Job Description

HOW TO APPLY

If you would like to apply for the post, please send us your CV along with a cover letter (no more than 1 side of A4) outlining why you are interested in the role and why you think you would be a suitable candidate, referring to the job description and person specification. Please also complete the online equal opportunities monitoring form.

Please email your CV and cover letter to recruitment@edfilmfest.org

no later than 6pm on Thursday 20 November 2025.

Please note that in line with our environmental policy, we are only handling applications electronically.

We expect that interviews will take place

w/c 27 November 2025.

Please complete the EDI Monitoring Form through this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelVfp5vPyF98i34B8gjgJE0eWSv1FFPcvU4jG5XUJSsuHuSw/viewform

ABOUT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is the world's oldest continually running film festival and, in 2024, relaunched as a brand new entity with a new board of industry leaders. Honouring 70+ years of festival history, EIFF showcases the very best filmmaking talent in a re-energised format that is rooted in a local Scottish context whilst embracing the international diversity of creative expression.

EIFF is poised to accelerate the discovery of new talent through its two centrepiece competitions;

The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence

, which carries a cash prize of 50K, and

The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence

, which carries a cash prize of 15K, both decided by audience vote.

EIFF's August fixture runs in parallel to a host of creative festivals taking place in Edinburgh, including

The Fringe, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Art Festival, Edinburgh International TV Festival

, and many more, which sell millions of tickets to cultural connoisseurs from around the world.

The EIFF Board includes Chair

Andrew Macdonald

of DNA Films (TRAINSPOTTING, THE BEACH, 28 DAYS LATER, SUNSHINE ON LEITH, CIVIL WAR), Vice Chair

Amy Jackson

of Unified (THE NEST, AFTERSUN, THE END WE START FROM),

Peter Rice

(former Chairman of General Entertainment at Disney and President of 21st Century Fox),

Teresa Moneo

(former Director of UK Film at Netflix),

Isla McGillivray

(Head of the Film, TV & Video Games Team at Saffreys) and

Romana Ramzan

(Senior Producer at Screen Burn Interactive).

Helmed by CEO & Festival Director

Paul Ridd

and Festival Producer

Emma Boa

, the team works to create a world-class showcase for independent film and filmmaking talent. A global player celebrating the very best that cinema has to offer in a modern, energised context, the core strategy of the revitalised Festival is to embed within the wider cultural offering taking place in Edinburgh in August, embracing the sense of discovery, experimentation and cross-arts collaboration.

VISION

Film will be embraced as a powerful connector locally, nationally and internationally.

MISSION

To connect film, artists and industry with audiences.

VALUES

Integrity

We are honest, transparent and committed to strong ethical practices.

Innovation

We are forward-thinking, experimental and committed to making bold creative choices.

Collaboration

We are inclusive, multidisciplinary and committed to partnership working to amplify aims and benefits.

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Job Title:

Programme Manager

Reports to:

Festival Producer

Line Management:

Submissions Coordinator, Submissions Viewers, Shorts Programmers, Access Consultant, Programme Coordinators, and Venue Coordinators

Purpose of the Role

The Programme Manager will play a crucial role in the planning, coordination and execution of the EIFF public and industry programme. Reporting to the Festival Producer and working also with the Festival Director (the core executive team), the role is responsible for supporting the curation of a diverse and compelling programme; researching, inviting and securing films; managing relationships with filmmakers, distributors and industry guests where required; securing permissions; planning and scheduling screenings and events; and ensuring that all other parties have the information, instructions, materials, and additional support they need to implement all screenings and events successfully.

The role will be responsible for handling all administration related to programming and production of EIFF public and industry screenings and events, working with the team and wider operation to ensure a centralised system for operational truth; managing the submissions process to completion; managing invitations and screening consent agreements; overseeing the production management of live events; managing and distributing detailed technical and production schedules of screenings and live events; liaising with filmmakers, distributors, event participants, venues and technical teams; coordinating venue operations; maintaining close working relationships with wider Festival teams, in particular Marketing and Guest Services.

