Festival Director at The Texas Tribune

Austin, Texas, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

15 Apr, 26

Salary

100000.0

Posted On

15 Jan, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Event Production, Project Management, Budget Management, Communication Skills, Team Leadership, Stakeholder Management, Time Management, Adaptability, Relationship Building, Decision Making, Organizational Skills, Detail Orientation, Problem Solving, Collaboration, Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis

Industry

Internet News

Description

Description The Texas Tribune, the state’s go-to source for Texas politics and public policy news, is seeking a director of its annual Texas Tribune Festival in downtown Austin. The Festival Director will be fully embedded at the Tribune and will lead teams across the organization, as well as vendors and contractors, in the top-to-bottom execution of the event. They will collaborate professionally with Festival production vendors, A/V vendors and the in-house cross-departmental Festival team to bring the Tribune’s vision and programming to life. They will ensure sound management of events and the consistent achievement of Festival goals, budget management, and adherence to timelines. This role requires exceptional event production skills and the ability to lead across the organization — bringing teams together, driving decisions, and building strong relationships with colleagues, vendors, and partners at every level. This is a permanent, full-time staff position, and the Tribune is seeking to fill this role immediately. Compensation will depend on experience and qualifications; the minimum salary is $100,000. Responsibilities Own end-to-end planning, production and execution of the Texas Tribune Festival, leading the Tribune’s cross-departmental Festival team and holding the organization accountable to strategic goals, audience priorities, revenue targets, and production timelines. Project manage the process, ensuring regular production meetings that have agendas and include all necessary participants. Build an event that reflects the Tribune’s mission, brand standards and editorial vision. Work with the Tribune’s outside production partner and oversee and direct the production and A/V vendor(s) for the Festival, including panel recording, livestreaming, venue management and event production. Build and execute a speaker communications strategy to ensure all Festival participants are prepared and properly briefed on their session(s). Work with the Senior Director of Events and Live Journalism on internal reports and communications of Festival updates, needs and progress toward goals, including leading weekly cross-departmental meetings, vendor meetings and text-based progress reporting. Work directly with the Tribune’s internal and external design and production resources to develop and execute an excellent visual and experiential design experience. Ensure the Festival has adequate accessibility opportunities and features for the virtual and in-person events. Monitor event expenses to ensure all Festival team members keep within their allocated budgets and that the event does not exceed the total budget. Partner with the Tribune sponsorship team to achieve Festival revenue goals by developing and executing on sponsorship opportunities, activations and presence at the Festival, including video elements, onsite activations and virtual platform presence. Manage all Festival onsite teams (virtual and in-person) in tandem with Festival production vendor(s), including hiring and managing additional onsite staff as needed. Work directly with the Tribune’s production and audience engagement teams to oversee live and post-production strategy and execution. Work directly with the Tribune’s Marketing and Communications team to execute the Festival marketing and campaign strategy, as well as oversee any onsite or production-related needs of marketing and PR teams. Work with the Senior Director of Events and Live Journalism and other team members on post-event analysis, data collection and reporting for internal teams, including reports to the Tribune’s senior management team. Assist the sponsorship and revenue teams with external reporting needs. Work with the city of Austin for event permits as necessary. Qualifications Exceptional project and time management skills, strong writing and communication skills, and demonstrated experience overseeing multi-day event production Experience leading and coordinating staff, contractors and others across cross-functional teams A demonstrated aptitude for developing, building and stewarding internal and external stakeholders Experience managing event budgets and resources with accountability and transparency History of being organized and detail-oriented, highly effective at juggling multiple projects on time and on budget Strong discretion and courtesy when dealing with all Tribune contacts, as well as internal and external relationships Demonstrates a high degree of adaptability to continually changing environments Willingness and ability to adapt to increased demands during Festival planning/production Energized by working in a fast-paced, mission-driven journalism environment An interest in Texas politics and policy and a belief in the Tribune's mission Ideal candidates … Proactively identify key milestones and dependencies, identify resource constraints and decision points early, and escalate issues with clear recommendations to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery. Lead collaborative discussions, synthesize input efficiently, and make informed, timely decisions to keep projects moving forward. Balance diplomatic relationship-building with direct conversations, and hold vendors and colleagues across the organization accountable for delivering results and meeting deadlines. Lead through influence and credibility rather than org-chart authority. Maintain composure under pressure and make sound decisions when plans change. Willingness and ability to adapt to increased demands during Festival planning/production Location The person in this role will work from The Texas Tribune office in downtown Austin, steps away from the Texas Capitol. Benefits This job is full-time and has the following benefits: Medical, vision and dental insurance A cellphone stipend 20 days of paid time off each year Up to 16 weeks of paid family leave, plus four weeks of additional job protection 401(k) matching Support for professional training and attending industry conferences Remote work flexibility How to Apply Submit your application by February 15, along with a résumé, cover letter, and a memo detailing your vision for the Festival Director position and how you would approach the work. The Texas Tribune is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We can't wait to hear from you. About The Texas Tribune Here’s what you should know about the Tribune. From day one, we’ve had disruption, innovation and risk-taking in our DNA. We’re ambitious as all get out but still have the punch-above-your-weight mentality of a scrappy start-up. We believe we can meet the demands of our audience and our own expectations for excellence without breaking the bank — or our staff. We understand not everything is a story for us — we have to make choices — but we’re always looking to expand our boundaries. We’re nonprofit because the challenging economic reality for media these days obligates us to find a different way, reliable and sustainable, to fund serious journalism. We’re nonpartisan because we live in the United States of Confirmation Bias — and we don’t need to be part of the problem. We don’t need to be yet another source of information affirming the voices and perspectives that are already in people’s heads. At the same time, nonpartisan is not non-thinking. We call B.S. when B.S. needs to be called. The Texas Tribune seeks to ensure that its newsroom and its news coverage reflect Texas by including a wide range of perspectives from people of different backgrounds, ideologies and experiences. Learn more about The Texas Tribune here.

Responsibilities

The Festival Director will oversee the planning, production, and execution of the Texas Tribune Festival, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and budget management. They will lead cross-departmental teams and collaborate with vendors to deliver a successful event.