine — We infuse every project with clever details, meaningful moments, and a little surprise and delight — then see it through to the last steamed curtain and trimmed zip tie.

Benefits

• PAID TIME OFF
• 11 paid holidays, plus soft close during the holiday break (10 national holidays and 1 personal holiday e.g. birthday)
• 15 days per year to start, with a day added for each year of service (up to 20 days)
• 3 additional sick/mental health days per year
• Shortened Friday work hours based on completion of job responsibilities for the week and dependent on event schedule
• Flex time for installs and events when weekend days and any company holidays are worked (can be used as desired, but do not roll over from year to year and are not paid out)

• FAMILY LEAVE
• Colorado Employees - FAMLI Benefits - includes up to 12 weeks paid medical or parental leave (Colorado residents only). Both employees and employers contribute to this program via automatic payroll deductions (similar to unemployment)
• Up to 6 weeks paid medical or parental leave as applicable to supplement FAMLI leave to get to 12 total weeks paid

• OTHER BENEFITS
• 10 remote work days (in addition to some Mondays and most Fridays remote)
• Retirement: Simple IRA with company match of 50%, up to 3% for employees 6% contribution
• Health: $250 towards participation in company-sponsored ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement)
• or $150 post-tax health care expense monthly stipend
• Cell Phone: $100 monthly phone reimbursement
• Discretionary bonuses
• Access to Trade Discounts for personal furniture and home decor purchases
• TSA Pre or Global entry

Crush Studio is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.