Central Plaza Project Manager

JOB SUMMARY

The Central Plaza Project Manager is responsible for the production, organization, and the vast breadth of duties required to plan and execute the Central Plaza Canopy in Black Rock City, in close collaboration with the project’s leadership. This role is temporary and will be part-time leading to full time for the months around the event, then back to part-time. 

Duties cover the full scope of the project from conceptual design and layout of the Canopy; outreach for activation content; scheduling and coordination of all events and activations; and seeing the project through completion. Additional responsibilities include: stakeholder engagement; work with the Central Canopy Project Coordinator, Canopy leadership and DPW Oculus build crew; integrating artworks into the structure, layout, and surrounding areas; sourcing vendors as needed; supporting & communicating with artists, and activations; onsite logistics; site operations; and debrief activities. 

Collaborate with the Associate Director of Operations and the communications team to craft content to promote the new plaza and its activations on JRS, social media, Journal articles, and What Where When submissions.  

Throughout the course of the project this role encourages team building, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, while also modeling integrity, honesty, curiosity, and other attributes that instill the team’s trust. This includes working with long-time cultural members of the Burning Man community who carry legacy, story, and impart contributions which add to the project as a whole.

 

This temporary, non-exempt role is:

• From February - July & mid-September - November:  Part-Time (between 10 - 25 hours per week) fully remote .
• From August - mid-September: Full-Time, based on-site out of Black Rock City, Nevada. 

The deadline to apply for this role is 5:00 pm Pacific on March, 5th 2024.

 

 

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Percentage of Time Spent

• Project Management (95%)
  • Planning
    • Define specific project goals
    • Plan & conduct outreach for activations, content, events, art, design, curators, and organizers. 
    • Create an annual budget using best practices and detailed accounting codes
    • Create an extensive volunteer team plan collaborating with existing teams and recruiting talent as needed to execute the vision
    • Maintain relationships and manage direct communication with contributors
    • Ensure that the requests and agreements made with contributors are met
    • Respond to emails to the alias’ associated with this project
    • Plan site logistics and implement the agreed upon design in collaboration with the Central Canopy team leadership - compile drawings, lists, schedule, etc
    • Craft a communications strategy to promote content, themes, and the overall Central Plaza 
    • Create a multi-year plan to carry this work forward 
  • Executing
    • Execute a search for activations, content, events, art, design, curators, and organizers 
    • Facilitate a preliminary feasibility study as necessary 
    • Report regularly to a committee of stakeholders. Facilitate the selection process, and then the public announcement process
    • Craft content in collaboration with the communications team and other stakeholders to promote the space and the activities  and thematics
    • Manage team communications so staff feel engaged and informed 
    • Procure materials as needed within the budgetary framework
    • Execute a new and exciting iteration of the space, facilitate the activations and management of artists, content, stage management, and day to day needs and operations of contributors and volunteers
    • Act with integrity and resolve, employ excellent communication skills, and produce an exemplary space 
  • Monitoring & Controlling
    • Provide written status reports to stakeholders 
    • Track all project expenditures: receipts, invoices, expense and credit card reports
    • Keep accounting of expenditures to date and utilize data for decision making
    • Monitor the operations of the site while the Burning Man event is happening
    • Coordinate team to problem solve, conduct repairs, deal with unanticipated safety concerns, ensure the space is being enjoyed as expected 
    • Manage HR issues with any project staff as they come up, following the escalation protocols
  • Closing
    • Collect all final cost data from project and produce a final cost analysis
    • Hold a project debrief with stakeholders. Identify lessons learned and incorporate them into future planning cycles
    • Thank the team, vendors and contributors, including them in the Thank You Card process

 

• Other Functions and Responsibilities (5%)
  • Participate in leadership responsibilities 
  • Attend required meetings for Black Rock City Staff & Central Plaza planning 
  • Maintain an awareness of the execution timeline and plan for and organize work accordingly
  • Ensure communications are prompt and professional and that needed discretion is maintained
  • Read and abide by the rules and codes of conduct as described in Behavioral Standards
  • Be familiar and act in accordance with Burning Man’s staff policies
  • Perform other duties as assigned

 LEARNING AND TEACHING

• Documentation - Drives the creation, publishing, and maintenance of process documentation related to assigned duties
• Teaching – Takes a leadership role in the acculturation and training of staff. Teaches live or e-learning classes, as requested. Promotes a culture of teaching and learning throughout the community
• Mentoring - Aids, encourages, and inspires their team
• Learning – Pursues ongoing learning in their area of expertise, working to stay current on emergent knowledge, skills, and processes 
• Speaking – Represents Burning Man as a subject matter expert and culture-bearer, as requested

 QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• A deep understanding of project management principles
  • Project planning and documentation
  • Budget and accounting decisions, tracking and reporting
  • Communications - internal and occasionally external
  • Resource Management - staff, volunteers and vendors
  • Risk assessment and mitigation understanding
  • Scheduling - GANTT charts, calendaring
  • Task management - to-do lists, reminders, preparation, and follow ups
  • Documentation of process 
• Experience with event production, artistic curation, and volunteer management
• Understanding of procurement and service contracts
• Soft skills in team-building and motivation, negotiation, facilitation, stakeholder management, and artist care. 
• Strong verbal and visual communication skills
• Detail oriented
• Experience managing some kind of art build, theme camp or other endeavor on playa or in a relevant similar locale (i.e. a Regional event) 
• Dedicated to principles of behavior and ethics of the Burning Man organization
• Able to adjust schedule seasonally to accommodate onsite prebuild work and work at the Burning Man event held in Nevada for 3 - 4 weeks 

Preferred  

• Humility to know that while you are responsible for the outcome, the project does not belong to you or the project team, but rather that it belongs to Black Rock City 
• Ability to take direction from an artistic stakeholder
• Calm demeanor
• High emotional intelligence
• Ability to be flexible and respond to changes as they arise
• Experience using Asana or other Task Management software

 

Note: If you have gained the necessary experience to succeed in this role and have acquired this experience in other ways, we encourage you to apply and share all relevant experience in your application.

 

REQUIRED LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS

• Valid driver’s license and a good driving record

 

 

COMPENSATION: 

Individual compensation decisions are dependent on a variety of factors, including prior experience and geographical location. The anticipated pay rate for this position is approximately $40.00 - $50.00 per hour. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Off-build sites:  Work is primarily sedentary in nature, no special demands are required
• On-build sites:   This position requires occasional periods of heavy lifting (up to 60 lbs), bending, kneeling, squatting, and climbing. Work will also include the need to find and meet with department representatives who may not be in the vicinity therefore this could include walking or using some form of transportation.  Some of the work will be in outside weather conditions and will be exposed to fumes or airborne particles as well as possible extremes in temperature.

NOTICE FOR ALL APPLICANTS:

• Burning Man Project celebrates the importance of creating a diverse environment and enthusiastically encourages Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Color, LGBTQIA+, Immigrant, women, and people with disabilities, of all ages, to apply.
• Burning Man Project provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
• Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
• Notice for Remote Opportunities: Burning Man Project is currently able to hire remote employees living/working in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, LA, MA, MI, MT, NC, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI. Working hours for all positions are based on Pacific Time.

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