Job Vacancy: International Program Director for Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Deadline: 19 October 2012 (7pm)

The UWRF is as one of the region’s most significant literary events. The International Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) is held annually in October in Bali, Indonesia. The UWRF takes place in over 50 venues around Ubud and Indonesia, featuring a mixture of ticketed and free events, all underpinning the festivals objectives.

The UWRF is the major project of the Ubud-based Mudra Swari Saraswati Foundation. It was conceived of by Janet de Neefe to counter-act the negative impact on tourism and the national spirit of the first Bali bombing. The inaugural Festival took place in 2004.The Festival has developed into an internationally recognised forum that fosters a global conversation and provides a platform for writers from Indonesia and around the world to share ideas and perspectives on current issues. The UWRF program inhabits over 50 venues around Ubud, featuring a mixture of free and ticketed events, underpinning the Festival’s aims. The Festival brings together writers, readers and thinkers to:

• Exchange information and ideas between the diverse cultures of Asia, the South Pacific and the West, thereby increasing cross cultural understanding between East and West
• Foster greater public awareness and understanding of writing, cultures and issues in this region
• Create opportunities for emerging and established writers from this region to present their work in an international context in cross cultural exchanges
• Enable writers from across Europe and the western world to encounter a new readership and network with writers outside their usual milieu
• Provide an environment for writers to encounter international publishers and awaken interest in translation and publication of their work in international markets

Applications close 7pm on Friday 19 October, 2012.

The 2013 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival takes place in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia from October 2 – 6.

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is South East Asia’s leading writer’s festivals, with a program which comprises over 250 events and workshops during 2012, both during the Festival and occasionally through the year. The International Program Director is a key senior post, reporting directly to the Founder and works closely and as a peer with the Executive Producer, and has responsibility for building an exciting, engaging program reflecting the organisation’s strategic directions.

The International Program Director reports directly to the Founder and holds responsibility for the planning and production of the Festival’s annual program, including its intersessional events. He or she will develop and produce the annual program; fostering relationships with artists, publishing houses and industry; and responding to media inquiries. The International Program Director contributes to the Executive Producer’s leadership in the operational, financial management and strategic planning of the organisation.

The International Program Director will report to the Founder and be responsible for the following key areas:

PROGRAMMING:

• Preparation of the Festival program, for the approval of the Founder, such that it fulfills the objectives of the organisation, and guidelines and directions of the Founder;
• Reporting regularly to the Founder on the development of the Festival program and progress on achieving it;
• Collaborating with the Executive Producer to develop and manage income sources and expenditure limits for the Artistic Program budget;
• Entering into contracts with writers, performers and publishers on behalf of the organiastion pursuant to a program approved by the Founder or decisions taken, or delegations approved by the Founder, and in consultation with the Executive Producer;
• Arranging presenters for each of the Festival events; and
• Allocating venues for events in consultation with the Executive Producer and the Operations Manager.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING:

• Build strong relations with stakeholders relevant to the Festival, including writers; publishing houses; newspaper editorial executives; community groups; sponsors, partners and major donors; and
• Working collaboratively with the Executive Producer and the team.

MARKETING AND CAMPAIGNS:

• Assist in the lead the development of each Festival's theme and marketing campaign, including advising the head of marketing, working with the Executive Producer and head of marketing on advising the campaign designers and copywriting key marketing collateral;
• Act as the key point of contact between the UWRF and selected writers / artists and publishing houses for all matters related to performance at their appointed event(s);
• Promote the Festival to the community via digital and traditional channels and act as a primary link between the Festival and the community; and
• Act as a spokesperson for the Festival program, promoting it to the media and responding to public or media enquiries.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

• Maintain goals and vision for a small culturally diverse team to realise a large festival event.

COMMUNITY:

• Stay up to date on current trends and activities within the literary and publishing community in Australia, Asia, Indonesia and internationally; and
• Maintain a strong sense of the literary appetite of the diverse UWRF community. Supporting Fundraising
• Support fundraising activities of the organisation, making him or herself available, where required, for meetings and events attended by large corporate sponsors and major donors.

