_Sound Technician

The Venue

At the heart of Manchester’s cultural life, The Bridgewater Hall is an internationally celebrated concert venue built for musical brilliance. Opened in 1996 by Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, it delivers over 300 unforgettable performances each year, spanning classical masterpieces to contemporary world music. A place where artists inspire and audiences connect; The Bridgewater Hall is proudly operated by Legends Global.

The Role

The Senior Lighting Technician is a key member of the technical team and one of the primary technical points of contact at The Bridgewater Hall. Working closely with clients, colleagues, and visiting productions, you will support the delivery of a diverse programme of events, ensuring all technical operations are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the highest standard.

The role encompasses the setup, operation, and maintenance of lighting, rigging, sound, and AV equipment, alongside supporting room configurations, event production, and general venue operations. With a particular focus on lighting and rigging, you will also support equipment maintenance, facilities operations, and the ongoing development and training of the technical team.

This is a hands-on role requiring strong technical expertise, excellent communication skills, and a proactive approach to delivering exceptional event experiences.

The Responsibilities

• Lead and support technical staff, ensuring work is delivered safely, efficiently, and in line with health & safety regulations.
• Provide technical support for events, including the setup, operation, and maintenance of lighting, rigging, sound, AV, staging, seating, and furniture.
• Act as an in-house lighting engineer and rigger, liaising with clients and incoming productions to deliver technical requirements safely and effectively.
• Support venue operations by undertaking Duty Manager responsibilities, assisting with facilities cover, building maintenance, BMS monitoring, and emergency response procedures.
• Maintain technical equipment and standards, supporting training, stock control, preventative maintenance, and the continued development of the venue's technical capabilities.

What we're looking for

• Relevant qualification in a lighting-related discipline or significant professional experience working with modern lighting and production systems.
• Strong technical knowledge of lighting, with a working understanding of audio, AV, and rigging systems, and confidence working at height.
• Experience working in live entertainment, music, events, or performance venues, including supporting clients, promoters, and hirers.
• Previous supervisory experience with the ability to remain calm under pressure, solve technical problems, and meet demanding deadlines.
• Flexible, self-motivated, and collaborative, with excellent attention to detail, a strong understanding of health & safety, and the ability to work evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience operating and programming Chamsys lighting consoles.
• Working knowledge of Digico audio consoles and Meyer loudspeaker management systems.
• Entertainment rigging qualifications (3 Day Rigging for the Entertainment Industry or NRC Level 2).
• Electrical qualifications, including C&G Level 3, BS7671 18th Edition, or BS7909.
• IPAF certification, CAD experience, and good literacy, numeracy, and IT skills.

What can we offer?

️ 25 Days Annual Leave – Work hard, rest well.

Life Assurance – Peace of mind knowing your loved ones are protected.

5% Pension Contribution – Helping you prepare for a bright future.

Healthshield Cover – Support with dental, physio, counselling and more for you and your children.

Employee Assistance Programme – AXA Health support whenever you need it.

Eye Care Support – Vouchers and contributions towards glasses.

Cycle to Work Scheme – A greener, healthier commute.

Employee Referral Scheme – Recommend great people and get rewarded.

Recruitment Process Outlined

- 1st Stage - Interview at the venue with Technical Management team

Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory pre‑employment checks. These may include verification of identity, proof of address, right to work, employment history, qualifications, and—where relevant to the role—a basic or enhanced DBS check. All checks will be carried out in line with data protection law and we will only request information that is necessary for the role.

Inclusive Workplace

At Legends Global , we are committed to leading the entertainment industry towards a greener, faster, and more innovative digital future. There’s never been a better time to join our team. We aim to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers, and suppliers. Join us and make a significant impact from day one.

We are committed to active inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunities. This commitment begins with our recruitment and selection process. We welcome discussions about flexible working arrangements.

If you need reasonable adjustments at any stage of our recruitment process, please let us know in your application. We are dedicated to providing a fair and transparent assessment process and will do our utmost to accommodate your needs.

If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure it is considered. We will continue to review applications on a rolling basis and may close the advert before the closing date.

Our expert technical teams deliver the physical elements of all shows, artworks and events, working closely with the Programming and Producing teams to realise innovative ideas and making sure they are created in a safe, sustainable and exciting way. Our Sound team use state-of-the-art equipment from Digico, d&b, Allen & Heath, Martin Audio, Q-Sys, Audinate, QLab, and Shure to help them deliver projects to the highest standard. We are looking for expertise from all artforms; live music, visual and performing arts, theatre, corporate events and beyond. The Sound Technicians will support the Heads of Department and other Factory International teams to ensure that all of our spaces, events and shows are delivered to an exceptional standard and accessible to everyone.

