Festival Co-Director (Operations)
/Organization:
Vancouver Short Film Festival
Deadline:
Sep. 14, 2026
Organization Description:
Since our inception in 2005, the Vancouver Short Film Festival has been committed to celebrating Canada’s vibrant community of short filmmakers, documentarians, and animation artists. Our goal is to foster that community by elevating local talent, connecting filmmakers to audiences, and building ties between emerging and established filmmakers nationwide.
Each year the volunteer-run festival regularly programs 40-50 short films and awards over $40,000 in cash and prizes to Canada’s best shorts. The 16th Vancouver Short Film Festival will be held in Spring/Early Summer 2027, in-person in Vancouver.
Organization Website:
Volunteer Opportunity Description:
VSFF is looking for a passionate and skilled individual to join the Vancouver Short Film Festival as the Festival Co-Director (Operations). In this role, the Festival Co-Director (Operations) will act as the project manager to ensure the Festival is operating on time and on budget. Additionally, they are the administrative lead who will oversee staff management and operational lead who will oversee event production.
Key duration is from summer 2026 - August 2027. The anticipated time required varies depending on the phase of festival production but can range from anywhere from 5-25 hours/week.
Benefits include an honorarium of $500 and a reference letter from the VSFF Chair on request.
Details available on festival website.
Responsibilities:
- As the operational lead, overseeing the Vancouver Short Film Festival and any related activities with other Co-Directors
- Collaborate with the other Co-Directors to develop the overall strategy and delivery plan for the film festival and any related activities, with particular focus on operations
- Overseeing production of the festival, including liaising with venue personnel, overseeing box office, lead the process of developing the festival schedule, and managing the event operation team
- Coordinating and supporting other Co-Directors in their work, such as helping with programming industry components of festival, ensuring sponsorship and partnership obligations are properly fulfilled
- Managing administrative work, such as on-boarding new team members, managing google workspace, internal documents, and other tools and apps
- Managing festival financials and reconciling the festival account, including tracking the festival budget, paying out production expenses and reporting financials to the Board, the funders, and other relevant stakeholders
- Collaborating with all Co-Directors to support festival staff members in setting departmental goals & strategies, recruiting team members, and supporting the team members to ensure they have a fulfilling experience
- Participating in relevant board committee meetings and acting as a liaison between the VSFF Board and staff
- Act as public representative of the festival as needed
Qualifications:
- Minimum 3 years of experience in event management, film festival production, film production, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in project management
Strong team leadership and collaboration skills, experience managing a team and conflict resolution is a strong asset
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills
- Ability to see through new projects from concept to execution
- Strong communication skills, written and verbal
- A self-starter with a willingness to learn and adapt
- Demonstrated passion and dedication for Vancouver, BC and Canadian independent film production and exhibition
- Desire to innovate and be a leader in the Canadian film & media landscape, staying in tune with trends and community needs
How to Apply:
To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to board@vsff.com by Sept 7th, 2026. (Late applicants will be considered on a rolling basis.) Our plan is to hold interviews between Sept 10th - 17th. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. References will be requested for those selected for interviews.
