Job Board

Position Title:   Production Assistant

Reports to:         Production Manager

Term: Part-Time: February – April (7 hours/week)  Full-Time: May – July (35 hours/week)

With one of North America’s premier outdoor music festivals as its signature event, the Winnipeg Folk Festival is a year-round, not-for-profit arts organization that presents live music and arts events designed to benefit the community.

Job Summary:

The Winnipeg Folk Festival seeks a passionate and motivated individual to support our Production team, who are responsible for the operational planning, setup, operation, and tear down of the festival and its two campgrounds. The festival site is in Birds Hill Provincial Park outside of Winnipeg. Each summer we build infrastructure to support a community of thousands of attendees spanning 200 acres.

The Production Assistant provides administrative and operational support. The Production department connects with all areas of the festival, with a focus on technical production, stages, health and safety, venue operations, inventory management, ingress and egress, campgrounds, vendors, and environmental initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Festival Operations and Procurement

– Participate in the planning of festival, support the implementation of initiatives to improve operations.

– Liaise with program participants and other partners regarding operational details, including contract fulfillment.

– Obtain quotes, research products, and order items.

– Communicate with volunteers, contractors, vendors, artisans, and partners as required.

Festival On-Site Production

– Support the production department to facilitate setup, operation and cleanup of the festival site and campgrounds.

– Assist with deliveries and daily production schedule priorities.

– Support inventory management and maintenance of festival-owned and rental equipment.

Training and Volunteer Support

– Assist with the development and updating of training materials for volunteer teams with a focus on Technical/Stages, Safety/Security, Traffic, and Wellness:

– Create engaging presentations, easy-to-use quick reference guides, and update online training materials.

– Support in-person and virtual training sessions.

– Update and assemble digital and paper materials such as forms, manuals, stage binders etc.

Human Resources

– Provide administrative and HR support for hiring an extended team of approximately 100 seasonal contract staff.

– Assist with credential management and distribution.

Health and Safety

– Participate in emergency planning, documentation, and training. Play a support role in emergency response in the event of a situation at the festival.

– Update and distribute Safe Work procedure documentation and training for all volunteer crews.

Qualifications

– Strong communication skills (written & verbal)

– Valid Manitoba driver’s license

– Comfortable working with Office 365 and SharePoint

– Organizational skills, attention to detail

– Creative and resourceful problem solver

– Ability to work calmly under pressure and with a wide variety of colleagues, suppliers, vendors, and volunteers

Assets

– Production experience for other festivals, films, or major public events

– Experience with event management databases

– Experience as a volunteer at the festival

– Access to a personal vehicle

Work Schedule:

Pre-festival, the hours of work generally fall between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday, a 35-hour week with an unpaid lunch. There is a need for schedule flexibility related to evening and weekend events, training sessions, meetings with volunteers, and assisting with Festival setup. During the weeks leading up to and during the festival, the selected candidate will be required to work long hours in an outdoor environment.

Compensation:

$20-$25 per hour, commensurate with experience, +4% vacation pay.

Application Process

The Winnipeg Folk Festival values the diversity of the community it serves and those who consider working with us.

We welcome applications from those interested in working in an inclusive environment and will work with any candidates who require accommodation during this confidential process.

Please send a resume and cover letter by January 22, 2026, to:

prodteam@winnipegfolkfestival.ca with Production Assistant in the subject line.