Cultural centre director to performance production manager
A cultural centre director already meets 55% of what the performance production manager role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.1/ 100
1 How much of what a performance production manager is expected to do is already part of a cultural centre director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the performance production manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A performance production manager role treats 19 of its required skills as things a cultural centre director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- corporate social responsibility
- cultural projects
- develop cultural activities
- establish daily priorities
- follow company standards
- liaise with cultural partners
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A performance production manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cultural centre director background worth leading with.
- already held develop cultural activities management skills
- already held work with cultural venue specialists communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise cultural events management skills
- already held promote cultural venue events communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cultural projects social sciences, journalism and information
- already held liaise with cultural partners communication, collaboration and creativity
All 20 carried skills, including the 19 the performance production manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn organise performance space required
- still to learn assess production needs to plan a production schedule required
- still to learn coordinate artistic production required
- still to learn coordinate pre-show checks required
- still to learn coordinate rehearsals required
- still to learn manage artistic project required
- still to learn organise rehearsals required
- still to learn create production schedules required
- still to learn plan artistic production activities required
- optional, not held assemble an artistic team optional
- still to learn develop artistic project budgets required
- still to learn draw up artistic production required
- still to learn estimate needs of artistic production required
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- still to learn adapt to artists' creative demands required
- still to learn coordinate with creative departments required
- optional, not held cost management optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held ensure health and safety of visitors optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a performance production manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 organise performance space practise this
- 02 adapt to artists' creative demands practise this
- 03 assess production needs to plan a production schedule practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held cultural projects knowledge
- already held develop cultural activities skill
- already held establish daily priorities skill
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held liaise with cultural partners skill
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage logistics skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held organise cultural events skill
- already held promote cultural venue events skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held represent the organisation skill
- already held set organisational policies skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supervise daily information operations skill
- already held work with cultural venue specialists skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assemble an artistic team optional
- optional, not held cost management optional
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held ensure health and safety of visitors optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
30 held skills the performance production manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role approve reports for artistic project skill
- not needed by the target role assemble health and safety resources in cultural venues skill
- not needed by the target role assess data collected to improve community arts programme skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role build community relations skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate community arts activities skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role create cultural venue learning strategies skill
- not needed by the target role create cultural venue outreach policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop cultural policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop inclusive communication material skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop promotional tools skill
- not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate cultural venue programmes skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate cultural venue visitor needs skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate events skill
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with event sponsors skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relations with local representatives skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- not needed by the target role manage cultural facility skill
- not needed by the target role manage fundraising activities skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote cultural venue in schools skill
- not needed by the target role supervise event staff skill
- not needed by the target role work within communities skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held cost management optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a cultural centre director become a performance production manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A cultural centre director already covers 55% of what a performance production manager is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 19 of which the performance production manager role treats as required.
What skills does a cultural centre director need to become a performance production manager?
14 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is organise performance space.
How hard is the move from cultural centre director to performance production manager?
Its learning distance is 56.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.