Jobs

Director of Programming (Edinburgh International Book Festival)

Apply by Thursday 24 September at 17:00 for this full-time, permanent role based in Edinburgh.

The Book Festival has a permanent staff of around 28 throughout the year, expanding over the spring and summer to a peak of around 150 during the Festival. All staff play a role in the ongoing development of the organisation, including through full-team planning and debrief sessions during the year.

The Director of Programming is a member of the Senior Management Team and reports to the Festival Director/Chief Executive. SMT also includes the Directors of Operations, Finance, Communities, Brand & Audiences and Development.

The Director of Programming leads a permanent team including the Programme Manager, Head of Children & Young People, Programme Coordinator and Author Logistics Manager. Over the course of the year, seasonal and freelance staff join the wider team to deliver specific projects, including Producers, some of whom may be managed by the Director of Programming.

The Role

The Director of Programming leads the development and delivery of the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s programme. They are responsible for translating the Festival’s overall creative vision and thematic framing into an ambitious, distinctive and coherent programme, and for leading the team, partnerships, resources and processes required to deliver it.

The Festival Director/Chief Executive retains overall responsibility for the Festival’s creative and intellectual vision, including its annual thematic framework, and will continue to originate and lead selected programme ideas, projects and partnerships. The Director of Programming works in close creative partnership with the Festival Director, bringing their own ideas, expertise and networks to develop that vision into an outstanding programme, while taking overall responsibility for the programming function and its delivery.

The Director of Programming will identify writers, ideas, partnerships and programme opportunities that bring the Festival’s strategic priorities and Programming Principles to life. They will combine excellent editorial and cultural judgement with a strong understanding of audiences, ensuring the programme celebrates outstanding writing while engaging imaginatively with the ideas and questions shaping contemporary life.

They will maintain and develop an extensive network across publishing, literature and the wider cultural sector in Scotland, the UK and internationally, ensuring the Festival remains deeply rooted in Scotland and outward-looking in its reach.

A key strategic priority is to develop a programme which reaches a wide range of reading audiences, including growing our engagement with people under 35.

As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Director of Programming shares responsibility for the leadership and development of the organisation as a whole. They will work particularly closely with the Directors of Brand & Audiences, Development, Communities, Operations and Finance to ensure creative ambition is supported by strong audience insight, effective delivery and financial sustainability.

This is a high-profile role which requires travel for research and development and to represent the Festival within the UK and internationally. A significant proportion of publisher research meetings take place in London during the autumn.

Key duties and responsibilities:

Creative programming

• Work closely with the Festival Director to develop a Festival programme which celebrates outstanding contemporary writing and demonstrates the power of books and ideas to
  challenge, transform, entertain and inspire.
• Bring strong ideas, cultural knowledge and editorial judgement to the development of the programme, identifying writers, thinkers, subjects and emerging trends with the potential to engage Festival audiences.
• Develop the Festival’s reputation as a distinctive international forum, bringing leading and emerging authors from Scotland, the UK and around the world together with audiences to share stories and explore ideas.
• Take lead creative responsibility for agreed programme strands, events, commissions and partnerships, and originate new programming ideas and opportunities.
• Identify and develop programme strands which support our audience development strategy, including priorities around particular audiences, genres and demographics.
• Work closely with the Director of Communities and Head of Children & Young People to create coherence and productive connections across adult, children’s, schools, community and yearround programming.
• Apply the Festival’s Programming Principles consistently, ensuring programme decisions are informed by intellectual curiosity, editorial judgement and an awareness of the social and political context in which the Festival operates; create space for writers and audiences to encounter unfamiliar ideas and perspectives.
• Ensure equality, diversity, inclusion, care and environmental responsibility are meaningfully reflected in programme development and decision-making, in line with the Festival’s values and strategic commitments.
• Ensure the Festival’s creative themes and frameworks connect effectively across programme strands while allowing individual areas and projects to develop their own distinctive identity.

Strategic and organisational leadership

• Lead the development of programming strategy and priorities within the organisation’s wider strategic plan, using audience insight, sector knowledge and evaluation to inform future direction.
• As a member of SMT, contribute actively to organisational strategy, planning, budget-setting and decision-making, bringing the perspective of programming while sharing collective responsibility for the success and resilience of the organisation.
• Work closely with the Director of Communities and Equalities to bring coherence across the programmes, including those outwith August and primarily focused on libraries and/or young people
• Work closely with the Director of Brand & Audiences to embed audience insight in programming decisions, with particular focus on broadening participation and growing audiences under 35.
• Work closely with the Director of Finance to set and manage programme budgets, ensuring programming decisions balance creative ambition with financial sustainability and contribute appropriately to organisational income and budget objectives.
• Understand and actively consider the relationship between programme choices, audiences, ticket income, fundraising, partnerships and organisational reputation.
• Work with the Development team to identify programme opportunities which support fundraising and partnership objectives while protecting the Festival’s editorial integrity.
• Contribute to funding proposals and applications, including working with the External Affairs Manager and other colleagues on international partnerships and support for international guests.
• Anticipate and manage programme-related risks, exercising sound judgement and escalating significant editorial, financial, operational or reputational issues appropriately.
• As a senior leader, uphold and exemplify the Festival’s values, contributing actively to a positive, ambitious, inclusive and collaborative organisational culture.

Partnerships, representation and communication

• Build and maintain excellent relationships with writers, publishers, agents, cultural organisations, funders and creative partners in Scotland, across the UK and internationally.
• Develop collaborations and partnerships which enable the Festival to create ambitious, innovative programmes and reach new audiences.
• Maintain a strong awareness of developments in contemporary literature, publishing, ideas and the wider cultural landscape, identifying emerging writers, voices and opportunities relevant to the Festival.
• Act as a public face and senior representative of the Festival, enhancing its reputation and creating a warm, professional and positive experience for writers, participants, partners and audiences.
• Represent the Festival at publishing meetings, festivals, cultural events and other relevant forums in the UK and internationally.

Team leadership and programme delivery

• Lead the Programming team, creating a culture of ambition, collaboration, curiosity, good judgement and excellent delivery.
• Set clear priorities and accountabilities across the team, ensuring appropriate structures, resources and capacity are in place to deliver the annual Festival and year-round programme successfully.
• Line manage the Programme Manager and Head of Children & Young People, supporting them to lead their respective areas with appropriate autonomy and accountability and to develop professionally.
• Working with the Directors of Operations and Brand & Audiences and supported by the Programme Manager, establish effective cross-organisational timelines, processes and ways of working for the delivery, sale and communication of a complex programme to tight deadlines.
• Take overall responsibility for ensuring the Festival programme is developed and delivered on time and within agreed budgets.
• Allocate and adjust responsibilities and resources across the Programming team as priorities and pressures change, ensuring workloads are manageable and key deadlines are met.
• Ensure effective communication and information-sharing between Programming and other teams across the organisation, including Operations and production teams to ensure the smooth delivery of events themselves.
• Support the recruitment, induction and management of seasonal and freelance Programming staff, ensuring they are effectively integrated into the team and understand the Festival’s values, standards and ways of working.

Salary: £50,000

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Location: Edinburgh

For more information and to apply, please visit the Edinburgh International Book Festival website.