VARSITY SPIRIT, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY - THE DRIVING FORCE IN SPIRIT ACROSS CHEER, DANCE, BAND AND YEARBOOK
For over 50 years, Varsity Spirit has been the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team, performing arts and yearbook. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit’s 5,000+ employees are dedicated to celebrating school spirit. A leader in apparel innovation, educational camps, clinics, competitions, and yearbook, Varsity Spirit impacts more than a million athletes each year.
OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY
At Varsity Spirit, the safety and wellbeing of the young people we serve is of the utmost importance. Since our inception 50 years ago, we have been – and remain – steadfastly committed to doing our part to create a safe and positive environment for our participants’ physical, emotional, and social development, and promoting an environment free from abuse and misconduct. Varsity has a zero tolerance for abuse in its programs, events, and associated business activities. Varsity is committed to reporting all suspicions, allegations, and incidents of abuse in full accordance with local laws and reporting requirements. Learn more at Our Commitment to Safety - Varsity.com.
LOCATION DETAILS: Onsite Ocean Township, NJ
TRAVEL: Event travel will include overnight stays for events along with possible travel for company meetings and training. During season you will be expected to be available to travel and be on-call from February-July.
COMPENSATION: The pay for this position is $110,000-130,000 annually, plus the opportunity to earn an annual bonus based on personal and company performance.
The base salary will vary based on criteria such as education, experience and qualifications of the applicant, location, internal equity, and alignment with the market.
HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT
The Director, Event Technology and Production will serve as a strategic partner to the SVP of Dance Events, aligning IT, Technical Development, Event Production, and Media functions with overall business objectives and event execution standards.
The Director, Event Technology and Production is responsible for overseeing and maintaining all aspects of the company’s technology infrastructure, ensuring reliable operations across offices, remote employees, and live event environments.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Provide cross-functional leadership across IT, Event Production, and Media teams to ensure seamless coordination, clear accountability, and consistent delivery of high-quality event experiences at scale.
- Establish and implement structured systems, workflows, and operational frameworks that improve efficiency, scalability, and repeatability across all event and technical operations.
- Drive organizational discipline through strong time management practices, prioritization frameworks, and resource allocation to meet critical event deadlines and seasonal demands.
- Build operational redundancy across systems, processes, and personnel to minimize single points of failure and ensure continuity in both office and live event environments.
- Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate operational and technical risks, particularly within live event environments, ensuring business continuity and minimal disruption.
- Maintain a high standard of event quality by developing a deep understanding of event execution, production workflows, and customer experience expectations.
- Scale operational capabilities to support business growth, including expanding event volume, increasing technical complexity, and evolving media and production needs.
- Lead with a management-forward approach, reinforcing accountability, ownership, and performance standards across all direct and cross-functional teams.
- Act as a decision-making partner on technical and operational matters, leveraging a working knowledge of technology systems to bridge communication between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Lead, mentor, and motivate a high-performing IT/Technical Development, Event Production and Media team.
- Establish and communicate clear performance expectations and priorities for the team.
- Manage team schedules and assignments to balance workload effectively across events and seasons.
- Hire and onboard new team members; maintain employee retention through strong engagement and support.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Conduct regular performance reviews and development plans aligned with annual cycles.
- Develop a roadmap and vision for the OneBeat software
- Successfully interact with all stakeholders to collect required features, analyze costs and implement modules.
- Manage maintenance of office IT infrastructure & devices: East Office, West Office, Remote Employee Access/Administration - Internet, Network, Computer Workstations & Laptops for all users – 75+ Devices, IoT Devices
- Manage maintenance of office web services & integrations (email, plugins, API work, etc)
- Oversee administration of Apple & Microsoft User ID, 2FA, Device Registration, MDM
- Oversee efforts to troubleshoot / solve team member technical issues (printer, network, integration, user software issues, etc)
- Guide the strategy for organizational developmental needs (feature releases, bug tracking, etc) for all major projects (front-end websites, back-end database, local server scoring software, event apps – judging, photo, video) as well as any other related developmental needs: Coordinate with appropriate departments to gather needs, facilitate solutions & fixes, Hotfix / Bug Tracking Support & Resolution, Maintain accurate “backlog” & schedule story points based on needs of the business.
- Oversee maintenance of office vinyl printer & supplies: Troubleshoot/repair hardware & user issues
- Oversee maintenance of office copy / printer & supplies for V-180, V-280, & C9065 Xerox Multi-Function Printers: Troubleshoot/repair hardware & user issues, Point of contact for Stewart Xerox for billing, repairs
- Oversee print jobs as submitted by team pre-season / event based: Awards, Signage, etc.
- Oversee design / Update printed program template, oversee creation of program files for events
- Oversee maintenance of all tour technology & scoring system – 150+ laptops, tablets, wifi hotspots, networking, etc.
- Oversee maintenance of all tabulator & scorekeeper equipment & devices
- Act as consultant for all other inter-departmental technical needs
- Support road software and technology during all events over mostly weekends
- Lead the IT/Technical Development, Production, and Media teams.
QUALIFICATIONS
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
- Ability to problem solve under pressure.
- Proven ability to lead individuals.
- Proficient familiarity with productivity tools such as Microsoft Office Suites with fluency in Microsoft Excel.
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal abilities to interact with various stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
- Strong problem-solving skills to handle unexpected customer issues effectively.
- Strong knowledge of networking, hardware, and software troubleshooting across Apple and Microsoft environments
- Strategic thinking and operational planning
- Ability to manage large-scale event technology setups (laptops, tablets, networking, scoring systems, etc.)
- Excellent organizational and communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments
- Willingness to travel and provide on-site technical support at events as needed
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
- Experience managing budgets and improving operational processes
- Experience with user administration (Apple ID, Microsoft accounts, 2FA, MDM) and cloud-based services
- Familiarity with APIs, integrations, and web service administration
- Hands-on experience managing 75+ devices and complex infrastructures (offices, remote teams, event-based systems)
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot both user and system-level issues
- Experience coordinating software development needs, including feature releases, bug tracking, and hotfix support
- Vendor management experience (e.g., Xerox or other equipment service providers)
- Experience in dance, sports, entertainment, or event-based industries is highly preferred
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent professional experience
- 7+ years of experience in IT management, systems administration, or technical support
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
The physical demands that are described as required are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While not participating in an event this job operates in a professional office environment. Ability to sit or stand for long periods through meetings and while operating office equipment, PC’s, laptop, telephone will be required.
During events the ability to stand and walk for long periods of time (5 hours plus) is required. The ability to communicate with customers and colleagues using the following but not limited to radio, walkie talkie, text message and email is required. The ability to lift, bend, push, pull and manipulate equipment that is a minimum of 30 lbs. is required.
#LI-JF1
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.
JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT
At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions – BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit – and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.
OUR VALUES
Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.
Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.
Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.
Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.
Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community.
Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do.
OUR BENEFITS
We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:
- Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
- HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities
- Wellbeing Program
- 401(k) plan with company matching
- Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
- Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
- Varsity Brands Ownership Program
- Employee Resource Groups
- Access to Financial Coaching and member-owned Credit Union
- St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
- Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment!
Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability.
