Festival Assistant

Summer 2026 – Pending Canada Summer Jobs Funding

PoMoArts is seeking a creative, detail-oriented, and enthusiastic individual to support Art Out Side, Port Moody’s city-wide multidisciplinary arts festival taking place August 7–16, 2026.

Working closely with the Festival Manager, the Festival Assistant will gain hands-on experience in the planning, coordination, and delivery of a large-scale public arts festival that activates parks, public spaces, businesses, and unexpected sites across the city.

This role is idealfor a motivated emerging arts professional interested in festival production,community engagement, artist support, and arts administration.

The position iscontingent upon funding approval through the Canada Summer Jobs program.

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About the PoMoArts

PoMoArts, the Port Moody Arts Centre Society, is a not-for-profit community-arts organization that creates art experiences to engage, challenge, and awaken opportunities for connection. We provide art education, exhibitions, and community art experiences in the City of the Arts with various partners and artists each year.

We are supported by a thriving community of artists, volunteers, donors, businesses, associations, and decision-makers. We are an arts centre run primarily by artists, committed to developing, promoting, and celebrating meaningful arts experiences in Port Moody. We offer a full range of visual, ceramic, fibre, media, performing arts and music programs for people of all ages and experience levels. We curate exhibitions of local and regional artists, emerging and established. We create meaningful community art experiences with our partners that explore social issues, lift voices of those less heard, and support community dialogue.

Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Festival Manager, the specific responsibilities include:

Festival Planning & Administration

• Assist with coordination of artist contracts, schedules, and logistics;
• Conduct research related to sponsorship, artist fees, suppliers, and technical needs;
• Support documentation, scheduling, and record-keeping;
• Assist in preparing accessibility checklists and participation metrics;

Marketing & Communications Support

• Assist with preparation and distribution of marketing materials;
• Support the creation of basic graphics and promotional content;
• Help track engagement and audience data;

Artist & Community Engagement

• Support communication with artists, sponsors, and partners;
• Support volunteer coordination by assisting with communications, scheduling, orientation materials, and on-site supervision during festival events;
• Assist with planning and facilitating community engagement activities;
• Support evaluation processes for artists, partners, and audience experience;

Festival Installation & Event Support

• Assist with installation and de-installation of artist projects across multiple sites;
• Provide on-site support during festival events;
• Support opening and closing celebrations;
• Assist with equipment handling and site preparation;

This position includes a mix of administrative, creative, and physical tasks.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is:

• Pursuing or has completed post-secondary education in fine arts, arts administration, museum studies, cultural studies, communications, or a related field;
• Highly organized and detail-oriented;
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team;
• A strong communicator (written and verbal);
• Interested in public engagement and community-based arts;
• Comfortable with basic administrative systems and scheduling;
• Physically able to assist with art installation and site preparation;
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook);
• Available to work occasional evenings and weekends;

A successful criminal background check is required prior to employment.

Assets:

• Familiarity with event and/or festival planning, implementation and evaluation;
• Knowledge of an additional language ;

Other Eligibility Requirements for the Canada Summer Jobs Program

• Must be between 19 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment;
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, for the duration of the employment;
• Have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations;

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Remuneration: $19/hour

This is a full-time (35 hours/week) 16-week youth employment opportunity scheduled to take place from May 11 – August 28, 2025. The position and its duration are conditional upon Canada Summer Jobs funding.

How to Apply

Please submit your application, jobs@pomoarts.ca according to the following guidelines:

• PDF format only with your COVER LETTER and RESUME
• Your cover letter should clearly indicate why you are interested in this position, what you hope to learn, and what impact it will have on your professional development
• Must use “Festival Assistant Application” as the subject of your email

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Application Deadline: March 8^th, 2025