Festival Assistant 

Staged in the historic seaside town of Nairn on the beautiful Moray Firth, each year the Festival presents a unique and innovative programme of events. One of the longest established arts festivals in Scotland, it is now entering its 23rd year.
As a registered charity, the Festival is committed to promoting and celebrating the culture of the Highlands and North East, providing a platform for writers, artists, musicians and performers from across Scotland and the UK, and supporting community-focused arts.

The 2026 Festival will take place from 29th August to 6th September with the programme launching in June.

Job Description 

Responsible to: 
Artistic Director and Board, Nairn Book & Arts Festival

Role and responsibilities - overview:
To provide administrative and marketing support to Nairn Book and Arts Festival, overseen by the Artistic Director. A freelance role, this is an exciting opportunity for someone seeking to pursue a career in the arts, and to learn about all aspects of running an ambitious multi-arts event.  
They must be highly literate with a proven interest or track record in working in this field.
They will be highly organised and efficient, with excellent administrative and people skills. This role demands superb written communication skills and a high level of attention to detail.  Some knowledge of marketing is essential, via social media in particular. 
The candidate must be prepared to work flexibly – particularly during the festival period, when they will be required to work at weekends and may be required to attend evening events. They should have their own transport and a clean driving license.

Nairn Book and Arts Festival is committed to promoting Equal Opportunities for all.

Person Specification

Skills, Abilities and Expertise (Essential):
•    Excellent organisational skills
•    Excellent written and verbal communications skills
•    A highly motivated self-starter with proven ability to work as part of a team and strong work ethic
•    Ability to plan and prioritise workload to varied deadlines and timescales
•    IT competency – Word, Excel, email, Google Drive, Dropbox, creating and managing website content and social media content. 
•    Some knowledge of digital video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, and knowledge of Mailchimp and Powerpoint would be advantageous 
•    Confident in photo editing using Canva, Photoshop or other  

Desirable Qualities, Skills & Experience:
•    Experience of events administration
•    Experience of working with volunteers would be helpful 
•    Willing to work flexible hours (including evening and weekend work – there are some weekend events at which the festival is represented throughout the year and this is a very busy role at festival time)
•    The successful candidate must have own transport, as working hours may not fit with public transport schedules and the role requires transportation of festival equipment.

The role requires working from home, with some face to face attendance at meetings, including a weekly meeting with the Artistic Director, some evening meetings, and at events in Nairn.

Role description:

Events administration - to assist the AD in all aspects of festival event administration, including:

Uploading event and ticket information to the festival website as required.
Assisting in the compilation and distribution of contracts to participants.
Arranging accommodation for participants as required.

Assisting the AD to respond to enquiries from creative practitioners and keeping the proposals sheet updated.
Drafting risk assessments

Acquiring relevant licenses and permits in a timely fashion and assisting in their completion.
Maintaining and updating festival contacts lists and records
And any other administrative tasks as requested by the Artistic Director or Board.

Committee meetings:
To attend and take accurate minutes at Committee meetings (currently held approximately monthly on weekday evenings). To take minutes at Board meetings (approx 6 evening meetings per year). To book meeting rooms at Nairn Community and Arts Centre as required.

Festival Friends Scheme: to support the Friends Manager, and promote the festival’s Friends Scheme

Exhibitions:
To assist with all aspects of administration associated with the main festival exhibition at Nairn Community and Arts Centre, including maintaining artist lists, arranging print and distribution of labels and exhibition information, and being point of contact for volunteers.

Fundraising and sponsorship:
Assist with administration and organization of occasional fundraising events / street market / stalls as required. 
Maintain up to date lists of sponsors and potential sponsors for the fundraising sub committee.
Researching funding bodies, criteria and deadlines.

Marketing:
Working with the Digital Content Assistant (when recruited in May) to deliver the press and marketing strategy for 2026. 
Drafting copy and sourcing images for marketing materials including e-newsletters, press releases, flyers, posters, and managing ‘live’ social media on site during festival week. 
Uploading news, events information and images to the NBAF website, with assistance from the Digital Content Assistant. 
Uploading events information to TicketSource, our ticketing provider. 
Delivering Festival evaluation with assistance from Digital Content Assistant. 
Working with the Artistic Director to draft online and paper surveys; organising printing of paper surveys. Entering and analysing data post event.

Administration:
Assisting with administration of charity including filing/assisting with filing returns and taking minutes at Board/Committee meetings as required

Freelance, 12 month contract from December 2025
Working Hours: 16 hrs p/w , increasing to 20 p/w from May to September (Please note that some flexible working is required)
Remuneration: £10500  payable in monthly instalments in arrears. Equates to a 4 weekly rate of £875. Increasing to 4 weekly rate of £1077 between 22 May and 9 September 2026.

If you are interested in this position, please email a CV and covering letter outlining why you are interested in the post and what you would bring to it, to nairnfestivalassistant@gmail.com by 6pm on 20 October 2025 with the subject heading ‘Festival Assistant’. Interviews will take place in w/c 3 November.

References required: on application please provide contact details for two referees who have known you in a professional capacity.