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APPLICATIONS FOR THIS ROLE HAVE NOW CLOSED

We're Hiring! Festival Administrator (Part-Time)
15 hours a week | £15 per hour | Plus pension + 25 days holiday pro rata + bank holidays
Start Date: Mid-October 2025 (includes handover period)

Do you love books, live events, and working in a dynamic, creative environment? Are you a highly organised, detail-driven person who thrives on making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Stratford Literary Festival, founded in 2008, is one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative literary festivals. With a passion for storytelling and a strong belief in the lifelong benefits of literacy, we deliver two major festivals each year (Spring and Autumn), alongside an inspiring programme of year-round charity outreach work in the community.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and meticulous Festival Administrator to support both our ticketed events and our charitable activities. This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a friendly and committed team, making a real difference through the power of books.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Supporting the Festival Director with a variety of key admin tasks including bookkeeping and processing invoices
• Communicating with authors and publishers to coordinate festival appearances
• Managing detailed spreadsheets and updating online event information
• Uploading events to the box office system and our website
• Liaising with venues, sponsors and keeping track of logistics
• Collaborating with our freelance team during festival periods
• Problem-solving and responding to last-minute changes (as often happens with live events!)
• Coordinating with schools and community partners for our outreach programmes
• Helping to manage fundraising campaigns and maintaining our Festival Friends relationships

What We’re Looking For:

• A self-starter with exceptional attention to detail and strong organisational skills
• Someone who’s efficient, dependable, and loves ticking things off a list
• Comfortable juggling different tasks and working to deadlines
• Experience with Google Sheets/Docs and Excel is essential
• Bonus points if you’ve used Xero, website CMS platforms or design tools like Photoshop or Canva
• You must be based in or near Stratford-upon-Avon. Please do not apply is you are not.

This is a part-time role (15 hours per week), with hours agreed in advance with the Festival Director. Additional (paid) hours will be required during each festival period, including some weekend work. The role is primarily home-based, with regular face-to-face meetings and onsite presence during live events.

How to Apply:

Please send your CV and a short covering note HERE by Monday 11th August. Interviews will take place in Stratford-upon-Avon or via Zoom on Monday 19th August.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer.

Come and help us bring books and ideas to life — with precision, passion, and a love for the details that make all the difference!

Volunteer Stewards and Programme Distribution

We have a fantastic team of volunteer stewards in place and are currently up to capacity but if you'd like to be put on our back-up list please contact us here.

We'd also love to hear from anyone happy to distribute programmes for us before the Festival.