Technical Director

Overview

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

This position works out of our Abbott Park, IL location within the PA Public Affairs Division.

The technical director provides broad-range meeting production, video production and communications services. The technical director is responsible for providing technical design (e.g., A/V equipment, room/stage layout, audience seating, virtual considerations) and providing production scheduling for both pre-production and on-site execution of audio-visual services as appropriate to each live, virtual or hybrid meeting or event.

• Provides creative and technical design recommendations, production coordination and fulfillment of all aspects of meetings and video productions.
• Coordinates services and tasks with outside meeting service suppliers (rental companies), outside video production suppliers and Abbott service departments.
• Designs and coordinates A/V equipment/systems and technical on-site and virtual support for small- and medium-sized meetings and events (10–1,000 attendees).
• Acts as “hands-on” audio, projection and lighting technician for events at Abbott Park, other Abbott facilities, hotels, conference centers and other domestic and international venues.
• Supervises and manages other audiovisual technicians, stagehands and resources, including Abbott employees and outside suppliers, in a manner that results in technically flawless meetings delivered within budget. This includes managing budget, work schedules, maintaining effective communication with all team members, and when appropriate, playing a dual role as technical director and meeting producer.
• Responsible for creating room layouts using Vectorworks and/or CAD drawings.
• Troubleshoots and maintains department A/V equipment.
• Understands and oversees the coordination of complex technical communications systems to reliably provide support for important company events such as the Shareholders Meeting, Management Forum, meetings of the Board of Directors, presentations to FDA advisory committees and large divisional meetings.
• Provides technical planning, creative stage and room designs, as well as virtual and hybrid solutions for meetings and events at Abbott Park and other venues both domestic and international.
• Performs detailed technical site surveys.
• Ensures labor rules (union and non-union) are observed when utilizing various labor resources.

• Bachelor’s degree (5-10+ years) in Communication Arts or relevant equivalent
• Experience in corporate event management or theatre production
• Proficient at preparing production and labor schedules.
• Possesses experience and technical knowledge of commercial A/V installations and professional rental A/V systems (including projection, computer-based presentation, audio recording and sound reinforcement for live events, stage and video lighting, satellite broadcasts,…