Production Director

About the role: Lead the production function across branded content, editorial, digital, social, video, experiential, and integrated campaigns for our portfolio of luxury brands including Vogue, GQ, AD, CNT. This is a leadership role responsible for overseeing end-to-end production, driving operational excellence, managing budgets, building best-in-class production partnerships, and delivering premium creative output that reflects the quality and standards of the CNI brand. Key Responsibilities Lead the end-to-end production ecosystem across video, photography, branded content, social-first content, events, and integrated campaigns. Own production planning from concept through execution, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery. Build and manage annual production budgets while ensuring strong cost controls and financial efficiency. Identify, onboard, and manage a network of directors, cinematographers, photographers, production houses, editors, stylists, and post-production partners. Negotiate commercial terms, vendor contracts, and production costs to maximize value without compromising quality. Develop scalable production workflows, SOPs, and governance frameworks across multiple brands and teams. Partner closely with Editorial, Creative, Brand Partnerships, Sales, Marketing, and Commercial teams to deliver integrated campaigns. Ensure all productions meet Condé Nast's global creative, legal, compliance, and brand standards. Oversee production schedules, resource allocation, risk management, and contingency planning across concurrent projects. Drive innovation by introducing new production technologies, AI-enabled workflows, virtual production techniques, and emerging content formats. Lead, mentor, and develop the internal production team while fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture. Track production KPIs, timelines, budgets, quality metrics, and operational efficiencies, presenting regular performance updates to leadership. Ensure exceptional execution across luxury, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, architecture, travel, and premium commercial content. Desired Profile 12–15 years of production leadership experience within media, digital publishing, advertising, broadcast, OTT, branded content, or creative agencies. Proven experience managing large-scale integrated productions with multiple stakeholders. Strong commercial acumen with expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and vendor negotiations. Deep understanding of premium content production, post-production workflows, digital platforms, and emerging media formats. Excellent project management, leadership, and stakeholder management skills. Strong network across production houses, directors, DOPs, photographers, editors, studios, and creative talent. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining exceptional quality standards. Experience working with luxury, premium, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, or consumer brands is highly preferred. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Mass Media, Film Production, Communication, Advertising, Media Studies, or a related field. A postgraduate qualification in Media Management or Business is an advantage.