The Programme Manager heads up the Programme Planning Team, including Submissions Coordinator and Assistants, Submissions Viewers, Shorts Programmers, Access Consultant, Programme Coordinators and Venue Coordinators. Reporting to the Festival Producer, the role ensures all Festival screenings and industry and public facing events run smoothly and successfully.

Responsibilities

? Collaborate with the Festival Director and Festival Producer to develop and deliver the EIFF programme;

? Support the Festival Producer over the development of the EIFF project plan/timeline, ensuring appropriate programme delivery deadlines and milestones are mapped out and managed;

? Work with the Festival's management platform (Filmchief) to refine and develop processes to support the workflow of the team and wider operation, identifying and implementing efficiencies where possible;

? Support the Festival Producer and Development Manager on developing proposals for funders, partners and sponsors, as required.

? Research and identify rights and print sources for films of interest to the programming team, tracking and managing all associated data in the Festival's management platform (Filmchief);

? Manage the Submissions team, including line managing the Submissions Coordinator and Submissions Viewers, providing regular reports on viewed/recommended titles, and ensuring adherence to rules & regulations and internal deadlines;

? Manage the Shorts Programmers, ensuring they are issued with submissions for consideration and any films they are tracking are logged in the Festival's management platform (Filmchief);

? Manage the Access Consultant to develop plans for expanding access across the programme;

? Under direction from the Festival Producer and Festival Director, negotiate terms and book films for the EIFF programme;

? Ensure that all necessary screening consent/permissions/participation guidelines paperwork is drawn up and approved in advance of issuing;

? Manage the Programme Coordinator(s) to ensure that all key planning and production information required to deliver the public and industry programme is coordinated, collated and disseminated, and that events are managed smoothly on the ground;

? Liaise with City of Edinburgh Council over licensing requirements for screening films without BBFC certification;

? Liaise with the EIFF Technical Manager to coordinate KDM/CPL requests/logging, DCP mastering and QC requirements;

? Work with the EIFF Technical Manager, rights holders, venues and external suppliers to facilitate creation/quality presentation of access materials for films where possible (SDH, AD, BSL interpretation);

? Work with the EIFF Technical Manager to coordinate print traffic and ensure that all systems are in place to facilitate the smooth running of that function;

? Work with the EIFF Technical Manager and technical teams at partner venues to ensure high technical standards are maintained across screenings and event production, implementing quality control measures where possible;

? Work with the EIFF Technical Manager to ensure that all relevant venue technical specifications are fully in hand in advance of scheduling the Festival;

? Support the Festival Producer and Festival Director on scheduling the Festival;

? Oversee scheduling of Q&A hosts as required, distributing screeners and managing changes as required;

? Manage the team of EIFF Venue Coordinators deployed at partner venues;

? Work with venue management to ensure that partner venues have full scheduling details for screenings and events taking place in their building and are kept updated on any changes to schedules, stage management information/instructions and/or any technical issues/requirements.

? Work with venue management to coordinate staff to stage-manage intros, Q&As, and other live events, either via inhouse provision or via EIFF Venue Coordinators;

? Work with venue management, Production and Marketing to coordinate delivery of red carpet events as required;

? Support the Production Manager with scheduling and managing security at venues, as required;

? Support the Production Manager with risk assessments as required;

? Work with EIFF teams to ensure that EIFF's festival management platform (Filmchief) is kept updated at all times and that all required information is duly maintained/updated by relevant team members so all Festival staff can rely upon it;

? Manage production of detailed callsheets and schedules for all events and distribute these to relevant staff, venues and stakeholders;

? Work with the EIFF Guest Services team to ensure the smooth flow of information between the two teams, including collating information on attending and onstage talent;

? Work with the EIFF Marketing team to ensure all publications information is collated, managed and exported/imported to website/POS systems as required;

? Work with the Festival Producer, the Programme Planning team, Production team and venue management to develop solutions to any unexpected or urgent problems that may arise and manage the flow of information in such cases;

