Associate Technical Director
3 hours ago
Manchester
Lead the technical delivery of world-class entertainment and immersive experience projects, from cruise ship venues and attractions to complex integrated show systems. This is a hands-on technical leadership role for someone who thrives on solving engineering challenges and bringing ambitious experiences to life. About us: CONDUCTR is a dynamic collective of designers, technologists, media experts, producers & engineers. The vision is simple - fuse the creativity of a design studio, with the innovation of a tech lab, to create a one-stop shop for extraordinary guest-centric, 360 attraction experiences. Key Responsibilities: Technical Delivery Leadership • Take ownership of the technical delivery of assigned projects throughout the project lifecycle., • Act as the primary day-to-day technical lead for assigned projects, coordinating technical activities across internal teams and external stakeholders., • Lead the development and integration of AVL, networking, media distribution, control systems, and associated technical infrastructure., • Ensure technical solutions align with creative intent, operational requirements, project budgets, programme constraints, and long-term maintainability objectives., • Identify, manage, and resolve technical risks throughout design and delivery phases., • Escalate significant technical, commercial, or programme risks to the Head of Show Systems & Engineering where appropriate. Systems Design & Integration • Develop, review, and coordinate system architectures, equipment schedules, network topologies, signal flow documentation, and technical design packages., • Coordinate interfaces between show systems, facility systems, operational technology, specialist vendor packages, and third-party installations., • Support design reviews, technical workshops, and interdisciplinary coordination activities., • Ensure designs remain practical, maintainable, and appropriate for their operational environment, whether within cruise ships, themed attractions, museums, heritage sites, or other visitor-facing environments., • Support technical decision-making throughout project development and delivery., • Review engineering deliverables produced by internal teams, consultants, and suppliers to ensure technical consistency and quality. Technical Governance & Cross-Discipline Coordination • Act as the technical representative within multidisciplinary project teams, ensuring technical considerations are appropriately integrated throughout project development and delivery., • Work closely with Creative, Software, Art & Media, R&D, Production, PMO, Commercial, Operations, and external stakeholders to ensure technical decisions support project objectives and remain deliverable., • Participate in project design reviews and governance activities, challenging proposals where necessary to ensure alignment with engineering standards, operational requirements, technical strategy, and project constraints., • Review technical solutions, system architectures, and engineering deliverables to ensure consistency with CDTR's standards, preferred methodologies, and long-term engineering direction., • Support technical decision making across project teams by providing clear assessment of technical feasibility, integration impacts, maintainability considerations, and delivery risks., • Ensure technical decisions appropriately balance creative intent, guest experience, operational requirements, maintainability, programme, and budget considerations., • Identify potential technical, operational, maintainability, and integration risks early and support the development of appropriate mitigation strategies., • Support the maintenance and continuous improvement of departmental engineering standards, design practices, documentation quality, and technical workflows. Cruise Ship & Marine Project Delivery • Lead technical coordination activities on assigned cruise ship and marine entertainment projects., • Coordinate technical interfaces with cruise line stakeholders, shipyards, interior fit out contractors, marine consultants, integrators, and specialist vendors., • Ensure technical designs account for the operational, environmental, installation, and maintainability requirements associated with marine environments., • Support vessel refurbishment programmes, new-build projects, and entertainment venue upgrades through design, integration, commissioning, and handover phases. Commissioning & Delivery Support • Support installation planning, testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and technical handover activities., • Develop and coordinate commissioning plans, testing procedures, and acceptance criteria where required., • Support issue resolution during integration and commissioning phases., • Participate in key project milestones, factory acceptance activities, site testing, and handover processes. Project & Stakeholder Support • Support Producers and Project Managers on assigned projects through technical planning, scope coordination, interface management, risk identification, programme support, and delivery planning., • Participate in client meetings, design reviews, workshops, and technical presentations., • Support technical reviews of supplier proposals, subcontractor deliverables, and engineering submissions., • Provide technical input during bids, feasibility studies, and project planning activities. Team Development & Continuous Improvement • Mentor junior engineers and support their technical development., • Promote engineering best practice and high-quality technical documentation., • Contribute to engineering standards, templates, workflows, and best practices., • Support knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across the Show Systems & Engineering team. You Should Have: • Significant experience delivering complex AVL, show systems, systems integration, immersive experience, themed entertainment, or related technical projects., • Strong understanding of AV systems, IT networking, media distribution, and control system architectures., • Experience leading technical coordination across multidisciplinary project teams., • Experience producing and reviewing technical design documentation and engineering deliverables., • Experience supporting installation, testing, commissioning, and technical handover activities., • Strong stakeholder management and communication skills., • Ability to manage multiple technical interfaces across complex projects., • Ability to evaluate technical proposals, challenge assumptions, and support informed project decision-making., • Willingness to travel internationally as required. It would be great if you have: • Experience delivering technical design or systems integration projects within the cruise ship or marine sector., • Experience working with shipyards, cruise operators, marine consultants, or vessel refurbishment programmes., • Experience within themed entertainment, attractions, museums, heritage environments, visitor experiences, or location-based entertainment., • Familiarity with show control systems and integrated experience technology environments., • Understanding of technical delivery processes across design, integration, commissioning, and operational handover phases., • Understanding of RIBA Plan of Work principles, stage-gated design development, and multidisciplinary design coordination processes., • Experience working within consultancy, design-led, or multidisciplinary project environments where technical packages are developed through defined design and delivery stages. Personal Attributes: • Strong systems thinking mindset., • Pragmatic and delivery focused., • Comfortable coordinating multiple stakeholders and technical disciplines., • Confident communicator capable of engaging with both technical and non-technical stakeholders., • Able to challenge constructively and influence decision-making across multidisciplinary teams., • Strong judgement when balancing creative ambition, technical feasibility, operational requirements, and delivery constraints., • Collaborative and solutions oriented., • Able to balance technical detail with project-level priorities., • Calm and effective under pressure., • Motivated to grow into broader technical leadership responsibilities over time. What it's like working at CONDUCTR CONDUCTR is proud to be recognised as a Great Place to Work®, officially certified for our outstanding workplace culture and employee satisfaction. We’ve also been named on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ 2026 list, recognised as a top 50 company to work for in the UK. We’re also honoured to be placed on UK’s Best Workplaces™ lists for: Wellbeing, Development, Women, and Tech, ranking highly among the top 100 companies for employee support, growth and career development - and we’re just getting started! On top of that, we’re one of the UK’s fastest growing companies - recently ranked 5th nationwide - creating exciting opportunities for our team to grow as fast as the business. Our 5 core values articulate this best, and we are looking for people who can demonstrate them: • We go above and #beyond, • We work as a #team & make it fun, • We creatively #kick-ass, • We #do it efficiently, on time & on budget, • We deliver work that makes us #proud Does this sound like the job for you? Apply via this post by sharing your LinkedIn profile & CV. If you sound like you are a good fit, we will reach out for an initial informal interview.