Work With Us

Join Midsumma as our first ‘People & Culture Manager’ for a 12-month once-in-a-career opportunity!

Are you an experienced and dynamic People & Culture Manager seeking an exciting opportunity in the vibrant LGBTQIA+ arts and culture landscape? Midsumma is extending an invitation to join our enthusiastic team. As a cornerstone for diverse gender and sexuality communities, Midsumma is undergoing significant growth and success, boasting over 300,000 annual attendees and an expansive program featuring 250+ events across Melbourne and wider Victoria.

Role Overview

We are searching for a skilled People & Culture Manager for a 12-month contract role. The incumbent will lead a comprehensive project to support Midsumma in addressing current needs and building organisational capacity for the future. This hands-on role involves reporting to our chief executive as part of the leadership team to support our staff, volunteers, and mentorship participants in ensuring a culturally safe workspace regardless of age, identity, disability, faith, or culture. If you have the skills, energy and enthusiasm to be part of Midsumma's artistic and cultural objectives during this exciting period of growth, we welcome you to apply.

Key Competencies

• Proven working experience as an HR Manager or other HR Executive, preferably with proven experience in a community not-for-profit or arts-related organisation.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
• Ability to think laterally and a collaborative, constructive, flexible and creative approach to solving problems.
• People-oriented and results-driven.
• Knowledge of the complexities of diverse and intersectional community-based organisations and communities.
• Demonstrable experience with HR metrics.
• Proven ability to develop systems, processes and tools and achieve agreed outcomes within a specific timeframe.
• Knowledge of HR systems.
• Ability to architect strategy along with leadership skills and a collaborative attitude.
• Excellent active listening, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Competence to build and effectively manage interpersonal relationships at all levels of the organisation and with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• In-depth knowledge of industrial law/current legislation and HR best practices.
• Demonstrated respect and empathy for members of diverse communities, the arts, and, particularly, knowledge of diverse LGBTQIA+ / DGS communities.
• An understanding of trauma-informed practice would be highly desirable.

Key Accountabilities

• Scope current organisational needs and prepare an overall 12-month project plan with KPIs for discussion and approval, considering the changing needs of the changing generational workforce and the complexities surrounding an increasingly diverse workforce.
• Develop and implement agreed HR and capacity-building strategies and initiatives aligned with the overall organisational five-year strategic plan, which addresses immediate requirements and identifies and develops systems, processes, and tools that build organisational capacity for the longer term.
• Assess needs and develop targeted professional development and direct support programs for existing staff, volunteers and LGBTQIA+ artists with whom we work most closely to assist and support relevant staff in addressing external community lateral violence.
• Development professional development aimed at building departmental managers' capability regarding staff management.
• Play a crucial role in Midsumma becoming a better equipped and resilient organisation that can play an increased leadership role in meeting diverse and often conflicting community expectations.
• Bridge management and employee relations by addressing concerns, grievances, or other identified issues.
• Oversee and implement a performance appraisal system that drives high performance while meeting organisational values and community outreach needs.
• Ensure a system is in place for legal compliance throughout human resource management.
• Promote a positive and inclusive work environment that supports diversity and inclusion.
• Lead initiatives that foster a vibrant, healthy, and inclusive organisational culture.

Download the full "People & Culture Manager" PD here

How to Apply

To apply, please address the job description requirements in your application. For additional information or support materials about Midsumma, please get in touch with Mary Malouf at: [email protected]

Application Deadline

Submit your applications by 5 pm, Sunday 2 June 2024.
Applications will be reviewed as they arrive, and if a suitable candidate has been identified, this position will be removed before the closing date. If you want to apply for this role, please do so ASAP! Don't miss your chance to be part of an organisation driving positive change and creativity in LGBTQIA+ arts and culture!

Midsumma is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds and identities to apply, contributing to our goal of creating a vibrant and inclusive arts and cultural landscape.

Join us in making a difference and celebrating the vibrant LGBTQIA+ arts and culture community at Midsumma Festival!

Other Employment opportunities

With a small core team working from the Midsumma Office in Melbourne's CBD all year round, we increase our team size with seasonal staff, summer placements, and volunteers from September to February each year. Head to About Midsumma to learn more about Midsumma Festival, our values, and the work we do.

Midsumma is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity in the workplace. As such we encourage and support applications from people from diverse backgrounds for any jobs that might currently be available.

If you are interested in talking to us about employment or volunteer opportunities, please send a CV and cover letter outlining your interest to [email protected].

For information about volunteering opportunities, please see our Volunteer With Us and our EOI - Midsumma Board Positions pages.

Please subscribe to our eNews to be kept up to date with all opportunities.

Midsumma Festival is one of Australia’s premier LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festivals, for and by communities who live with shared experiences around diverse gender and sexuality.

• A leadership arts organisation cultivating queer arts culture unique to Australia with local, national, international engagement; leading LGBTQIA+ cultural conversations.
• An artistic powerhouse investing in diverse LGBTQIA+ artistic voices to develop powerful new work, across disciplines, that inspire, shares unique stories, build meaningful connections spanning all cultures, age/generations, gender/sexual identities and disability.

Midsumma has repositioned itself as a cultural influencer with artistic leadership, learning, and diversity at its heart. Midsumma has significant programs aimed at disability cultures, indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse programming. With an attendance of 306,000 in 2023, our summer Midsumma Festival features over 200 events across many artforms in venues across Melbourne, with both a curated and open access festival program, and a year-round arts development program. Midsumma is currently in a state of tremendous growth and success and ready to spring into its next stage.