? Work with the Festival Producer to manage the programme delivery budget, ensuring cost-effective and efficient use of resources;

? Call on other EIFF staff or teams as needed to resolve any issues and to ensure the smooth running of all screenings and events;

? Report to the Festival Producer about any issues or problems that arise with screenings or events;

? Work with the Festival Producer to identify staffing requirements for the team and with HR Dept to recruit for these roles;

? Manage the team to establish and maintain a fluid and healthy line of communication between all EIFF departments and external stakeholders such as distributors, sales agents and venues;

? Support schedule management for Festival Producer and Festival Director as required and minute meetings as required;

? Produce reports for the Festival Producer and Festival Director as required;

? Support at EIFF programme meetings and manage EIFF chase list meetings;

? Manage the daily EIFF morning meeting crosschecking all activity taking place during Festival delivery period;

? Supervise and support the team;

? Chair and minute meetings, as required;

? Support senior management, as required;

General

? Communicate effectively with colleagues and departments across the Festival to share information, achieve deadlines and promote a positive working environment;

? Attend meetings and provide progress and financial reports as required;

? Participate in the selection, induction and appraisal of direct reports;

? Work with relevant staff to set up workstations for direct reports;

? On completion of the contract, complete staff and line management report forms as required;

? On completion of the contract, produce full departmental wrap report together with all required supporting documentation;

? On completion of the contract, ensure detailed procedure notes are produced for each area of responsibility;

? Always act in accordance with EIFF policies and procedures;

? Carry out other duties as reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

The ideal candidate will have a strong awareness of the UK and international film industry including UK distributors, international sales agents and public funding bodies as well as a keen interest in global cinema. They will have contacts within relevant organisations and the temperament to deal with the busy day to day running of the Festival. They must be completely dedicated towards helping raise EIFF's overall reputation and profile by ensuring the Festival programme is managed and delivered to the highest possible standards. They will have experience of managing various teams in a busy and stressful environment and will be happy to take the lead in managing the smooth running of the EIFF Programme Planning team.

Essential

? Experience of frontline work in a busy venue or festival

? Successfully working to a fixed schedule

? Working in a film or event related environment

? Operational and technical knowledge of how film festivals work

? Knowledge of the film industry and film in general

? Proven degree of fluency with all technical aspects of film screenings and formats

? Experience of working with key stakeholders, partners, sponsors and funders

? Rigorous time-keeping

? Customer service

? Managing people

? Managing a project or activity

? Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail

? Excellent communication and customer care skills

? Team working and ability to motivate others

? Excellent written and spoken English

? Attention to detail

? Ability to be flexible and respond to changing priorities

? Calmness under pressure and constant courteousness

? Proactive problem solving

? Integrity

Desirable

? Other languages

? Health & Safety awareness

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Working days 5 days a week by agreement within standard office hours of 9.30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday. At peak times, and particularly immediately before and during EIFF, it will be necessary to work outside standard hours and at weekends. Payment of overtime is not applicable to this post.

Contract type:

Fixed term contract (December 2025 - October 2026)

Salary:

31,000 - 35,000

Holiday entitlement:

25 days per annum plus public holidays, pro rata plus 10 public holiday of which 5 are fixed and 5 are floating days

Working arrangements:

Based at EIFF offices in Summerhall TechCube. Hybrid working arrangements can potentially be discussed and agreed.

Pension Scheme:

EIFF will comply with the employer pension duties in accordance with Part 1 of the Pension Act 2008, as amended or replaced from time to time

Edinburgh International Film Festival is an Equal Opportunities Employer and as such all positions will be offered to the candidate with the required skills for the post and without consideration to a candidate's race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age, marital or civil partnership status or disability.

Please note that EIFF is not a licensed sponsor for VISAs and as such you must already have the Right to Work in the UK to apply for our roles.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

One of EIFF's core aims is to be an environmentally sustainable business and this approach will be embedded across the organisation.

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 10 months

Pay: 31,000.00-35,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person