Each January Sydney Festival shakes up our city with a summer festival of art, music, dance, theatre and immersive experiences. We are proud of our long history of commissioning ground-breaking new Australian art, and we're equally proud to be a great place to work, with many of the seasonal team members returning year after year.
The team, which swells to over 100 during festival season, is tight, and the environment supportive. The harbour views from our office are to die for and our coffee machine best in show.
Sydney Festival is committed to equity and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and people from the LGBTQI+ community. Sydney Festival strives to make reasonable adjustments to provide a supportive and barrier-free workplace. If you require any adjustments before or during the selection process, please mention this with your application.
Global Recruitment for Next Festival Director
Sydney Festival is thrilled to commence our worldwide recruitment for the next Festival Director. As part of this exciting initiative, we are inviting the industry’s top talent to consider leading our Festival into its next chapter of excellence.
Join us in shaping the future of Sydney Festival
Are you passionate about the arts and dedicated to fostering cultural vibrancy? Do you have a flair for creativity and a vision for innovative programming? Sydney Festival invites you to be part of our dynamic team as we embark on an exciting journey to embody the essence of summer through vibrant and transformative artistic expressions.
Position Available: Festival Director
Sydney Festival is seeking a visionary leader who will play a pivotal role in shaping the artistic and creative direction of our esteemed Festival. As Festival Director, you will have the opportunity to curate an extraordinary summer experience, blending diverse and vibrant art forms that engage, inspire and leave lasting memories.
Why Join Sydney Festival?
Cultural Brilliance: Be part of an organisation that has been a beacon of cultural excellence for over four decades, captivating audiences and igniting Sydney with innovative and thought-provoking performance.
Artistic Excellence: Curate a bold and exuberant contemporary program encompassing a diverse array of artistic disciplines, ensuring that each offering contributes to the Festival's reputation for delivering top-notch artistic experiences.
Global Impact: Foster connections with acclaimed international artists and companies, presenting works that enrich Sydney's cultural landscape and enhance its cosmopolitan appeal.
Community Engagement: Actively involve the broader community through strategic partnerships, outreach programs, workshops, and free events, ensuring that the Festival remains deeply rooted in and connected to the diverse communities it serves.
What We're Looking For:
• Proven expertise in developing imaginative, original and engaging arts programming.
• Established artistic reputation, credibility and extensive networks within the arts and cultural sectors.
• Demonstrated experience in providing strategic leadership and effectively managing resources for cultural events or projects.
• In-depth understanding of current issues in the arts and cultural sectors, coupled with active engagement with various events, festivals and organisations.
• Exceptional abilities to collaborate successfully with government entities, commercial sponsors, and other stakeholders.
How to Apply
To register your interest for the Festival Director position, please email your details to peopleandculture@sydneyfestival.org.au to receive the Candidate Pack for the Festival Director role. Applications close by 5pm AEST, 31 May 2024.
Join us in shaping the future of Sydney Festival and contributing to its legacy as a cherished institution within Sydney's cultural landscape. We look forward to welcoming passionate and talented individuals who share our commitment to artistic excellence, diversity and community engagement.
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Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Panel – Expression of Interest
Who we are looking for
Sydney Festival is looking for applicants with disability or who are d/Deaf, across a broad range of lived experiences. We also welcome applications from people who have close lived experience, relevant academic or professional experience in advancing the inclusion of people with disability and mental health conditions, including those who work for disability service organisations or peak bodies. We will prioritise people with lived experience.
People with disability from diverse and intersectional backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. This includes: people from the LGBTIQA+ community, First Nations peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, young people, older people and people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
About our Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Panel
This Advisory Panel is made of up to 10 members with disability, access and inclusion expertise and lived experience. We seek to represent a balanced and broad range of experiences, in terms of age, disability, gender and lived experience type, to reflect the widest access and inclusion perspectives possible.
The primary objective of the Panel is to advise Sydney Festival on access and inclusion matters and represent the interests of all Sydney Festival stakeholders and patrons with disability.
This Panel is an advisory body. It does not have formal decision-making authority and members cannot act as representatives for Sydney Festival. A Terms of Reference will be provided for this Working Group to outline its role and function.
How to apply
You can apply in these formats (please select one only):
1. Standard online application form
2. Word version text form
3. Video application form, including videos in Auslan
More info
Non-Executive Board Director
Sydney Festival seeks to expand its Board of Directors with new members who bring diverse perspectives, expertise and networks to the organisation. The appointed members will play a crucial role in shaping the strategic direction of the Festival, and ensuring its continued growth and success.
The key responsibilities include providing oversight of the organisation's strategy to deliver an annual festival, to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, contributing to strong governance frameworks, collaborating on long-term planning and adaptation to cultural changes, ensuring strategic financial planning and the identification and mitigation of financial risks, exploring government investment opportunities and cultivating donor relationships, as well as maintaining relationships with stakeholders including government bodies and sponsors.
Successful candidates will have demonstrated expertise in strategic planning and decision-making, strong networks within the arts, cultural, business and/or philanthropic communities, a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and previous experience serving on boards or committees.
How to apply
Download the role description below.
The application deadline is 17 May by 5pm AEST. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews, which are expected to take place in late May. The successful candidate will assume the position in the second half of the year. Sydney Festival reserves the right to make an appointment via invitation.
Interested candidates are invited to submit their application materials, including a cover letter and resume/CV, to board@sydneyfestival.org.au by 17 May 2024. Please include “Board Director Application – Sydney Festival” in the subject line.
Sydney Festival is committed to equity and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and people from the LGBTQI+ community.
Download info
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