Darkroom Manager
Location: Chennai, India
Qualification: Bachelor’s or Masters in Fine Arts, Media Studies, Visual Communication or related fields
Experience: 2-3 years of working experience in a professional environment
Role type: Full-Time | In person in Kottivakkam | Monday to Saturday - 10 am to 7 pm
Remuneration: 30-40K per month based on experience
Additional Benefits: Health Insurance and Learning allowance
The Community Darkroom aims to make analogue processes accessible to the wider community across India by offering a range of workshops, products and services.
The darkroom manager will play a central role in shaping our engagements with the community alongside managing the day-to-day operations of the lab.
The role involves managing two teams (darkroom and e-commerce), managing daily and weekly tasks on both sides, managing inventories and placing restock orders directly with vendors.
Responsibilities:
1. Managing the Darkroom Team (assistant, fellow & Interns) - assigning daily tasks and conducting quality checks on their work.
2. Managing the online order pipeline and keeping turnaround times for customers to a minimum.
3. Managing the commercial processing and scanning workflow and optimizing the schedules so as to conserve time and chemistry.
4. Managing the film camera inventory and ensuring regular testing and servicing of cameras and lenses.
5. Managing the inventory of chemicals, films, paper and other darkroom stock and placing re-orders in advance with admin.
6. Managing Darkroom workshops, and communicating with participants and mentors.
7. Managing and contributing to Social Media, WhatsApp and email communication, and Shopify communication directed at the analogue community.
8. Managing customer communications and escalate issues early and find effective solutions.
9. Creating effective written copy and social media content ideas to promote darkroom products such as film rolls, cameras, lab services etc.
10. Keeping up to date with the latest trends in analog and effectively turning them into products and services offered by the darkroom.
The role includes but is not limited to:
● Seamlessly translating ideas into plans.
● Researching, ideating and managing all programming and content related to the
project (images, video, text, audio/podcasts, creatives, website updation, social media, and emailers) in coordination with other team members. Be able to work under tight deadlines, but also look a few months into the future and plan accordingly.
● Maintaining relationships with local cultural venues, respective partners and vendors. Familiarize, build and maintain relationships with venue partners, production vendors, artists, and other partner organizations. An integral part here will be to maintain a database of vendors, partners, venue contacts, organizations and institutions.
● Report regularly and effectively to senior management and stay available for contact during office hours with the team as well as customers.
● Gather feedback from beneficiaries.
● Learn and Upskill. We encourage our team members to find ways of upskilling their
talent via short-term courses or researching additional knowledge online regarding your work.
Skills Required:
Self-motivated and disciplined - capable of maintaining task lists for self and the team.
Proficiency in basic spreadsheet operations, budgeting, and word processing tools.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Knowledge of basic chemistry and darkroom process is a bonus but not mandatory.
Knowledge of tools like Canva, Chat GPT and others that allow for quick and effective social media management is a bonus but not mandatory.
Timings & Location
You are expected to work from the CPB Foundation office in Kottivakkam. Regular Working hours & days: Monday to Saturday - 10 AM to 7 PM (weekends are dependent on programming schedules and deadlines). Any working Sunday can be compensated with leave during the coming week(s) with prior consultation of your reporting manager.
Your availability will be required beyond the regular hours for certain projects.
Probation and Termination
Probation: A period of 3 months will be considered as a probation period in which both parties can terminate with a 3-week notice.
How to Apply
Send an email to careers@chennaiphotobiennale.com
Please attach your updated resume and a short portfolio along with a covering note on why you are applying for this role. You can link a specific page on your behance or website however applications with only Instagram links will not be considered.