Senior Producer

Punctum is seeking an experienced, passionate and strategically minded Senior Producer to work alongside our Artistic Director.

About the role:Punctum’s Senior Producer is a regionally based senior leadership role. It combines creative producing with organisational stewardship. A new role within Punctum, the position is designed as a pathway toward future executive leadership. It carries considerable authority and shared responsibility across producing, strategic planning, organisational development, budget management, fundraising, governance and operations.

The Senior Producer will play a key role in shaping and delivering Punctum’s creative program while sharing responsibility for organisational leadership and resilience, financial stability, operations and strategic implementation. They will work closely with the Artistic Director, Board, staff, and external service providers. The position cultivates the partnerships, stakeholder relationships and funding opportunities that will enable Punctum’s work to thrive locally, nationally and internationally. Central to the role is a shared commitment to Punctum’s vision and values, and the ability to translate that vision into practice. Reporting directly to the Artistic Director, the Senior Producer contributes to Board reporting and governance processes and participates in Board meetings and relevant working groups. 

About PunctumFounded in 2004 in Castlemaine (Djaara Country – central Victoria), Punctum has forged a national reputation as a key small arts organisation creating and producing live arts and experimental performances and programs. We are artist centred, enquiry led, and grow works regionally in collaboration with local, national, and international partners and participants. We position regionally based live arts practice as integral to and indivisible from a local, national, and international live arts culture. We are recognised for our support, production and advocacy of experimental performance; our development of regional live arts ecologies; our presentation of performances and installations of all scales; and the meaningful connections we foster between artists, audiences, subject matter, peoples and place.Artists with Punctum are interdisciplinary, work across a range of career stages, and often have national and international experience

We create our own works and support the development of other artists’ work through our productions and programs. We work in close collaboration with regional audiences, institutions, organisations, communities, partners and suppliers. We initiate long term partnerships that offer a diversity of approaches and entry points for creating new work. We take a collaborative approach to leadership, guided by principles of shared knowledge, reciprocity, equity, inclusion, and self-determination, to ensure a vibrant and accessible live arts sector flourishes regionally. While grounded locally, we work nationally and connect internationally.

Key qualitiesAs Punctum’s Senior Producer, you will bring strong producing, organisational and budgeting capability, confidence working across governance, fundraising and strategic planning, and a strong understanding of experimental and contemporary live arts practice and its contribution to regional cultural life and national arts discourse.

You will be a collaborative leader with well-developed sector networks, a passion for artist-led and cross-artform work, and a commitment to ensuring ambitious regional practice has the resources, partnerships, visibility and audiences it deserves. You will share Punctum’s commitment to community engagement.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIAEssential:

• Proven experience in a senior leadership role within an arts or cultural organisation, including strategic planning, organisational development, and team leadership.
• Demonstrated producing and resource development skills, including program and annual budget planning, reporting, compliance, and securing funding through commissions, grants, sponsorships, donations and philanthropy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the preparation of partnership proposals, stakeholder communications, funding applications, and reports.
• Experience working collaboratively with artists and diverse creative, cultural, and community teams, including a good understanding of governance practices, equity and inclusion principles, compliance requirements, and organisational accountability.
• Demonstrated experience developing and sustaining partnerships and collaborations across the arts, community, philanthropic, sponsorship, research, and knowledge sectors, with strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.
• Experience of living and/or working in a regional setting.
• Experience working with organisational operations systems, including proficiency with digital tools and platforms such as Microsoft Office, Dropbox, Adobe, Hubdoc, and other relevant software.
• Experience negotiating and managing contracts and agreements, including with artists, venues, festivals, co-presenters, funders, and other partners in the delivery of performances, programs, and events nationally and internationally.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the contemporary and/or experimental Australian live arts sector and the contexts in which it operates
• Experience working in collaborative leadership models

Position type: Regular, flexible, permanent part-time hours in arts organisation producing and organisational development. EFT 0.5 – 5 days a fortnight – days/times to be negotiated.

Location: Castlemaine (Djarra Country, central Victoria).

Baseline Salary and entitlements:  $75,000 [pro rata] plus 12% employer contribution to superannuation. 4 weeks annual leave and personal leave in accordance with statutory requirements. Professional Development opportunities; Time off in Lieu policy; a probationary period of 6 months. 

