Head of Programs

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a senior operational and people leadership role at the heart of one of Australia’s most important independent arts organisations. As Head of Programs, you will lead the full programs function and manage a team of four direct reports, running a high-volume, high-complexity operation with rigour and care, while building new capability in artist development and discovery.

This is not primarily a curatorial role. Sydney Fringe is open-access and pre-dominantly noncurated, so the person who thrives here is not the one who wants to put their stamp on the program, but the one who genuinely believes artists don’t need gatekeepers, and who has the operational intelligence and people leadership to make a 500-event festival run beautifully.

You will sit on the leadership team and report directly to the CEO. You will work alongside an external Executive Producer who manages our major headline event partnerships, a collaborative relationship rather than a direct management one. Your focus is the open-access program, the artist experience, the programs team, and the new capability we are building across the life of the organisational 26-29 strategy.

This is a role for someone who loves independent artists, leads teams with confidence and care, thrives in organised complexity, and is excited by the challenge of running something excellent while building something new.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Head of Programs is responsible for the strategic direction, operational delivery, and people leadership of all Sydney Fringe programs, year-round and across the annual festival.

Working closely with the CEO, the Head of Programs leads the development and execution of multi-year program strategies, ensures alignment with organisational vision, funding commitments, and sector needs, and oversees program quality, stakeholder relationships, departmental performance, and cross-organisational collaboration.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• 1. Strategic Program Leadership
• Lead the development and implementation of Sydney Fringe’s multi-year programming strategy
• Translate the CEO’s strategic vision into annual program frameworks, timelines, and deliverables
• Ensure programs align with Sydney Fringe’s values, DIAP, FNAP, and CALD goals, and multi-year funding agreements
• Identify new opportunities for program growth, sector impact, and innovation
• Lead evaluation frameworks that shape the ongoing evolution of programs
• 2. Festival Program Delivery
• Lead the end-to-end delivery of the Sydney Fringe open-access program from artist registration and support through to listing, scheduling, and festival delivery
• Oversee the artist registration process across hundreds of works each year, ensuring a high-quality, high-care experience for every artist
• Manage program timelines and hold the cross-departmental coordination load, ensuring Marketing, Finance, Ticketing, Production, Operations, and First Nations workstreams are aligned at every stage of the festival cycle
• Ensure artistic quality, program coherence, and meaningful outcomes for artists and audiences
• Oversee direction and improvements to artist-facing systems including registration, CRM, and ticketing collaboration
• 3. Artist & Sector Development
• Design and deliver Sydney Fringe’s emerging artist development program
• Lead discovery initiatives including research, artist insight, and data collection that willinform programming investment from 2027 onwards
• Develop high-level partnerships with industry leaders and venues to enhance artistdevelopment pathways
• Lead the design of professional learning, training, mentorships, and sector initiatives
• Oversee award partnerships and judge recruitment
• Represent Sydney Fringe at industry events, panels, and sector forums
• 4. People Leadership & Team Management
• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of four direct reports: Programs Coordinator,
• Production Manager, First Nations Programs Coordinator, and First Nations Community
• Liaison
• Define departmental structure, resourcing, and professional development needs
• Foster a collaborative, values-driven team culture aligned with the organisation’s strategicgoals
• Ensure departmental accountability for timelines, KPIs, and program excellence
• Oversee recruitment of program staff and festival-time contractors
• 5. Stakeholder, Government & Industry Partnerships
• Build and maintain strong relationships with artists, producers, venues, and presentingpartners
• Collaborate on strategic partnership development for new program initiatives, hubs, andyear-round projects
• Support advocacy priorities through data insights and sector engagement
• Collaborate with the external Executive Producer on headline event programming at majorprecincts
• 6. Governance, Reporting & Compliance
• Lead the program component of reporting for the Board, funders, and governmentstakeholders
• Work with the Operations Manager and CEO on risk, safety, and compliance frameworksfor all program activity
• Ensure all program delivery adheres to contractual, legal, and organisational policies
• Lead the design of program evaluation and impact measurement methodologies
• Own programs-specific KPIs within the 2026–2029 strategy and report against them to the
• CEO
• 7. Financial Leadership
• Lead development of multi-year and annual program budgets and financial modelling
• Oversee budget performance, forecasting, expenditure, and contractual commitments
• Approve and implement venue contract frameworks (contracts prepared by Operations
• Manager)
• Support long-term planning for future program investment and sustainability
• 8. Inclusion & First Nations Leadership
• Ensure Access and First Nations priorities are embedded into all program structures andworkflows
• Work in close collaboration with the First Nations Programs Coordinator and First Nations
• Community Liaison, providing active support and appropriate autonomy for their work
• Champion culturally safe environments for First Nations artists, staff, and stakeholdersacross all program activity
• Champion access and inclusion for artists and audiences with disability across allprograms

WHO YOU ARE

• You are a senior arts professional with real experience running complex programs in a festival,producing, or independent arts context.
• You bring operational rigour, genuine sector credibility,and people leadership confidence in equal measure.
• You are trusted by independent artists, not because you tell them you’re on their side, butbecause you demonstrably are.
• You understand what it means to be an independent artist in
• Australia, and that understanding shapes how you lead the programs function.
• You are a builder as much as a manager.
• You’re comfortable designing new initiatives fromscratch, and you don’t need a complete brief to get started.
• You hold complexity well, you don’tdrop threads, and you know that in a lean team, being excellent at the fundamentals is whatmakes everything else possible.
• You lead people with care and clarity.
• You’re secure enough to manage a team where somemembers will know more than you about specific areas of the work.
• You build trust quickly, giveclear direction, and create the conditions for your team to do their best work.
• You are collaborative and appropriately humble.
• You don’t need to be the most creative personin the room, you need to be the most effective one.KEY SKILLS & EXPERIENCEEssential:
• Minimum four years’ experience in arts programming, festival management, culturalleadership, or senior creative production
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder programs at scale
• Proven people leadership including managing, mentoring, and developing a team in a fastpaced environment
• Deep understanding of independent arts practice, artist development, and sector needs
• Strong financial literacy and experience budgeting for complex program portfolios
• Genuine commitment to open-access, non-curated arts practice
• Experience managing budgets, contracts, and formal agreements
• Cultural competency in relation to First Nations arts and communities
• Strong stakeholder management across artists, partners, venues, and government
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Highly regarded but not essential:
• Direct experience in a fringe festival context
• Australian or international
• Experience with government arts funders in NSW or nationally
• Experience designing or delivering formal artist development programs
• Familiarity with CRM and ticketing systems in a festival context
• Strong network across NSW and Australian arts and cultural sectors

WHAT WE OFFER

• A senior leadership role at NSW’s largest independent arts festival at a genuinely pivotal moment in its growth– A high-performing leadership team, an experienced board, and a CEO committed to building the conditions for this role to succeed– A capable, knowledgeable programs team to hit the ground running with– Real strategic influence. Your decisions will shape what independent arts looks like in Sydney for years to come– A culture that values excellence, autonomy, and genuine care for artists

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, please submit the following to hq@sydneyfringe.com:
• A cover letter of no more than two pages addressing your experience and your approach to the role
• A current CV including two professional referees
• Applications close: 12pm, Friday 19 June
• Interviews: w/c 29 June
• Start date: Negotiable — we are keen to move quickly given the festival cycle and will work with the right candidate on timing.

For a confidential conversation about the role before applying, please contact Patrick Kennedy, CEO, at patrick@sydneyfringe.com.

Sydney Fringe Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including First Nations peoples, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the artists and communities we serve.