EXPERIENCE:

The best candidates will bring experience from one of more of the following areas:

• curatorial / production
• publishing
• broadcasting or journalism
• writing

Ideally the International Program Director will have knowledge of and networks within writers’ communities and publishing houses, locally and internationally, with the ability to attract publicly acclaimed and regarded writers.

Essential to the role is a sense of the contemporary political, literary and social issues being debated in society and combined with the ability to leverage this knowledge when developing the program and selecting writers in order to capture the mood of the Festival’s audience and the breadth of the UWRF diverse community.

The successful candidate will have strong marketing and promotional skills and have knowledge of cost effective online and print marketing channels. The successful candidate will have strong relationship building skills and organisational and project management skills in producing events or programs. Experience operating successfully within a financially constrained, not-for-profit environment, in which all expenditure is measured and results in positive outcomes for the organisation would be of value.

COMPETENCIES:

Qualified candidates for this important position will therefore need to demonstrate the following critical competencies.

• Market Knowledge demonstrated by a sound fact-based understanding of the needs and critical issues facing the writers and the publishing industry. The successful candidate will know—or be able to develop a knowledge of—local, regional and global players, as well as industry trends.
• Collaborating & Influencing evidenced by an ability to motivate others to work with him or her. He or she will be someone who uses the informal structure, dynamics and culture of an organisation to get things done. These strong communication skills will also be required to influence, inspire and work with external stakeholders, particularly the media, the community, publishing houses and authors. The successful candidate will have an ability to influence and articulate the Festival’s vision.
• Results Orientation & Project Management seen through an ability to translate ideas and strategic business direction into a process for driving operational organisational plans. He or she will have an awareness of the drivers of a not-for-profit organisation and how to focus an organisation for results.
• Strategic Orientation that this will allow him or her to anticipate future trends and consequences and help map out a clear vision for the organisation and industry, particularly in the short to medium term. He or she will know how to use external sources to validate the direction and use internal capabilities to ensure that the actions are achievable within the time-frames required.
• Project Management shown by the ability to lead and nurture a small, specialised bicultural project team. The successful candidate will allow input and opinions to help form specific decisions and plans, while respecting the concerns and limitations of individual team members in assigning tasks by leading towards goals and working collaboratively.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

The International Program Director must display a number of personal attributes, including:

• a passion for books and writing, in all its forms;
• the maturity and confidence to feel comfortable when presenting in public and to high profile executives;
• the ability to attract world class authors;
• adept at commanding a stage and creating high quality events;
• the ability to lead and garner the respect of a team and enthuse a large group of volunteer workers;
• a clear, inclusive artistic vision and sense of creativity with the ability to maintain high visibility throughout the year in the writing community;
• a willingness to collaborate effectively with co-management and the ability to form close working relationships with colleagues and be stimulated by working within a lean and nimble environment;
• a preparedness to embrace the challenges and opportunities presented in the digital era;
• exceptional time and project management skills combined with the ability to take the initiative; and a willingness to accept accountability for relevant management decisions.
• a willingness and openness to work in a non English speaking environment with a team of culturally diverse members

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA:

• Demonstrated knowledge of literature and publishing markets in Australia and overseas, including knowledge of on-line and electronic publishing and other literary mediums.
• Demonstrated ability to program or curate an engaging, challenging and diverse literary program.
• Outstanding writing skills including grammar and spelling - demonstrated experience in high-level report writing, grant applications and complex negotiations.
• Demonstrated ability for critical analysis and creative problem solving, and the ability to take the initiative especially in stressful situations.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, excellent communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills.
• A collaborative and flexible approach to problem solving and information sharing, with a proven track record of developing excellent, productive relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• A successful track record of establishing and managing accurate and informative budgets for complex projects.
• Well-developed public relations skills.
• Proven computer applications skills in usual suite of programs.

DESIRABLE:

• Indonesian language skills and knowledge of contemporary Indonesian culture and trends.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: Jane Fuller, Executive Producer, at admin@ubudwritersfestival.com

Website: http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/