Managing Director

The core team of the Boulevard Theater Festival Foundation also works on other projects through the cultural organization, production, and consulting agency Bosse Nova Foundation. Bosse Nova provides services to theater companies, artists, and festivals, and manages Pand 18 in ’s-Hertogenbosch: a space featuring studios and workspaces for cultural activities and organizations.

Starting in 2022, the organizations Stichting Theaterfestival Boulevard and Stichting Bosse Nova will be led by a two-person executive board, with current director Dana Kibbelaar filling one of the positions. The two-person executive board shares overall responsibility for general policy and related tasks. The members explicitly share the entire scope of work and can substitute for one another. In day-to-day practice, they complement each other and divide tasks. Both directors possess broad knowledge of the performing arts and artistic and business practices. Theaterfestival Boulevard is on the eve of the new policy period 2025–2028. Our new multi-year policy plan provides focus and direction for the future.

We are seeking a director to serve as one of two members of the executive board, working 32 hours per week,with a clear vision for creating value through art and culture and organizing a financially sustainable festival.

We are looking for someone who can translate value creation in a broad context (local, national, and international) into a financially sustainable festival. Someone who sees opportunities and dares to be a pioneer without losing sight of the (financial) risks involved.

You want to help create a more inclusive and diverse sector and promote greater sustainability and accessibility in the performing arts. You feel a sense of responsibility to highlight the impact of the arts and to further expand that impact.

You therefore identify with the following profile:

• You are a team player and a good communicator, understand the value of inclusive leadership, and believe in teamwork
• You are curious about new, innovative ways of producing and presenting, in order to explore and secure the future of the performing arts
• You recognize the importance of international exchange and believe in combining international knowledge with local expertise
• you feel a connection to 's-Hertogenbosch, the Province of North Brabant, and its residents
• You value sustainable work practices and are mindful of the physical and environmental strain people and the environment face

Both managing directors:

• Together with the core team, they shape the artistic and business policies of the Boulevard Theater Festival, as well as the programming based on those policies, and bear ultimate responsibility for them
• Together with the core team, they shape the artistic and business policies of the Bosse Nova Foundation and the resulting projects, and bear ultimate responsibility for them
• secure the necessary funding through its own revenue, (project) grants, and contributions from private foundations and sponsors
• work with the core team to incorporate artistic developments into a substantive and organizational vision and into a multi-year strategy for both organizations, including the associated budget(s). Ensure that annual plans and management reports are prepared (or commissioned)
• work with the core team to maintain and expand the network of both organizations; participate in the cultural and administrative networking activities of the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the province of Brabant
• represent, together with the core team of Theaterfestival Boulevard and the Bosse Nova Foundation, at all relevant levels and on all relevant platforms

Who we're looking for:

• You are curious and familiar with the broad cultural, social, and political landscape. You are sensitive to these issues and know how to navigate complex environments and situations.
• You have leadership experience in the performing arts (in the broadest sense). Social safety and diversity of voices are of great importance to you
• You have a solid understanding of the organizational and financial aspects of the performing arts sector
• You have enough experience to guide the transition to a financially sustainable festival and take the lead in this effort
• You have experience with artistic programming
• You have a college-level or university-level approach to thinking and working, gained through education or relevant experience

Both managing directors are each employed under a 32-hour-per-week contract; their compensation is in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Performing Arts Venues, Scale 9.

Interested in applying?

Please send your cover letter and resume to daniele@festivalboulevard.nl by November 14, 2024. You can also use this email address to ask questions about the application process. If you would like more information about the job description, you can request a phone call by sending an email to Board of Trustees Chair Heleen Herbert at heleen_herbert@hotmail.com.

The interviews will take place on November 25 and 26 (first round) and December 2 (second round). Please make a note of these dates in your calendar. We will request references, and an assessment may be part of the process.