Director, Production Operations

Title: Director, Production Operations
Reporting to: VP, Production Operations
Classification: Full-time
Location: Hybrid in Los Angeles, CA with availability to travel 
Compensation: $145k - $165k base annual salary

Company Summary:
Wave Sports & Entertainment (Wave) is the leader in digital storytelling for the next generation reaching more than 130 million highly engaged followers globally. Wave’s award-winning, programming is led by some of the most popular athletes and personalities in culture today-- including the hit digital series’ “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce,” “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony”, and “So True with Caleb Hearon” -  dishing out entertaining commentary, unique perspectives, expert analysis, and behind-the-scenes stories about the biggest moments and trends shaping sports and entertainment.

Wave’s Media Agency (WMA) collaborates with leading sports leagues and rights holders to create engaging, data-driven digital programming. Our partners include major organizations such as the WNBA and CONCACAF, and we deliver always-on content experiences that engage the internet’s largest and most passionate fan communities.

Role Summary:
Wave is seeking a Director, Production Operations to join the Wave Content Team. This role will lead the physical production, logistics, and operational execution of our digital unscripted content slate, multi-episodic full-season series. The Director will also oversee custom branded content, and experiential tentpole activations, including oversight of Wave’s owned-and-operated studio facilities.

The ideal candidate is both a strategic production leader and a hands-on executor — someone who can manage production teams and vendors while also owning and running their own productions end-to-end. This role requires deep experience across the full production lifecycle, strong budget and operational discipline, and the ability to oversee day-to-day studio operations, including set flips, scheduling, and coordination of freelance crews and contractors, while bringing together creative, production, post-production, finance, legal, and external partners to deliver high-quality content at scale.
  
This is a hybrid role, with an expectation of being in the Wave LA HQ office and studio a minimum of three days per week, and additional in-office/studio presence during active productions and shoots.

Responsibilities

• Lead physical production and production operations across Wave’s digital unscripted slate, multi-episodic series, branded content, and live/experiential tentpoles.
• Translate creative briefs into executable production plans, aligning creative vision with budget, schedule, and operational constraints.
• Own end-to-end production workflows and pipelines from development and pre-production through production, post, and delivery, building scalable systems for studio, remote, and live/event productions.
• Build, manage, and track production budgets, partnering with Finance and Legal on forecasting, cost reporting, contracts, clearances, and compliance.
• Source, negotiate, and manage vendors, crews, and production partners across markets, including RFPs and bids for branded and custom client projects.
• Proactively manage risk, resources, and communication across concurrent productions, aligning cross-functional teams, stakeholders, talent, and partners around shared timelines and goals.
• Champion innovation and best practices in digital production, fostering a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture focused on quality, efficiency, and operational excellence.

• 7+ years leading physical production and production operations within digital content, media, or entertainment; in-house or agency experience a plus.
• Proven track record overseeing multi-episodic, full-season series from development through final delivery.
• Deep expertise in end-to-end production workflows (pre-production, production, post, delivery) and studio / remote operations.
• Experience producing branded content, including RFPs, bids, and client-driven deliverables.
• Strong background in budgeting and cost management, including building, tracking, and reconciling complex production budgets.
• Demonstrated leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to align creative, production, finance, legal, and external partners.
• Proven ability to manage a high volume of concurrent productions while staying organized, detail-oriented, and deadline-driven.
• Calm, solutions-oriented problem solver who anticipates risks and operates effectively under pressure.
• Strong understanding of digital platforms and audience consumption trends, with a passion for sports, entertainment, and premium digital storytelling.