Working at Hay Festival

    The festival is put together by hundreds of people, from building the site and producing the events to welcoming our guests and spreading the word. We are currently looking for a Sponsorship and Fundraising Assistant, Finance Officer, Site Crew and Gardening Crew.

    Sponsorship and Fundraising Assistant

    We are looking for a talented fundraiser to work with the festival team. The post-holder will successfully contribute to the winning of sponsorship from existing and new clients, and manage sponsor relationships for Hay Festival, Wales. You should have proven success in a sponsorship or fundraising environment, have excellent communication skills and be able to work collaboratively and positively with a wide range of stakeholders. 

    A complete job description can be found here

    Skills Specification

    • Experience of securing sponsorship and successfully managing relationships with sponsors 
    • Ability to effectively manage multiple relationships of varying complexities, meet strict deadlines and work well under pressure
    • Experience in creating opportunities to drive new commercial/sponsorship ideas or partnerships 
    • Proven track record of meeting financial targets and/or securing funding
    • Experience of prospect research and ability to research and respond to opportunities.
    • Strong customer relationship management skills and care – understanding of and modelling excellent donor management.
    • Experience in managing effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
    • Experience of coordinating membership or audience focused events.
    • Excellent written communication skills, numeracy, organisational skills and attention to detail
    • Enthusiastic team player with excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills
    • Microsoft Office skills – Word, Excel, Powerpoint
    • Full UK Driving Licence

    Desirable 

    • Knowledge of the arts, literature and current affairs that can inform sponsorship
    • Canva or Adobe CC experience
    • Welsh speaker 

    Accessibility and Inclusivity 

    We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, age or religion or belief.  Disabled applicants are invited to contact us in confidence at any point during the recruitment process to discuss steps that could be taken to overcome operational difficulties presented by the job, or if any adjustments or support are required regarding the recruitment process. For an informal conversation about the role, please email ruthb@hayfestival.org

    To apply please send your CV and a letter explaining how your experience fits the role to sian@hayfestival.org  by midday 18 February 2025

    Site Crew

    Come and join the Hay Festival Site Crew team!

    We are looking for 8 general labourers, plus people with additional skills such as carpentry & fork lift operation. Positions start on 29 April 2025 and run full time through to 8 June 2025, including 2/3 weekends. The festival is 22 May – 1 June.

    Applicants must be reliable, fit, outgoing and prepared to work as part of a team to undertake a diverse range of tasks as allocated, including:

    • Unloading our large warehouse of furniture and installing or distributing around the site
    • Installation of graphics banners, frames and flags across the festival site
    • Installation of the Box Office and Green Room internal stud walling and panelling
    • General festival site maintenance 
    • Assisting the recycling team and generally ensuring the festival site is clean and tidy

    Candidates must be prepared to work in all weather conditions (PPE provided). A clean driving license and experience of driving a Luton van would be preferable.  Good time-keeping necessary.

    Pay rate: £12.30 per hour plus meals in staff restaurant during the festival (22 May – 1 June) included. Applicants will need to have their own accommodation and transport

    For further information or to apply please send a current CV to Georgie on Georgie@hayfestival.org or call 01497 822 620

    Gardening Crew

    We are currently recruiting for 3 positions in the Hay Festival gardening team. Working days will be split over a 3 week period: 

    • 2 days - week commencing 13 May
    • 2 days - week commencing 20 May
    • 2 days - week commencing 3 June

    We are looking for general labourers, no specific gardening knowledge required. Applicants must be reliable, fit, outgoing and prepared to work as part of a team to undertake a diverse range of tasks as allocated, including:

    • Transporting and unloading a large amount of outdoor furniture 
    • Transportation of various plants and plant installations 
    • Ensuring the successful distribution and installations of a large number of plants and plant installations under the guidance of the lead garden designer 

    Must be prepared to work in all weather conditions (PPE provided) and be prepared to undertake a variety of different tasks.Clean driving license and experience of driving a Luton van would be preferable.

    Pay rate: £12.30 per hour plus meals in staff restaurant during the festival on days worked. (22 May – 1 June) included. Applicants will need to have their own accommodation and transport

    For further information or to apply please send a current CV to Georgie on georgie@hayfestival.org or call 01497 822 620

    Finance Officer

    Permanent - £24–£26.5k per annum full time. Part time hours would be considered.

    Hay Festival are seeking an experienced Finance Officer. This is a job for an extremely organised, confident and proactive multi-tasker, it requires an abundance of energy, resourcefulness and a keen eye for detail. The ability to prioritise effectively and communicate efficiently is key.

    Reporting to the Finance Director, the Finance Officer will be the key contact for day-to-day financial aspects of the organization and will assist in the administration and maintenance of an effective and robust finance department for the Hay Festival.

    General Duties

    This list is not exhaustive, and the successful candidate should be flexible and prepared to support the core staff team at busy times. 

    • Working closely with the Finance Director to assist across a range of activities
    • Manage payroll and pension function and ensure all returns and payments are made accurately and on time.
    • Manage purchase ledger invoices, expenses, and credit notes.
    • Prepare and post weekly and monthly supplier payment runs in GBP and other currencies.
    • Reconcile supplier statements and bank accounts, resolving any discrepancies.
    • Monitor donor/membership schemes reporting to Development team
    • Reconcile monthly credit card accounts and post to relevant expenditure codes.
    • Reconcile all card sales transactions
    • Identify opportunities to claim Gift Aid and process and manage all gift aid claims
    • Assist with accruals, prepayments, and month-end processing leading to management accounts.
    • Participate in the preparation of statutory accounts and compile relevant schedules and analysis. 
    • Maintain a grant management system to ensure reporting requirements are met and to inform cash flow management.
    • Manage petty cash, and onsite cash during festivals
    • Proactively chase customer payments and manage overdue accounts.
    • Create sales invoices and allocate sales receipts
    • Maintain Fixed Asset Register
    • Produce quarterly VAT returns

    Person Specification 

    Essential 

    • Knowledge of VAT schemes including partial exemption and EU VAT.
    • Experience and knowledge of working in the charity sector.
    • Highly organised and motivated.  Excellent written communication and administrative skills with a strong attention to detail. 
    • The ability to be independent and self-motivated - taking initiative and ownership - as well as participate in a team with sensitivity and flexibility.
    • A good communicator able to deal with suppliers/ sponsors and statutory funding bodies effectively.
    • The ability to manage multiple priorities and meet project timelines and a flexible approach to developing and delivering the post working to key deadlines.
    • Team player and confident in working with a wide range of people across the team
    • Discretion and a proven ability to handle confidential and sensitive information. 
    • Demonstrate a willingness to undertake training as required for the development of the post and enhancement of the company’s skills base.
    • Knowledge of Sage Accounts Payroll and accounting systems  
    • Excellent IT knowledge, strong excel skills. 
    • Full Driving Licence

    A full job description can be found here

    To apply please send a CV and a letter detailing how your experience fits the role to Sian at sian@hayfestival.org. If you would like to discuss the role please contact Amanda on amanda@hayfestival.org 

    Hay Festival strives to be a diverse and inclusive employer. We value difference and recruit by merit based on fair and open competition and welcome candidates from all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from people or social groups that are currently underrepresented in the creative industries. 

    CLOSING DATE: 12pm Friday 14 February