Technical director - Definition and Overview

The technical director is usually the senior technical person within a single business unit of a company. This person usually possesses the highest level of competence in a specific technical field and may be recognized as an expert in that industry. The technical director provides technical direction on business decision and in the execution of specific projects. He or she may be assigned to a single project, or may oversee a number of projects with related technologies. This position is often similar to that of chief scientist or chief engineer, but perhaps more involved in business decisions. Technical directors and chief scientists often report to the chief technology officer of the company.

Example

In a production control room (PCR), the technical director has overall responsibility for the operations. Technical director is responsible for the proper working of all the equipment is in the PCR. He also matches the quality and the output of all the cameras on the studio floor through the camera control units. It is his or her responsibility to supervise all the other crew members working in the PCR. He also coordinates the working of whole crew and looks into any technical problem which arises before, during or after the shooting.

In theatre, the technical director is responsible for overseeing the construction and rigging of stage scenery. As a part of this job, the technical director creates working drawings from the scenic designer's drawings, in order to communicate construction to the scene shop.