Join our Team! Now Hiring: 2025 Festival Director – Eden Mills Writers’ Festival
The Eden Mills Writers’ Festival celebrates the power of words – whether written, spoken or signed – to ignite our imaginations and reveal worlds and ideas beyond our own experience. By presenting literary works that reflect a wide range of perspectives and experiences, we hope to engender an informed and articulate community that connects with open hearts and open minds.
We endeavour to inspire, enlighten and enchant by presenting a literary festival that provides stimulating, thought-provoking and entertaining programming for all ages—children, young adults and adults. We do so by presenting works of literary merit in a variety of genres in accessible and friendly environments.
We aim to encourage a culture of reading by presenting events that are inclusive of a range of audiences and that provide a platform for authors to engage readers. We strive to nurture the next generation of writers by supporting aspiring writers through workshops, literary and poetry writing contests, and reading sets for yet-to-be published writers.
About the Opportunity
The Festival Director for the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival will manage all tasks related to organization and execution of our 37th annual outdoor literature festival in the historic village of Eden Mills. Tasks will include managing relationships with vendors, stakeholders and the community, managing key milestones on schedule and within budget, reporting monthly to the board of directors and liaising with an artistic selection committee, hiring contract staff to assist with the responsibilities including logistics, marketing, and operations, and adhere to local laws and permit requirements.
This is a 10-month contract position with a salary range between $35,000 – $45,000.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The day to day lead for the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival (EMWF) will ideally have the following experience, characteristics, or aptitudes:
- Execution excellence: The Festival Director is a driven, resourceful, organized and collaborative manager who believes in EMWF’s values and mandate to support an enabling environment where diverse Canadian literary talent can flourish, and where the broader Canadian reader audience can hear their ideas and be inspired in an open-air environment, supported by a community that believes in the EMWF. They will drive ticket sales through innovative marketing in multiple channels, and ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and health/safety standards.
- Friendly and engaging collaborator: The Festival Director will execute our established workflow and liaise as needed with community members, vendors, volunteers and supporters to deliver an excellent festival experience for all. The Festival Director will be adept at understanding ‘the big picture’ while paying attention to small details, finding creative solutions to complex challenges, possess strong financial literacy, and will manage the 2025 festival smoothly, on time, and on budget. They will regularly report to the board on key issues, action items, and pending deadlines as required.
- Subject matter expertise: The Festival Director has experience working in operations, the arts, or within the communities the EMWF serves, and understands the arts industry. They will be comfortable collaborating with the artistic committee to confirm author lineups, schedules, and logistics.
- Management experience: The Festival Director has demonstrated experience in accomplishing long-term goals and objectives. They are collaborative, inclusive and collaborative, and thrive in a friendly culture that delivers results. They will provide management and guidance to all contract staff, and a summer student.
- Comfortable with numbers and people: The Festival Director possesses a strong understanding of financial management and administrative/operations management. They will develop and manage budgets, schedules, operational plans and reporting.
Please send an email with a cover letter explaining your interest in the position and your resume to Theresa Ebden at [email protected] by February 14, 2025. We will be reviewing applications as they are received so we encourage you to apply early.
EMWF is committed to diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility. We welcome those who would support and contribute to the further diversification of staff including, but not limited to, women, racialized persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity.