Position: Community Outreach Coordinator
Reporting to: Senior Producer (Curated Program)
Position type: Seasonal Fixed Term 0.4 EFT (2 days per week), 23 June – 24 October. Some additional days required during delivery period, 29 Sep – 19 Oct.
Salary: $65,000 per annum (pro rata) + superannuation
Direct Reports: 0
Financial Delegation: NA
Location: Carlton (with some remote work / work from home as negotiated)
Date of Preparation: 13 May 2025
Position Purpose
To support a deep engagement with community groups and individual members of the public to participate in several key projects that form part of the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Curated Program.
Role Summary
The Community Outreach Coordinator is an exciting contract role for someone who thrives when it comes to all things connection and community engagement.
Your skills sit in a perfect crossover of “great at research” and “gift of the gab”. On the one hand: you will be responsible for researching ways to engage with community members who want to participate in a selection of amazing contemporary performance works. On the other: your day to day work will be all about connecting with community groups and individuals who have expressed interest in participating, and you will be the first point of contact for community participants taking part in this year’s curated program.
Your personable nature and skills in customer service will perfectly set you up to manage our communications with prospective participants. You will enjoy every second of fostering community participation for events that span a range of artforms because your expertise lies in an ability to connect with people. You will make them feel comfortable while you lead them through processes to ensure they’re ready to participate in a range of exciting new projects..
Your admin skills will be in full swing too. As you manage the generation and administration of community outreach lists, you’ll be working your way methodically through hundreds of leads each day, keeping track of who has been contacted and when they’re expecting a follow-up, keeping things in process.
Most of all: your enthusiasm for participatory art will shine through in the work you do. You believe that anyone has the right to creative expression and will find great joy in helping facilitate hundreds of amateur and community participants to be a part of some pretty extraordinary works of art.
About Melbourne Fringe
Melbourne Fringe democratises the arts. Our vision is cultural democracy – empowering anyone to realise their right to creative expression. We support the development and presentation of artworks by, with and for Melbourne’s people, running the annual Melbourne Fringe Festival, the year-round venue Fringe Common Rooms at Trades Hall, and a range of arts sector leadership programs. We believe that access to the arts and creative expression are fundamental rights of our citizenship and vital to a creative, healthy, cohesive society.
Our Work Culture
Melbourne Fringe is a forward-thinking, creative and inclusive organisation. Our dreaming is out of the box, our work ethic is strong, and we don’t let our limited resources stop us from making seemingly impossible things happen. We believe that great work is made by people who enjoy what they do. We are proud to have a diverse workplace that celebrates difference and encourages people to bring their whole selves to work with pride.
Fringe is a values-driven workplace characterised by big-picture thinking, optimism and playfulness. We have a reputation as a hard-working, caring, energetic, fast-paced workplace that values our people and their health and which brings them together socially for lunch, events and fun times.
You’re the right fit for Melbourne Fringe if you are:
• Passionate about creativity and cultural equity
• Willing to support anyone to participate in the arts, regardless of their experience, age, gender, ability, sexuality, cultural background or artistic practice
• Excited by the challenge of making ambitious things happen on limited budgets
• Ready for personal and professional learning and continual improvement
• Into a collaborative and social work culture
Benefits of Working at Melbourne Fringe
Melbourne Fringe employees enjoy:
• A flexible work environment including regular work-from-home options (every Thursday, every second Tuesday, and at other times by negotiation)
• A glorious “no meetings” day every week
• Four Weeks’ Accrued Annual Leave
• Best practice special leave entitlements including parental leave of up to 12 weeks’ paid leave, and generous personal leave policies that cover physical and mental health, gender affirmation leave, cultural leave, menstrual and menopause leave and disability leave.
• An Employee Assistance Program counselling service
Community Outreach Coordinator
Here’s a list of things you’ll be responsible for:
Research & Planning
• Work with the Curated Program team to identify the needs of this year’s community engagement projects (approximately five key projects in the program).
• Lead a collaborative research phase that identifies different ways of connecting to new individuals and community groups who might not consider themselves “an artist” or part of the arts sector.
• Seek out support and consultation from peak bodies and peer organisations on how to better connect to the communities that they have expert knowledge in.
• Use Airtable to compile community outreach lists for participant engagement and recruitment, via primary outreach (direct connection to individuals) and secondary outreach (connection via organisations and existing community groups).
Community Engagement & Recruitment
• Manage the administration of participant recruitment and keep detailed records of all leads.
• Draft Information Packs to properly communicate the projects you are recruiting for.
• Use Airtable to set up Expressions of Interest (EOI) forms that will be the primary connection points for individuals.
• Distribute EOI information by posting in relevant forums or by sending to the compiled outreach lists by email.
• Follow up most emails to key contacts with a phone conversation.
• Be a first point of contact for any enquiries from prospective participants.
• Review and sort EOI responses.
• Support the selection process of participants across a range of projects, which may include secondary questionnaires or participant interviews.
• Manage the confirmation process for successful and unsuccessful applicants.
Participant Communication & Support
• Communicate with selected community participants via email and phone (as appropriate).
• Ensure that engagement requirements are provided to participants in a timely manner, and in accordance with project timelines.
• Communicate project information to all community participants, ensuring they have access to and understand the detail of event briefs, rehearsal schedules, performance call times, and other pre-event information.
• Be the first point of contact for any questions from participants, escalating to the Producer or Senior Producer as appropriate.
• Consult with the Program Manager (Access Fringe) on any and all matters of best practice access and inclusion for all community participants, and support the preparation of access materials such as social stories, venue access information, etc.
General
• Support the Curated Program Producing team with general administrative support as directed, particularly where the work relates to projects that include Community Engagement as a key component.
• Actively contribute to upholding best practice cultural safety for all Melbourne Fringe staff, artists, volunteers, audiences and other stakeholders.
• Engage fully in the Melbourne Fringe Festival, which by the nature of the Festival may mean extended hours and expanded duties during the Festival period (followed by some well-earned days off in lieu).
• Attend where required festivals, events, shows, exhibitions, industry gatherings and philanthropic activities and events throughout the year.
• Other duties as agreed with the Head of Programming & Deputy Creative Director, acknowledging that jobs evolve to meet the changing needs of the arts environment, and this document is an overview and not intended to represent the role performed in perpetuity.
• The successful applicant will be required to undergo a Working with Children Check as a condition of employment with Melbourne Fringe. We will cover the cost of this check.
Here are the skills and attributes you need to bring*:
• Passion for the work of Melbourne Fringe
• Resilience and ability to work effectively under pressure
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Process-driven, with strong administration and organisational skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a high level of customer service
• A genuine interest in contemporary performance that connects art to community participants
• A sense of humour
* If you don’t yet have all of the experience, know that Melbourne Fringe is a workplace that values ongoing skills development, mentoring and training.
Our commitment to cultural equity
Melbourne Fringe has a deep commitment to cultural equity, and we strongly encourage applications from people who identify as First Nations, Deaf, disabled, people of colour, queer, transgender and gender-diverse people, as well as people with caring responsibilities. We celebrate people’s differences.
We know sometimes people – especially those from more marginalised groups – might feel under-qualified for a job or like you might not belong. If that’s you, we especially welcome you – Fringe is a place that supports and up-skills people as they’re learning on the job.
If this application format isn’t accessible for you, please get in touch and let us know what alternative format would suit you best. Upon engagement, we can work with disabled staff to consider reasonable workplace adjustments to ensure access needs are met. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Carly Findlay, Access Advisor, on (03) 9660 9600 or carly@melbournefringe.com.au.
Please advise us of any pre-existing injuries or conditions that may arise that might inhibit you in the physical requirements of the position, or any other access needs that you might have.
