Design and marketing co-ordinator
Auckland Writers Festival
Mō mātou | About us
Every year we stage over 200 public events, gathering over 220 of the world’s best writers and thinkers to celebrate the world of books and ideas. For the past 24 years the Festival has enriched the culture of our city and established itself as a major Australasian festival, characterised not only by the calibre of our guest authors but also by the enthusiasm and engagement of our audience and the warmth and welcome provided by Auckland as our setting.
The Festival brings the very best local and international writers of contemporary fiction and non-fiction, scientists, economists, poets, journalists and thinkers together with audiences to explore ideas, share stories and experience brilliant conversations. We celebrate curiosity and a sense of intellectual adventure and our programme is driven by the desire to spark ideas, to get us talking and to give us a time and place to engage with the world.
Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role
Marketing & Design Co-ordinator
Auckland Writers Festival
Fixed-term contract: 1 December 2026 – 30 May 2027
Up to 40 hours per week, Monday–Friday. We’re open to some flexibility in hours for the right person, with the ability to work full-time during key campaign periods and in the lead-up to and during Festival week.
Auckland-based, primarily office-based with occasional work-from-home days
Auckland Writers Festival is looking for an organised, practical and design-savvy Marketing & Design Co-ordinator to support the Festival team through the busy lead-up to the 2027 Festival.
This is a varied, hands-on role spanning design production, digital marketing, social media, website content, programme advertising and Festival delivery. We are looking for someone who can work confidently across multiple projects, keep track of detail and deadlines, and take responsibility for getting work completed accurately and on time.
The pace increases considerably as the Festival approaches, so you will need to be comfortable working in a fast-moving environment where priorities can change quickly.
Key responsibilities
Website and digital content
Prepare and upload content to the AWF website ahead of the Festival programme launch.
Update and check programme and event content before launch.
Help coordinate the website programme launch, including scheduling content to go live at the required time.
Maintain website content throughout the campaign as required.
Update Linktree and other digital links.
Create links to relevant Ticketmaster event pages.
Create UTM tracking links for newsletters, social media and other campaigns.
Assist with basic tracking and reporting of sales generated through digital channels.
Design and content production
Create and adapt assets for social media, posters, digital advertising and other Festival material using established AWF design templates.
Resize and prepare images for digital and print use.
Create event PowerPoint slides for Festival sessions.
Plan and prepare reserved seating signs across multiple venues.
Create promotional assets for New Zealand and international authors to share when promoting their Festival sessions.
Develop social media toolkits/media kits for authors, sponsors, partners, patrons and other stakeholders.
Sponsors and programme production
Source high-resolution sponsor and partner logos for print and digital useage.
Work with the Partnerships Manager to manage sponsor logos for use in the programme and Festival signage.
Compile sponsor website links for the digital Festival programme.
Maintain organised image and asset libraries so material can be supplied quickly to staff, media, sponsors and partners.
Social media
Contribute ideas for social media content and campaigns.
Create content using AWF templates in Canva and Adobe Creative Suite.
Contribute to the social media content calendar.
Attend weekly content meetings during the campaign period.
Build and maintain a database of author, publisher, partner and sponsor social media handles and tags.
Schedule or publish content across AWF social channels as required.
Update LinkedIn with appropriate Festival events and content.
Liaise with AWF's publicist and authors to source social media content relating to their Festival appearances.
Assist with basic video editing for social content where required.
EDMs and email marketing
Work with the Festival team to build and maintain the weekly EDM planner.
Help identify which events require additional marketing support and which are already selling strongly.
Work from final approved copy supplied by the team.
Maintain an organised image library for EDM use.
Build newsletters using the established AWF email template.
Link featured content directly to relevant event and ticketing pages.
Create and apply UTM tracking links.
Competitions and database administration
Coordinate Festival competitions, including contacting winners and arranging delivery or collection of prizes.
Help keep the AWF CRM database up to date as required.
AWF Programme advertising
Assist the Marketing Manager with following up prospective advertisers from the AWF advertising database.
Liaise with sponsors and stakeholders to coordinate pro-bono advertising in the digital and print programme.
Coordinate advertising bookings for the Festival programme.
Collect and organise supplied advertising artwork into quarter-page, half-page and full-page folders.
Liaise with AWF's design agency, on supplying advertising material.
Liaise with the Administration team regarding advertiser invoicing and billing.
Festival delivery
As part of a small Festival team, everyone pitches in during the lead-up to and delivery of the Festival. This may include:
Helping distribute Festival programmes and posters.
Assisting with event load-in and pack-out.
Putting up banners and signage in Festival venues.
Greeting patrons and assisting front-of-house teams.
Supporting the wider team wherever required during Festival week.
Skills and experience
We are looking for someone who is:
Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
Comfortable managing multiple deadlines and changing priorities.
Confident using Adobe InDesign and Illustrator, with Photoshop skills an advantage.
Able to provide examples of relevant design work.
Comfortable using Canva for social media and digital content creation.
Experienced with basic image preparation and resizing.
Familiar with social media platforms and content creation.
Comfortable working with content management systems and uploading website content.
Comfortable working with CRM systems and updating regularly. AWF uses Zoho CRM.
Familiar with basic digital marketing concepts such as UTM parameters and SEO.
Confident working with spreadsheets and maintaining organised digital files.
A clear communicator who is comfortable dealing with sponsors, partners, suppliers and colleagues.
Practical, collaborative and willing to pitch in when required.
Useful additional skills
Basic video editing using Canva, CapCut, Adobe or another editing platform.
Experience in arts, events, publishing, media or cultural organisations.
An interest in books, writers and the arts.
This role would suit someone who combines good design skills with strong organisational ability. You do not need to be an expert in every area — some of the digital marketing processes can be taught — but you do need to be confident learning new systems and comfortable taking ownership of your work.
Me pēhea te tuku tono |
How to apply
To apply: Please send your CV, a short cover letter and examples of relevant design work or a portfolio to smcnamara@writersfestival.co.nz