Audio-Visual (AV) Manager

Overview

CENTERS, LLC is a professional management firm specializing in facility, operation, and program management for higher education. CENTERS' management approach is customized for each client yet retains our uniform quality. Our firm unites site staff with a centralized administrative team, each contributing to the firm's goals and client needs. The CENTERS team is innovative, entrepreneurial, trail-blazing, and ambitious for both CENTERS and our clients. 

Commitment to the well-being, security, and future of our employees is a priority. View the comprehensive information about the competitive benefits package on our careers page then scroll down to CENTERS Benefits. (click link to view)

Responsibilities

Job SummaryWorking with IT Client Services leadership and the CENTERS team, the Manager - Audio-Visual oversees technology operations for the Mountain AV team, provides leadership for AV event support, manages assigned employees, and supports AV technology solutions that advance reliable, professional, and guest-centered event experiences at Mountain Waves Arena and related AV-enabled spaces. 

This position works on-site at Pepperdine as part of a hybrid AV Team serving the new Mountain at Mullin Park multi-purpose facility. Opening in October 2026, the Mountain at Mullin Park will transform the University's main campus. This state-of-the-art complex will not only be home to leading fitness and well-being resources for the entire Pepperdine community, the estimated 3,600-seat arena will give the basketball and indoor volleyball teams an extraordinary home court facility commensurate with those throughout the West Coast Conference. 

Essential Functions

• Provide leadership for Mountain AV technology operations, event support infrastructure, and day-to-day AV service delivery.
• Drive team goals, review area objectives, and align AV operations, staffing, projects, and service priorities with client and CENTERS expectations.
• Oversee high-quality support for arena technology hardware, software products, audio-visual equipment, broadcast equipment, and live event technology.
• Configure, operate, test, and troubleshoot audio-visual, broadcast, graphics, routing, and event-related technology as needed to support event operations.
• Coordinate day-to-day operational logistics with direct reports, campus partners, vendors, and event stakeholders.
• Monitor service tickets, work output, event feedback, troubleshooting trends, and other operational data to support data-informed service improvement.
• Maintain and improve team operations handbooks, training manuals, guides, service procedures, frequently asked questions, and technical documentation.
• Identify and implement process, procedure, service, staffing, and/or system improvements in collaboration with leadership and key stakeholders.
• Hold team members, vendors, and partners accountable for following established procedures and representing CENTERS and the client professionally.
• Review, approve, and/or submit timely and complete administrative processes, including timesheets, status reports, assessments, and other routine procedures.
• Support events during regular business hours, evenings, weekends, and after-hours periods as required by the event schedule and operational needs.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with campus personnel, departments, contracted service providers, and external vendors to support current and future operational success.
• Serve as a day-to-day operational resource for high-profile events, urgent technology issues, resource conflicts, and time-sensitive event modifications.
• Coordinate temporary workarounds or escalation plans when critical technology is unavailable and communicate with stakeholders to support event readiness. 
• Other duties as required. 

Staff Supervision

• This position directly supervises assigned staff and/or student employees. Supervisory responsibilities may include hiring support, onboarding, scheduling, training, work direction, performance feedback, coaching, accountability, timesheet approval, and coordination of day-to-day AV operations.
• Manage assigned staff and student employees, including work direction, scheduling coordination, training, feedback, accountability, and performance support.
• Empower team members to take ownership of duties, projects, and problems; collaborate in flexible teams; and provide excellent, compassionate customer service.  

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree preferred.
• Five or more years of experience supporting high-profile live events, audiovisual technology, event production, broadcast support, concert support, information technology, or a closely related area required.
• Two or more years of experience leading a team.
• Experience and willingness to work flexible hours, including evenings, nights, and weekends, required.
• Possession of Certified Technology Specialist (CTS), CTS-I, CTS-D, Extron, Dante, or comparable professional audiovisual technology certifications is preferred. 

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent working knowledge of standard audiovisual hardware and software products, with the ability to support arena-specific audiovisual systems.
• Strong working knowledge of computers, applications, collaboration tools, project management tools, and technology systems in a networked environment.
• Strong leadership, supervisory, coaching, delegation, and accountability skills.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and analytical skills; ability to identify problems, assess alternatives, and render consistent, logical decisions.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and customer service communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, adapt to changing event conditions, and maintain professional service standards in visible client-facing environments.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize competing duties, deadlines, staffing needs, and event requirements.
• Ability to build productive relationships with colleagues, clients, vendors, students, guests, campus leaders, and external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with Extron-manufactured products and associated troubleshooting and maintenance preferred.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and high-quality service delivery. 

Work Environment and Physical Demands

Work Environment

• Campus arena, event, office, control room, and AV-enabled facility environment.
• Non-smoking environment.
• Noise levels may be distracting or uncomfortable during events, rehearsals, testing, and live production activity.
• Evening, weekend, and after-hours work as required to support scheduled events, urgent technical needs, staffing responsibilities, and venue operations. 

Physical Demands

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods and move throughout arena, campus, event, and technical support environments.
• Constantly uses manual dexterity, finger dexterity, wrist-finger speed, visual color discrimination, depth perception, peripheral vision, and related visual acuity while operating or assessing technical systems.
• Occasionally reaches overhead and ascends or descends building levels, ladders, stools, lifts, platforms, or similar equipment as needed for event setup, inspection, and troubleshooting.
• Frequently lifts and carries items weighing up to 20 pounds; occasionally lifts, carries, moves, or sets up equipment weighing between 21 and 50 pounds or more with appropriate assistance and safe work practices.
• Must be able to discuss, converse with, and exchange accurate information with staff, students, faculty, vendors, clients, performers, guests, and other stakeholders. 

Travel Required

• Local and campus travel as required; occasional regional or national travel may be required for training, professional development, vendor meetings, multi-site coordination, or CENTERS business needs. 

Other Duties Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.