Sound Technician Responsibilities

• Support the department heads in the operation and deployment of all aspects of Factory International’s technical equipment with particular emphasis on sound.
• Become familiar with the venue’s technical equipment and infrastructure including sound systems, consoles and control network.
• Preparation of sound equipment, and/or venue spaces in readiness for event load-ins.
• De-prepping equipment as required and ensuring items are stored safely and securely.
• Reporting faults or issues on sound equipment and sound control systems in a timely manner to department heads or technical manager and carrying out first line maintenance when appropriate.
• To participate in the organisation and supervision of the get ins, rehearsals, show runs, and get outs.
• Co-ordinating and working with discipline specific team members and freelance staff in the delivery of production sound for concerts, artworks, shows and events within the building.
• Assisting in the rigging and operation of fixtures in the various venue spaces and to programme and operate sound consoles as required.
• Where required, assist in sound design for in-house productions and events or act as an associate for our touring work. This extends to programming and operating.
• Attend production meetings, rehearsals and technical rehearsals as required.
• Liaise with visiting technical departments, ensuring their requirements are met and they are compliant with Factory policies.
• Working with team members to identify, develop and promote production related income streams and to maximise return on the commercial contract.
• Working on a rota system which will require some evening, overnight and weekend working.
• Lead shifts when required in the absence of a Technical Duty Manager.
• Provide advice to all other users of the venue with regard to the safe and proper use of venue sound equipment.
• Deliver all aspects of the venue’s sound systems to the highest standard.
• In conjunction with other technical team members, plan and deliver an effective programme of maintenance (inc. Planned Preventative Maintenance), housekeeping, stock control and testing for all appliances and sound related equipment in the building.

Sound Technician Person Specification

ESSENTIAL

• Extensive practical audio experience in one or more art forms (live music, theatre, performance art, etc), preferably in a producing environment
• Experience of concert and/or theatre sound equipment and setups, system tuning, and audio mixing approaches for different art forms
• Thorough knowledge of d&b audiotechnik PA systems, PA rigging practices, signal processing and Dante networking
• Experience with setup and operation of Digico and Allen & Heath consoles
• Working knowledge of QLab programming and operation
• Experience of supervising staff with demonstrable leadership and supervisory skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and to prioritise competing workload demands
• Experience of receiving or delivering large scale national and international touring productions
• Ability to interpret information from tech riders, stage plans and show advance documents.
• Experience in audio system planning and deployment (both large and small scale), stage plans, playback systems, stage patching, show relay systems, temporary electrical installations, portable appliance testing.
• Experience of Health & Safety practice and procedures including Risk Assessments
• Commitment to championing representation and inclusion at every level of the organisation with a proven ability to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds
• Willing to complete relevant statutory checks eg DBS (Factory International can support with processing and payment)

DESIRABLE

• Experience of mixing FOH and/or mons (wedges and/or IEMS) for live music artists across various genres
• Experience with d&b R1 and ArrayCalc
• Familiarity with Q-Sys system programming and operation for distributed zone control
• Experience with RF coordination and deployment of Shure Axient and Sennheiser RF systems
• Practical experience with Clear-Com wireless comms systems
• Working knowledge of d&b Soundscape, En-Space and En-Scene
• A practical knowledge of LOLER, PUWER and other relevant Health and Safety regulations working within a large receiving venue
• IPAF, PASMA training
• Emergency first aid at work training or similar
• 3-Day Rigging for the Entertainment Industry course or similar
• CSCS certification
• Experience of Co-production / collaboration with a variety of partners and stakeholders
• Electrical qualification or training; BS 7671 18th Edition, BS 7909, C&G 2365 Lvl. 3, PAT testing & inspection, etc.
• Good understanding of statutory regulations governing venues such as the Working Time Directive
• Awareness of current trends in various venue technologies and systems
• Experience of touring
• Full UK Drivers License
• Appropriate qualification in technical theatre or live sound from an accredited college, university, ABTT or industry relevant training courses
• Vocational qualifications such as IRATA or CITB
• Understanding of ABTT Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment
• Enthusiasm for training, mentoring and support of emerging talent