Short term Festival Coordinator post. It's a very challenging post but delivers real benefits to the community. It's a great opportunity for anyone who has relevant experience of street theatre and festival management.
Temporary Festival Coordinator Post
With funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Lottery, the Festival of Fools is recruiting a temporary coordinator for the 2016 event. It's a great opportunity for anyone who has experience of street theatre and festival management. The job and person specification is below. We are looking for expressions of interest by the 12th February to start asap.
The Coordinator post is funded through support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s National Lottery Programme.
Background to the Festival of Fools
The Festival of Fools was established in 2004 by Belfast Community Circus School as an international celebration of street theatre. Originally, the Festival was conceived as a one off event which would bring a strong sense of ownership of the City Centre by the people of Belfast; change their relationship with the city away from solely a shopping destination; and enhance the use of shared public space In 2006, the Festival of Fools was established as company limited by guarantee with charitable status.
Funding currently comes from Arts Council of Northern Ireland Lottery Unit, Department of Social Development, Belfast City Council and private sponsorship.
The Festival will run over four days to enable a concentrated event to be presented. The Festival will present approximately 100 shows and 30 walkabout performances over the course of 4 days across 6 venues in Belfast City Centre and the Cathedral Quarter.
In addition to the street theatre, a Festival of Foods has been created working with 17 restaurants, cafes and bars last year to create a wealth of special offers for supporters of the Festival. These relationships will be nurtured and grown over the course of 2016 Festival.
Job Title: Co-ordinator
Dates: The successful candidate will be expected to start work as soon as possible after appointment and for a period of no more than 4 months
Hours: The successful candidate will be expected to work an average of 37 hours per week across the course of the contract. The successful candidate will be expected to work evenings and weekends over the course of the Festival and to work flexibly in the run up to the event. The position will finish one month on from the Festival. The Festival will run from 29 April to 2nd May.
Working to: The Co-ordinator will be working under the supervision of the Artistic Director for the Festival of Fools and will be responsible to a Management Committee.
Terms: The successful candidate will be paid a going rate according to experience and subject to negotiation.
Contract: 4 months Maximum
Please note: Candidates without the relevant experience will not be considered for this post.
Job Specification
The successful candidate will be expected to:
1. Liaise and support existing sponsors of Festival of Fools
2. Implement a PR and marketing strategy which will attract new audience members from Northern Ireland and out of state.
3. Oversee the production of printed materials for the Festival to include brochures, posters, billboards
4. Book billboard sites & paid for advertising in newspapers and on radio, securing the best deals possible and in a timely fashion
5. Liaise with artists; securing relevant contracts and paperwork such as CVs; booking travel and accommodation
6. Recruit and co-ordinate a team of volunteers for the Festival delivery
7. Update the website on a regular basis and to maintain a regular online presence through facebook and twitter accounts
8. To devise and implement a New Media Communication strategy to incorporate Facebook, Twitter, etc.
9. To coordinate and assign meal vouchers to artists across the course of the Festival
10. To oversee evaluation of impact of the Festival of Fools
11. To provide paperwork and monitoring for a range of funders
12. To assist the Director in preparation of relevant funding applications for the Festival of Fools 2014 & 2015
Personnel Specification
Essential qualifications and experience
1. Experience of working in the arts
2. Experience of festival management
3. Experience of delivering street theatre/ circus performances
4. Experience of working to very tight deadlines
5. Experience of managing a wide range of logistical problems and changing scenarios
6. Experience of marketing and PR including event marketing
7. Experience of administration skills
8. Experience of working with sponsors
9. Experience of management/supervision of staff/volunteers
10. Experience of working to tight budgets
11. Experience of all aspects of project management including evaluation
Essential special aptitudes
1. Basic IT skills: MS Word, Excel spreadsheets
2. Proven ability to work unsocial hours including weekends
3. Strong understanding of the impact of arts on personal and community development
Essential interpersonal skills
1. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
2. Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team
3. Willingness to undertake training
Desirable
1. Driving license
2. Experience driving vans
3. Knowledge of sound systems
To submit an expression of interest, please send a cv to [email protected] highlighting where your experience matches the job and personnel spec. State why you are interested and what you think you can bring to the Festival of Fools. Also state the earliest start date you could make.
If your expression of interest is strong, you will be invited to attend a short interview at a time convenient to both parties.
Closing date for expressions of interest 12th February 2016
Note: If you would like to volunteer for the festival – either during the event, or in the run up, please submit your cv to [email protected]
Closing Date
12:00pm