JOB: Leo Villareal Studio, Technical Project Manager

Leo Villareal Studio

Technical Project Manager

Studio is located in Brooklyn NY

Leo Villareal Studio is a fine art studio specializing the creation of highly-refined LED and video artwork. We are looking for a Technical Project Manager to join our team.

The new hire will be working closely with the artist and a small, tightly-knit team to facilitate production of new LED and video artworks and to repair, conserve, and remake existing works. The conservation of existing works will require deep research and the ability to make inferences about hardware and software functionality from the physical works alone. The new hire will play a key role in documenting and archiving artworks and ensuring that all key specifications are properly archived.

This job involves about 50% desk work (including project management, vendor management, budgeting, archiving, technical forensics, and material sourcing) and 50% hands-on production work (including assembly, installation, and software/hardware setup, and troubleshooting). This position reports to LVS’ Studio Director and works closely with LVS’ Senior Project Manager of Gallery Scale Works and LVS’ Production Technician.

Responsibilities include:

• Respond to technical inquiries from collectors, galleries, and museums, determining appropriate response based on age and status of piece (e.g. warranty repair, conservation / remake scenario, troubleshooting of an installed piece)

• Manage multiple simultaneous production and or repair projects; keeping projects on-budget and on-schedule and actively communicating timelines to clients and collaborators

  • Identify and vet new fabricators and vendors to expand an existing pool, help to select the appropriate vendors based project-specific demands

  • Researching materials and helping the artist understand the possibilities of materials that will be used in artworks

  • Assist with CAD modeling for artworks that are being specified

  • Write technical specifications that convey the minimum performance requirements for artworks that are being specified

  • Lead all communication with fabricators drafting RFPs, work orders, and pre-inspection reports

  • Help review vendor bills and ensure they are properly coded

  • Track production progress and generate reports for studio and clients and collaborators

  • Assist with the specification and configuration of artwork control computers and serve as systems administrator ensuring hardware and software are compatible including: disk imaging, OS setup, system installation, and content file-structure setup.

  • Oversee the artwork programming, including supervising software developers on custom tool development.

• Implement an inventory system for tracking components stored in the studio

• Oversee the RMA process for the studio’s return of parts to key vendors

• Record each step in the creation of an artwork and ensure the artwork is properly documented in studio’s archive; create and maintain BOMs for active projects

• Create artwork manuals and system diagrams

• Assist with logistics for crating and transportation of works in production or under repair

• Inspect and inventory artwork components that are shipped to the studio.

Qualifications:

• Experience specifying, designing, and fabricating electronic artwork

  • Experience in mechanical and electrical assembly – crimping, wiring, soldering

  • Ability to draw complex metalwork in 2D and 3D and to specify build parameters for fabricators while overseeing a given fabricator’s execution of the design.

• Excellent communication skills

• Excellent attention to detail, including ability to inspect artworks and artwork components with an exacting microvision

• Superior organizational skills

• Experience managing multiple simultaneous production projects; ability to keep projects on-budget and on-schedule and communicate timelines to clients and collaborators

• Excellent capacity for solving problems, willingness to learn new skills

• Good sense of humor

Preferred software skills:

• Adobe Creative Suite including: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat

• Sketchup, Solidworks or Autocad/Vectorworks/Rhino

• MS Office

• Google Docs

• FileMaker Pro or equivalent

Application Instructions:

Please send us your resume and cover letter along with three references. Only complete applications will be considered. Email applications to: villarealstudiojobs@gmail.com.