Artistic Director and Manager

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future direction of New Zealand’s leading dance festival. The New Zealand Dance Festival Trust presents Tempo, a successful annual festival, which has celebrated and promoted dance, dancers and choreographers since 2002.

Tempo includes performances from top New Zealand professional choreographers, dancers and dance companies as well as providing a platform upon which emerging dancers and choreographers can develop their skills and present works.

The Trust is seeking one or two people, who may also apply as a team, with a clear artistic vision for the Tempo festival and the skills to manage Tempo’s financial and administrative functions. The successful candidate(s) will work closely with the producers and the Board of Trustees in a small but dynamic and rewarding artistic environment.

The roles have previously been performed by an Artistic Director and a General Manager but the Trust is now interested in considering other structures, including contracting-out specialised functions. The shape and size of the roles will be based on the skills and experience of the successful candidates.

You will have primary responsibility for planning the artistic content of the Trust’s activities, specifically the annual Tempo dance festival held in or about October, comprising:

• full-length works by professional dance artists
• shared programmes of shorter works
• other associated events.

There are also financial, marketing and administration functions which include:

• Managing a productive professional team
• Developing and implementing a marketing & sponsorship strategy and audience development initiatives
• Funding applications
• Budgeting, reports, annual audit and returns for the organisation, other stakeholders and individual projects
• Maintenance of administration and finance systems
• Negotiating and implementing contracts with artists, technical and specialist personnel, venues and funders.
• Preparation of tax and GST returns
• Supervising ticketing
• Maintaining effective and positive communication with funders & stakeholders