LED Department Manager - Nashville, Tennessee
LED Department Manager
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced LED Department Manager to lead the people, equipment, and daily operations of a busy live-event LED department in Nashville.
This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for maintaining high technical and operational standards across corporate events, conferences, live productions, and special events. The successful candidate will oversee LED inventory, prepare systems for upcoming shows, support project teams with technical planning, and develop a reliable team of full-time and freelance LED technicians.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with LED panels, processors, signal distribution, system configuration, power requirements, rigging considerations, and onsite deployment. They should be equally comfortable managing people, improving departmental processes, and providing technical leadership on complex productions.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the daily operations of the LED department, including personnel, equipment, scheduling, and workflow.
- Recruit, train, mentor, and manage full-time and freelance LED technicians.
- Assign departmental resources based on production schedules and technical requirements.
- Review upcoming projects and assist with LED system design, equipment selection, crew planning, and technical preparation.
- Work closely with project managers, account executives, warehouse teams, video specialists, rigging teams, and other technical departments.
- Oversee the preparation, testing, configuration, deployment, and return of LED equipment.
- Ensure all LED systems are show-ready and meet project specifications before leaving the warehouse.
- Maintain LED inventory, including panels, processors, cabling, power distribution, ground-support systems, and related accessories.
- Establish and maintain department standards for system preparation, documentation, testing, handling, and quality control.
- Support complex productions onsite when senior technical leadership is required.
- Troubleshoot technical issues and provide practical solutions before and during events.
- Manage equipment maintenance, repairs, firmware updates, pixel testing, and replacement planning.
- Track damaged equipment and coordinate internal or manufacturer repairs.
- Identify equipment shortages and provide recommendations for subrentals and capital purchases.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with freelance technicians, vendors, manufacturers, and production partners.
- Monitor department costs, labor utilization, rental requirements, and equipment availability.
- Promote a safe, organized, and professional working environment.
- Stay current with new LED technology, processing platforms, and live-event production practices.
Required Experience
- Significant experience deploying and operating LED systems for corporate events, conferences, trade shows, touring productions, or large-scale live events.
- Previous leadership experience as an LED Department Manager, LED Lead, LED Engineer, Video Engineer, Technical Director, or similar position.
- Strong technical knowledge of:
- Indoor and outdoor LED systems
- LED processing and configuration
- Data and power distribution
- Signal flow and video distribution
- Ground-supported and flown LED systems
- Scaling and image processing
- Redundancy and backup systems
- Fiber and long-distance signal transmission
- Networking and system monitoring
- Experience preparing, testing, and delivering complex LED systems.
- Strong understanding of pixel pitch, resolution calculations, aspect ratios, power requirements, and panel configuration.
- Proven ability to lead, train, and develop technical personnel.
- Strong troubleshooting, communication, and organizational skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and changing priorities in a fast-paced production environment.
- Comfortable working with project managers, producers, clients, riggers, and other technical departments.
- Ability to work evenings and weekends and travel when required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with manufacturers and platforms such as ROE Visual, Absen, INFiLED, Brompton Technology, NovaStar, Megapixel VR, Barco, and Analog Way.
- Familiarity with production design and technical documentation software.
- Experience developing departmental budgets and capital-expenditure plans.
- Knowledge of video switching, media servers, networking, rigging, and power distribution.
- Relevant manufacturer certifications or industry qualifications.
What We're Looking For
- A strong technical leader who can manage both people and equipment.
- Someone who remains hands-on and is willing to support the team when required.
- A calm problem-solver who performs well under the pressure of live production.
- A manager who can improve workflows, strengthen technical standards, and develop junior technicians.
- A collaborative leader who understands how LED integrates with video, lighting, staging, rigging, power, and wider show production.
FAQs
Congratulations, we understand that taking the time to apply is a big step. When you apply, your details go directly to the consultant who is sourcing talent. Due to demand, we may not get back to all applicants that have applied. However, we always keep your resume and details on file so when we see similar roles or see skillsets that drive growth in organizations, we will always reach out to discuss opportunities.
Yes. Even if this role isn’t a perfect match, applying allows us to understand your expertise and ambitions, ensuring you're on our radar for the right opportunity when it arises.
We also work in several ways, firstly we advertise our roles available on our site, however, often due to confidentiality we may not post all. We also work with clients who are more focused on skills and understanding what is required to future-proof their business.
That's why we recommend registering your resume so you can be considered for roles that have yet to be created.
Yes, we help with resume and interview preparation. From customized support on how to optimize your resume to interview preparation and compensation negotiations, we advocate for you throughout your next career move.