The Guelph Jazz Festival is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented Production Assistant to support the Festival and Marketing Manager under the guidance of the General and Artistic Directors, and to work collaboratively with the broader festival team across both administrative and production functions.
This role plays a key part in the coordination and execution of festival production and artist logistics, including technical requirements, production scheduling, artist contracts, travel arrangements, accommodations, and hospitality coordination. The Production Assistant will help ensure seamless delivery of all artist-facing and production-related operations across festival programming.
In addition, the role supports marketing, communications, and audience outreach initiatives, contributing to the implementation of promotional activities and festival visibility strategies. The Production Assistant will also provide operational and logistical support for the Guelph Jazz Festival’s Jazz Around Town program, assisting with coordination of associated performances and community-based events.
Overall, this position is central to the day-to-day functioning of the festival, bridging production, artist services, and marketing support to ensure smooth and professional delivery of all programming.
Skills and Experience
- Adaptability: Ability to stay organized and engaged in a fast-paced festival environment where priorities, schedules, and production needs may shift. An openness to learning how to adjust workflows and respond to evolving artist, venue, and production requirements is essential.
- Collaboration: Interest in working closely with the Festival and Marketing Manager, General and Artistic Directors, and a small core team to support the coordination and delivery of festival programming, including artist services, production logistics, and administrative functions.
- Production, Event Coordination & Logistics: Interest in or exposure to live event coordination and production workflows. This role offers hands-on experience supporting artist scheduling, technical requirements, travel coordination, accommodations, hospitality logistics, and on-site production support for performances and festival events.
- Communication: Opportunity to develop professional communication skills through liaising with artists, agents, venues, and internal team members. This includes supporting the preparation of production documents, correspondence, itineraries, and operational information.
- Administrative & Organizational Skills: Interest in building experience managing production-related information such as schedules, contact lists, contracts, and logistical documentation using tools like Google Sheets, shared drives, and project coordination systems.
- Digital & Production Tools: Familiarity with—or willingness to learn—digital tools used in production and festival coordination, including spreadsheets, email platforms, scheduling systems, and basic communications tools.
- Problem-Solving: Interest in developing practical problem-solving skills within a live production context, including responding to logistical challenges and supporting real-time adjustments during festival planning and execution.
- Attention to Detail: Willingness to develop accuracy in handling artist logistics, schedules, technical requirements, and production documentation to support smooth festival operations.
- Interest in arts, music, and live performance: A demonstrated interest in contemporary music, live performance, arts festivals, or cultural programming is strongly valued. Curiosity about live music environments and production-based work is considered an asset.
Work Conditions
The Production Assistant will work in a hybrid arrangement, combining remote work with in-person work at the Guelph Jazz Festival shared office space at Silence (46 Essex St) in Guelph, using a personal computer. In-person work is required three (3) days per week.
Additional Information:
The Guelph Jazz Festival is an equal opportunity employer, and encourages applications from women; those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour; people with disabilities; and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Staff will be expected to adhere to the Festival’s Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination policy.
We are committed to accessible hiring practices and will provide interview questions in advance upon request, along with other accommodations as needed to support equitable participation in the hiring process.
Eligibility:
This position is funded through the Canada Summer Jobs program. To apply, you must:
- Be 30 years of age or younger at the start of employment
- Be legally entitled to work in Canada
- Not be an international student
Do you meet these criteria—fully or in part? We encourage you to apply.
How to Apply:
Please email cover letter and resume (in a single Word or PDF) addressed to Chelsea Masse ([email protected]) with Production Assistant in the subject line. We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Applications must be received by 22 May 2026 at 5PM.
Job Type: Fixed term contract
Contract length: 8 weeks
Contract start: June 29, 2026
Contract end: August 24, 2026
Pay: $17.20 per hour
Expected hours: 35 per week