Executive Director

North Australian Festival of Arts seeks an Executive Director to lead strategy, operations and growth of our bold cultural impact in North Queensland.

Executive Director North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA) Townsville, QLD | 0.6 FTE | Senior Leadership Role

About the North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA)

Since its inception in 2019, the North Australian Festival of Arts has become a creativepowerhouse, drawing over 300,000 audience members, providing opportunities for nearly6000 artists, and contributing more than $37.2M to the local economy. It has firmly cementedits place as a signature event in Townsville, offering a vibrant and ever-evolving celebration ofthe community’s artistic spirit and cultural richness.

About the Role

The North Australian Festival of Arts is entering its most ambitious phase, Under bold artistic leadership and with a highly engaged Board, NAFA is developing beyond a traditional regional festival model toward a future-facing, place-driven cultural platform rooted in North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef; from a traditional regional arts festival into a place-led cultural platform shaped by the artists and communities who call this region home. The next Executive Director will help build that future.

This is not a maintenance role. It is a systems-building, sustainability-driving, growth-ready leadership opportunity.

Working in close co-leadership with the Artistic Director, the Executive Director will translate artistic ambition into operational, financial and governance excellence. You will ensure NAFA is financially robust, legally sound, culturally respectful, and structurally prepared for scaled impact.

Selection Criteria

You will bring:

• Senior leadership experience in arts, cultural or NFP contexts
• Strong financial acumen (budgets, forecasting, reserves, compliance)
• Confidence managing risk in event-based environments
• Experience working with Boards and public funding bodies
• High emotional intelligence and the ability to lead people well
• Commitment to First Nations leadership and Cultural authority

Job Requirements

You will lead:

• Organisational execution of strategy
• Financial sustainability and governance
• Risk, compliance and operational systems
• Staff leadership and organisational culture
• Strategic stakeholder relationships

This is a rare opportunity to shape a festival at an inflection point — to help build a model that connects artistic ambition, environmental consciousness and regional identity.

3 days per week (0.6 FTE). Based in Townsville with flexibility.

For the full position description and application details, visit our website.

Applications close: 5pm Saturday 28 February 2026.