General Manager

**Organization Description**:
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society (the Society) is a not-for-profit and charitable cultural organization founded in 1979 with a mission to bring traditional and contemporary folk and roots music to diverse audiences in an environment of community collaboration and discovery. The Society presents an annual music festival, as well as co-presenting other events year-round with a variety of arts and cultural partners.

Our Values:

- Artistic Excellence: Presenting a diverse range of exceptional artists and providing audiences with engaging opportunities to discover inspiring new music.
- Diversity and Inclusiveness: Creating accessible and welcoming environments, free of discrimination, and pledging to treat all people with respect and dignity.
- Environmental Stewardship: Caring and respect for our beautiful space, aiming to minimize our impact on the environment, and inspiring our community through progressive initiatives.
- Social Justice: Connecting community-minded people who are committed to a fair and equitable society and providing opportunities for meaningful engagement.

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is a three-day annual festival held at ʔəyalməxʷ Jericho Beach Park on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples - the Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam) Nations.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the General Manager is responsible for overseeing and managing the general operations and infrastructure of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society (VFMFS).

Working in collaboration with the Board of Directors, the Artistic Director, and other staff, the General Manager is a key leader in implementing the festival’s vision and strategic plan and in helping to create a positive and collaborative work environment aligned with our values of Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (JEDI&A).

This is a one-year contract position with the potential of becoming a permanent position at the end of the contract term. The position is full-time from February-August 2025 and part-time for the remainder of the contract.

**Duties**:

- Oversee the general festival operations including: administration, finance, fundraising, community outreach, marketing, production, merchandise, box office, vendors (food and retail), volunteers
- Provide a senior leadership role in collaboration with the Board, Artistic Director, and other staff/contractors in developing and executing the festival’s strategic objectives
- Ensure timelines are clear and deadlines are met leading up to, during and after the festival
- Oversee an annual operating budget of over $2 million
- Monitor expenditures and expenses and implement strategies for financial efficiencies
- Work with the bookkeeper to balance and update cashflow and provide monthly updates
- Work with Contractors/suppliers on structured payment schedules
- Supervision of contractors and staff including Volunteer, Site, Production, Food & Beverage, Box Office, Assistants, and other contracts and programs for the festival
- Act as liaison between contract staff and the board
- Manage and recruit staff based on Board staffing plan in collaboration with the Board of Directors
- Work with Personnel committee to set wages, refine job descriptions and coordinate job interviews
- Receive and review regular reports from contract staff
- Establish weekly one-on-one meetings with office staff
- Establish regularly scheduled team staff meetings
- Oversee and contribute to sponsorship, fundraising activities, donor development and retention, and grant writing
- Coordinate collection of data for grant final reports
- Oversee coordination of Community Village and Artisan Market
- Provide written monthly progress reports to the Board
- Provide comprehensive final report on the festival and any ancillary events
- Other duties as required

**Preferred skills and qualifications**
- Five or more years of experience in management, preferably with an arts and cultural nonprofit organization
- Proven financial acumen, strong experience with managing budgets, creating and analyzing financial summaries and reports
- Excellent organizational and communication skills and familiarity with public relations and marketing
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment both independently and collaboratively as part of a team
- Ability to foster an inclusive and culturally sensitive work environment and approach projects with a JEDI lens
- Proven success working with a board of directors
- Familiarity with Google Suite, Salesforce, Airtable, Filemaker, Microsoft Office, and ticketing software an asset
- Knowledge of leadership and management principles of nonprofit organizations
- Experience with fundraising for a non-profit organization including grants, sponsorships, and Individual giving
- Experience with the demands of a large outdoor event taking place on a temporary site