Hours of Work: 5 days a fortnight. Hours will generally be during business hours although there will be times when you will work outside of these hours which may occasionally include evenings and weekends. Due to the regional location of our Organisation and nature of our work, some travel may be required. 

We encourage Expressions of Interest from candidates with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. If you would prefer to apply in a different format or if there is any barrier for you in the Expression of Interest process, please contact us.

Note: As Senior Producer, you may be required to undertake other duties not specifically outlined in this position description, as reasonably required and consistent with the role’s time fraction, responsibilities, qualifications, and level of experience.

Key Areas of Responsibility

The role encompasses the following responsibilities, undertaken in collaboration with the Artistic Director, Board, staff, contractors and key stakeholders, as relevant to organisational priorities and program delivery.

         Organisational Relationships and Leadership

• Contribute to and model collaborative leadership across the organisation, fostering a positive, productive and inclusive workplace culture.
• Support organisational leadership and capacity by producing and delivering Punctum’s artistic programs and strategic initiatives.
• In partnership with the Artistic Director and Board, strengthen and expand relationships with artists, audiences, partners, funders, industry networks and professional bodies through a collaborative and values-led approach.
• Lead and coordinate contractors and consultants, ensuring clear delegation, accountability and effective project delivery.
• Contribute to Punctum’s financial resilience by maintaining and expanding government, philanthropic, sponsorship and private income streams through values-aligned partnerships.

         Producing and Program

• Work in close partnership with the Artistic Director to plan, develop and deliver Punctum’s creative program, acting as lead producer across new work development, presentations, artist development initiatives, residencies and exchange programs.
• Support artists and creative teams through effective program and production planning, coordination and delivery.
• Oversee delivery of national and international exchange, partnership and co-production activity, including contracting, logistics, budgeting and artist care.
• Oversee the negotiation, preparation and administration of contracts with artists, contractors, presenters, partners and project funders.

          Punctum’s Board

• Provide the Board with timely reports, updates and advice to support effective governance and informed strategic decision-making.
• Contribute strategic advice to the Artistic Director and Board regarding organisational positioning, policy, industry developments and sector trends.
• Co-Coordinate Board administration, including meeting schedules, agendas, papers, minutes and governance records.
• Attend Board meetings and relevant working groups as required.

         Organisation

• Support the implementation, monitoring and review of Punctum’s Strategic Plan and organisational policies.
• Maintain effective organisational systems, records and tracking processes that support planning, reporting and accountability.

  Stakeholders and Production

• In collaboration with the Artistic Director, lead stakeholder relationship building, communications and relationship management
• Be a key point of contact for partners, funders and program stakeholders.
• Support the delivery of safe, inclusive and welcoming environments for artists, participants, audiences and collaborators across all programs and activities.

         Funding and Income Diversification

• Lead the development and management of funding submissions, partnership proposals, reports and acquittals in consultation with the Artistic Director.
• Develop annual organisational and project budgets in consultation with the Artistic Director and Finance and Accounts Manager for Board approval.
• Monitor program and project budgets, expenditure and financial reporting.
• Identify and cultivate new funding, partnership and earned-income opportunities that strengthen Punctum’s long-term organisational resilience.

         Operations

• Co-lead organisational operations, ensuring effective communication and delivery against timelines and strategic priorities.
• Co-manage organisational assets and venue and studio coordination as required.
• Maintain and improve organisational systems, records and archives.
• Implement risk management, workplace health and safety, and compliance processes.

         Advocacy and Marketing

• Represent Punctum at industry events, public forums, conferences and other external engagements.
• Design and implement audience, participant and artist feedback and evaluation processes across programs.
• Collaborate with the Artistic Director on the delivery of marketing, communications and audience engagement strategies and content, ensuring consistency across Punctum’s public-facing platforms.
• Contribute to the promotion and advocacy of Punctum’s work, values and strategic priorities.

TO APPLY: Your Expression of Interest, in one pdf document should be emailed to  [email protected] and include:

• A Cover letter (no more than 2 pages, including your contact details) outlining your interest in the role and your experience against the Essential Experience criteria
• A CV that includes contact details for 2 current referees.

CLOSING DATE: Expressions of Interest must be received by midnight Sunday 6th September followed by interviews beginning September 9th. The sccessful candidate will be notified by Friday 18th September.