Audience Development Manager

This is a Full Time Job

Festival Manager Audience Development - Careers At Sundance Institute

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Festival Manager, Audience Development, contributes to strategies and manages local and regional audience development efforts in advance of the Sundance Film Festival's debut in Boulder, CO, January 21–31, 2027.

Working under the direction of the Head of Audience Development and Experience, the position focuses on developing young audiences and running information booths at events across the Boulder/Denver region, building excitement for and understanding of the Festival, engaging diverse communities, and representing the Sundance Institute at events and meetings.

This temporary position is full-time from Monday, July 27, 2026 through Friday, February 19, 2027, and must be based within a commutable distance to Boulder, CO. While day-to-day work may be performed remotely, this position often works onsite at events. Extended hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, will be required for information booth events and public programs, to meet deadlines, and to respond to on-call needs as assigned. Flexibility of work days/hours is permitted with supervisor's advance approval when significant evening or weekend work is required.

Top priorities include but are not limited to:
• Working closely with the Head of Audience Development & Experience to support and drive engagement efforts and build new audiences in Colorado for the 2027 Festival.
• Leading student and young audience engagement for the 2027 Festival, including leadership of the Colorado Student Advisory Group, collaborating with Institute colleagues including Ignite, Marketing, Programming, Equity, Community, HR, and Ticketing to cultivate new audiences for the Festival.
• Creating internal systems to track and report on audience development efforts and key success metrics.
• Supporting in fielding questions related to audience development and community engagement as needed.
• Serving as a point of contact with Marketing on SFF Relocation audience development efforts to keep audiences engaged and informed about public programs and 2027 news.
• Liaising with administrators at Colorado-based universities and colleges to establish student engagement and ticketing efforts.
• Running information booths at events across the Front Range and the Denver area, including booth transportation, setup, breakdown, and storage, to build community and share information about the Festival and other Institute programs.
• Writing a wrap report for every event, recapping engagement tactics, metrics, and responses.
• Leading volunteers, including providing direction, feedback, and support and acting as a primary point of contact for booth volunteers, managing pre-event communication, providing onsite direction, and overseeing general booth logistics.
• Gathering insights and sharing local feedback and questions with Institute teams.
• Building and maintaining strong partnerships with local organizations, and representing the Institute in a positive light to build enthusiasm and engagement.
• Supporting Colorado community programs and other activities in partnership with the Head of Audience Development & Experience.
• Overseeing other assigned projects as needed, including managing timelines, project plans, and creating documentation.

You have the following direct or transferable qualifications and skills:
• 3 years of experience in audience development, marketing, or related work within leading non-profit or arts organizations.
• Proven success in developing and executing strategic audience engagement initiatives.
• Excellent communication and project management abilities.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment managing simultaneous projects and multiple collaborators.
• Excellent organizational and presentation skills.
• Experience working in the Front Range and the Denver area with familiarity with the local community preferred.
• Passion for the Sundance Institute mission and independent film a plus.
• Valid driver's license and ability to successfully complete a MVR check.
• Ability to move items up to 50lbs.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.

You will be successful in this role if you...
• Manage audience development efforts, in collaboration with cross-functional teams, to significantly contribute to achieving attendance and ticket revenue goals for the 2027 Sundance Film Festival, particularly with young audiences.
• Represent the Institute with enthusiasm, humility, and positivity.
• Engage potential volunteers and partner organizations with accuracy and enthusiasm.
• Collect local feedback and community questions to help inform engagement efforts and drive participation.
• Take initiative to move projects and work forward and engage the public with positivity.
• Approach your work from a curious and creative perspective.
• Effectively lead projects by being clear with goals, timelines, deliverables, and desired outcome.

*Applications open 07/13/2026 and will be accepted for at least one week.