Director / Ceo

Title: Director / CEO

Reporting to:  Voluntary Board of Directors

Location:  This is a remote working position, and the Director can be located anywhere in Ireland. Flexibility to travel around Ireland is a key requirement of the position.

Status: Full-time

Salary: Commensurate with experience region 48,000 euro per annum

Closing date: 5pm, Friday 22 August 2025

Please submit as one Word doc or PDF a copy of your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role no later than 5pm on Friday 22 August to festivalinavanapps@gmail.com

Please note that it is intended to hold first interviews for the position the week of 1 September.

ABOUT FESTIVAL IN A VAN

Established in 2020 as a mobile live arts event, Festival in a Van brings free, live performance to your door. A trad session at your window, a classical concert on the green, or actors proclaiming in the garden, the van tours nationwide, bringing the magic of live performance to communities across Ireland.

Able to drive anywhere and everywhere, Festival in Van focuses on meaningful engagement with communities who are important to reach, who might face barriers to attending traditional venues.

Across all programmes, there is a strong emphasis on community building and integration, wellbeing and belonging, supporting and platforming local artists, and utilising the arts as a tool for social transformation.

The van has been transformed into a mini-mobile venue, equipped with a stage, a set, lights, sound equipment, and a two-man technical crew. We create performances in places like parks, housing estates, refugee communities, care homes, rural town squares, and more; making fun arts experiences part of life for everyone.

Supported by Creative Ireland and the Arts Council, and led by a team of arts professionals, Festival in a Van is bringing live performance to a neighbourhood near you.

In 2025 we:

• Delivered the third iteration of Songlines, funded by the Arts Council, Wicklow Arts Office, and Monaghan Arts Office, which set out to cultivate an experience of connection, affirmation, and empowerment for residents living with dementia and cognitive impairment.
• Created a collaborative, joyful concert experience with adults living with enduring mental health challenges in Galway and Dublin through the second iteration of The Jukebox Project funded by the Arts Council
• In partnership with Creative Fingal and Fingal Community Development Office, toured Sounds Like Summer: Fingal Festival in a Van, to 12 locations across Fingal, which ranged from housing estates to refugee accommodation to youth groups, with a focus on belonging and creative placemaking.
• In partnership with Sligo Baroque Music Festival, are co-delivering the Sligo Youth Opera, which supports young people in Sligo to devise, write, rehearse, and perform their own 20-minute opera, funded by the Arts Council.
• In partnership with Narrative4, NIYF, and RCity, are co-delivering Living Legends, which connects teenagers from Belfast and Limerick through the power of storytelling, funded by Creative Ireland.
• With the artist Geoff Finan, are delivering What Makes a Man, a series of spoken word workshops for young men in Oberstown Youth Detention Centre. Funded by the Arts Council with support from DCC Libraries.
• In 2024, we employed 105 local artists across the country, and reached more than 4,000 people, with a significant focus on engaging with audiences who often experience barriers to accessing the arts.

The work of Festival in a Van has a strong social mission, addressing isolation and inclusion and responding to the social needs of end users.

THE ROLE – DIRECTOR
The individual we seek is multi-skilled, flexible, adaptable and adept at rising to the occasion.

As the sole employee of the company, working with a core team of freelance professionals, the role brings with it responsibility for finance and budgeting, producing and scheduling, ideas generation and collaboration with a wide range of partners and end users.

The responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

Arts Programming

• Planning and implementing Festival in a Van’s touring programme
• Maintaining a focus on community engagement and collaboration
• Booking and liaising with artists
• Liaising with venues and locations

Financial

• Budgeting and financial control
• Bookkeeping (Proficiency with Quickbooks is an advantage)
• Processing payments

Funding and Stakeholders

• Identifying funding opportunities and making application to public and private funding bodies
• Developing and maintaining relationships with funders and stakeholders including: Creative Ireland, Arts Council, Local Authority Network
• Developing and maintaining relationships with partner networks for example festivals, social care networks
• Reporting

Programme development

• Initiating new ideas for tours and partner networks
• Responding to new social and community needs with Festival in a Van
• Developing strands for Private Hires

Team

• Working with the Crew and Freelance Producer
• As necessary working with PR, Web developer, Social Media team

General

• Web and social media management, promotion of events where necessary
• Maintaining schedule of Board meetings, and reporting to Board
• Working with Accountants to ensure all Company legal and other requirements are met, including insurance, company returns etc
• Working with freelance crew to maintain the Van

And other responsibilities as may be required from time to time or are necessary to deliver the mission.

THE PERSON

This role is suitable for someone who has experience in socially engaged arts / not-for-profit environments. In a previous role you may have engaged with excluded communities/ have a background in the charity or not-for-profit sector/ have come from local government/commercial sector but want to be part of meaningful changes on the ground

The person appointed will have:

• Programming events experience and a broad knowledge of the landscape of music, theatre, arts and performance. Experience of working within a socially engaged context is a significant advantage.
• A minimum of two years’ experience of financial management in an organisation or project
• Demonstrated capability to identify and source funding and deliver projects to a high standard on budget
• Demonstrated administrative ability and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated production and technical knowledge in event management sufficient to deliver on the FIAV tours
• Ability to imaginatively maximise private sources of income including hires
• Strong critical thinking skills, ability to find creative solutions and to be adaptable while working collaboratively with diverse artists, partners, and audiences across multiple sectors.

Personal qualities

• It is essential that the person appointed can demonstrate initiative and be a self-starter. The Director will work closely with a small team of freelancers and will direct and manage the work of the organisation.
• The ability to interact with, build, and maintain relationships with a wide range of individuals and organisations
• Flexibility and adaptability combined with the ability to maintain focus on the mission of FIAV
• A commitment to equality and an awareness of how the arts contributes to inclusion.
• A flair for making the most of opportunities.

Festival in a Van is an equal opportunity employer. People of colour, disabled, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and others who may contribute to a rich diversity of perspectives and ideas are especially welcome and encouraged to apply.

If you do not have all the prerequisites, but feel you have a significant amount of experience relevant to the role, we would still love to see your application.

Please forward your cover letter and CV no later than 5pm on Friday 22 August to festivalinavanapps@gmail.com

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