Festival Director - Guildford Book Festival - Freelance, Part Time
Guildford Book Festival Closing date: Sat, 21 Nov 2026
- Part time
- £20k-£25k
Wed, 11 Nov 2026 "> published -
Job Summary
Job Description
SERVICES REQUIRED:
Programming and Event Management
Communication and Marketing
Development and Fundraising
Outreach Programme
The contract is part time, between 2 - 3 days per week depending on the time of year. The 2026 Festival ran between 19 September and 18 October with 26 events Events are one hour plus set up and close down. 2 events ran from 10.30 to 4.30 plus set up and close down. Most events run in the evening, or at weekends, in local venues. We also have 2 day events in the Spring and the Outreach Programme in local schools, to take an author or illustrator into a school for an hour, plus preparation and close down.
The Festival Director meets with the Board of Trustees monthly for a 2 hour meeting in Guildford. Also contributes to sub groups of Trustees on specialist areas of focus.
for full details in our Information Pack
please email - [email protected]
Job Requirements
Passionate about books and literacy
Established contacts in publishing
Successful track record of event management
Knowledge of, and connection to, Guildford
Effective relationship builder and manager of contacts, including volunteers and teams
Sound financial/cost management skills
Excellent communicator, written and spoken
IT, website and social media skills
Skilled at working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders
Able to increase and strengthen our community and cultural partnerships
Job Responsibilities
Organising and managing high quality events which deliver mutual benefits to our supporters
Increase our audience reach with a distinctive programme, supported by strong financial and marketing plans
Increase sponsorship and grant funding to support the Charity's financial sustainability
Design and support the delivery of a fully funded outreach programme
Job Overview
- Job Title: Festival Director - Guildford Book Festival - Freelance, Part Time
- Salary: £20k-£25k
- Hours: Part time
- Artform: Literature
- Role: Fundraising
- Contract: Contract
- Closing date: Sat, 21 Nov 2026
- Location: Remote
How to Apply
By Email (no more than 500 words). Tell us about the experience and skills you bring, using examples demonstrating your capability and attributes to deliver these services. Please attach your cv (no more than 2 pages)
Closing date for applications midnight on 21 November
- Contact name: Jane Purnell, Trustee
- Contact email: [email protected]
About Guildford Book Festival
We are a well established charity looking for a freelance Festival Director to lead our 3 year strategy for growth. This year we offered 26 events, attended by almost 2,500 people.
We are ambitious to grow our reach and impact with the community and to sustain our outreach programme in local schools
We are a Board of volunteer Trustees and rely on volunteers to deliver our events