There are 3 lighting tech jobs across the United States on ShowRoster today. Listings come from production companies, staging shops and AV integrators, so what you see is actually open. Save a search and get told when a new one lands.
3 open lighting tech jobs across the United States.
Lighting techs put the rig in the air and make it do what the designer drew. The day-to-day is hanging and addressing fixtures, running data and power, focusing, and troubleshooting the unit that stops talking five minutes before rehearsal. On the call sheet the department splits into the lighting designer, the director or board op on the console, the techs, and the master electrician who owns power.
The work spans corporate ballrooms, concerts and festivals, theatre, broadcast, and the rental shop. Corporate gigs reward speed and repetition. Touring and festival work brings bigger rigs, followspots, and weather.
A load-in day runs points and truss first, then hang, power, and data, then focus once the rig flies. Programming usually happens at night when the stage is dark and quiet, and show days settle into checks, notes, the show call, and standby with a spare fixture and a ladder close by.
Strike is the same day in reverse and usually faster. Between shows, shop days pay too: prepping racks, testing fixtures, and building the truck pack so the next load-in starts clean instead of starting with a search.
Freelance lighting pay follows the seat. Day rates commonly run $350 to $900 depending on market and role, with programmers and lighting directors at the top and general lighting tech calls closer to the bottom. Hourly crew calls booked through a local or a crewing company price below a dedicated tech's day rate.
Staff work lives at production houses, venues, theatres, rental shops, and universities. The salary is steadier, the rig time is constant, and shop experience with power distro and data networks is exactly the experience the freelance market pays for later.
ETCP is the verified certification that matters most in this department. The Entertainment Electrician and Portable Power Distribution Technician credentials are exam-based, and ETCP requires documented industry experience before it lets you sit the exam, which is exactly why the certification carries weight with employers and venues.
OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 are safety cards, not certifications, and the same goes for lift tickets, fall protection training, and NFPA 70E electrical safety training. A console course from a manufacturer, an MA Lighting or ETC class, is manufacturer training. What you can actually do on GrandMA, ETC Eos, or Hog is a self-reported skill until a show proves it.
The common ladder is stagehand or shop tech to lighting tech, then board op or programmer, then lighting director or master electrician. Designers mostly come up through programming and assisting, one plot at a time.
Specialties raise the rate. Power distro, followspots on arena shows, and networked control systems all shorten the list of people who can take the call, and a short list is what a better day rate is made of.