Festival Theatres Supervisor

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Festival Theatres Supervisor is actively involved in supporting the planning and execution of all venue operations for the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.  With a primary focus on venue staffing, the portfolio will also include assisting in the creation and maintenance of festival policies/schedules/documentation, liaising with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure the smooth running of all front-of-house, theatre, and administrative areas, and successfully delivering the best possible audience experience and staff working environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Staffing:

• Assist in the hiring, contracting, onboarding, and payroll reporting of the festival theatres team, including setting up a job fair and being the lead contact for all festival theatres venue staff;
• Assist in the training and management of the festival theatres team (staff and volunteers) to achieve high standards in production, accessibility, equity, and inclusion.

Administration:

• Assist in creating and maintaining documentation of festival systems and best practices including manuals, training aids, and other process documents for distribution to Hot Docs staff, festival theatres staff, volunteers;
• Inserts all relevant dates/times/information into the shared database and disseminates event information to various departments;
• Complete a post-mortem detailing successes, challenges, and suggestions for the Production Department.

Event Planning & Logistics:

• Assist in the planning and overseeing of the space design, traffic flow, and equipment/IT/communication needs of festival venues considering schedule, inclusion, accessibility, and other front-of-house responsibilities (scanning, voting, lineups, posters, signage, etc.);
• Oversee festival venue inventory restock, order all equipment rentals needed (walkies, laptops, etc.), and assist in establishing a timeline for move-in, set-up and tear-down;
• Assist in the setup, implementation, and strike of venues, including maintaining & troubleshooting IT systems, front-of-house and theatre operations, and the creation/upkeep of all relevant tracking & process documents;
• Quality control representative, overseeing all live festival events and escalating operational issues;
• Provide onsite front-of-house/stage management/management support during festival events and screenings as needed, including live show calls and stage setup, to ensure everything runs smoothly and ends on time;
• Other related duties as required and assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years experience in production, festival, cinema, theatre, and live event planning/scheduling/management;
• Experience working in areas of front-of-house and theatre operations for a minimum of 3 festival cycles;
• Experience managing people and collaborative teams with the ability to lead and give direction effectively;
• Experience and familiarity with the management, coordination, and staging of live events;
• Experience with front-of-house, technical, box office, and communications requirements of live events;
• Experience with working on large, long-lead, multi-day events;
• Experience with EDI and Accessibility driven content and initiatives;
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365, Google Suite, Dropbox, Zoom;
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously while working independently and as part of a team;
• Ability to take direction, show initiative, and execute on ideas with excellent organizational abilities, attention to detail; and follow-through;
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously while working independently and as part of a team;
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills (written and oral) including the ability to craft detailed and precise communication with professionalism;
• Ability to quickly integrate into new teams & systems, coordinate large groups of people effectively, and maintain collaborative working relationships in a fast-paced festival environment;
• Creative thinker with exceptional problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn and respond to change with flexibility and adaptability while remaining calm under pressure;
• Capacity to diplomatically work with partners who have fluctuating high-pressure needs;
• Ability to work full-time, maintaining flexible working hours, including some evenings and weekends;
• Live event or theatre stage management experience is an asset;
• E Experience working with unionized stage technicians, projectionists, and volunteers is an asset;
• Experience with Salesforce, Asana, Slack is an asset;
• Valid Driver’s license is an asset.

APPLICATION

Please forward a cover letter and resume to: Crystal MacDonell, Director of Production
Email: [email protected]
Subject Line: Hiring Committee – Festival Theatres Supervisor
Deadline: January 27, 2025
No phone calls, please.