Hunter iF is seeking to appoint a Festival Director to run the Hunter Innovation Festival in 2025 and beyond. Hunter iF’s mission is to accelerate innovation and catalyse regional transformation in the Hunter through connection and collaboration. We achieve this through regular events, community hubs, membership, advocacy and the annual Innovation Festival.
The Hunter Innovation Festival has a 20-year history of economic development and community engagement and has grown in scale and reach to become an anchor event delivering a platform for collaboration, for broadcasting achievements and for networking among the Hunter Valley innovation ecosystem.
In its current model, the festival creates a significant impact in a variety of areas, including but not limited to Clean Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Technology and Circular Economy and covers a three-week period incorporating:
- a one-day Conference and Exhibition at Newcastle City Hall,
- a weeklong Innovation Roadshow visiting Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton and Muswellbrook,
- and an invite-only Action Summit
These events typically happen throughout the month of September/October.
The Festival Director is supported by a Board of Directors with diverse and complementary skills and is required to attend the monthly Board Meetings (in person or virtually) to provide timely and accurate festival updates.
The Festival Director is responsible for leading the festival committee which is currently made up of the following positions:
- Fundraising Manager,
- Festival Coordinator,
- Showcase Coordinator,
- Volunteer Coordinator.
As such, The Festival Director must be able to demonstrate strong experience in leading an event committee or similar, recruitment of new team members and management of a small team.
Our ideal candidate for the position of Festival Director will have:
- experience managing large events,
- strong and well-established productive networks among the business, local and state political communities,
- strong communication skills, across a large group of varied stakeholders
- general understanding of marketing (including PR and social media management)
- strong business acumen, specifically around event budget management
You will be employed as an independent contractor, so must possess an ABN, and the role is part-time. It will require the successful candidate to commit to (on average) one day per week between January and November. Hours increase in the lead-up to the Festival in August and September.
Given the scale of the event, planning will begin early in 2025, with the event scheduled to take place in late September and early October 2025.
To submit an expression of interest, please send your professional profile to chair@hunterif.com.au and eo@hunterif.com.au