Job Title: Press Officer / Press Assistant

Location: 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL

Rate of Pay: £12.50 per hour + holiday pay / £12.00 per hour + holiday pay

Contract Type: Temporary, fixed term for 6 weeks (22nd July – 31 August 2024), PAYE employed

Hours of Work: 40 hours per week

Days of Work: The Press Office is open 5 days a week in July and 7 days a week, so once the festival commences there will be 8hr shifts from 9am – 9pm to ensure appropriate cover.

Managed by: Summerhall Press Office Manager and Press Office Leads.

Key Internal Relationships: Summerhall General Manager, Programme Manager, Box Office Manager, Marketing Manager + Press Office Team.

Key External Relationships: Visiting Media, Visiting Companies

What is the Job?

We are currently looking for 2 brilliant people to join our Press Office for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.

As a Press Officer/Assistant you will be part of a small but efficient team that is the first point of contact for thousands of journalists and industry visiting Summerhall in August. As well as looking after these journalists and companies within the building, you will be trusted to manage admin tasks, tickets and publicity for the building as a whole.

What will you be doing?

· Managing and issuing press tickets to all accredited media (this will involve skilled admin time on Red61 alongside the Summerhall Box Office)

· Pitching to journalists and trying to increase the number of press in the building.

· Ensuring coverage is neatly and clearly on display around the building.

· Liaising with and support companies where relevant with their publicity questions and ideas.

· Responding thoughtfully to last minute and occasionally complicated requests.

· Pitching and matchmaking shows with #journorequests

· Support and be a friendly face for companies and media coming through the office.

· Oversee the press@summerhall.co.uk inbox, answering enquiries, logging requests and sending out press image and press materials for all shows at Summerhall.

· Answering the dedicated press phone number and ensure all enquiries are dealt with in the time scale indicated by the caller.

Who are you?

– Relevant experience of working in a theatre / cultural events press office or for a publisher / publication / media group.

– Have an interest in working in the media on either side of press or PR/marketing.

– Have experience using box office software. (Ideally Red61)

– Enthusiastic, motivated and hardworking with good communication skills.

– Able to work well under pressure and in an exceptionally busy office environment

– Have a passion for the arts and an excitement for Summerhall’s programme

– Have a keen interest in seeing avant-garde, intersectional and new work / live music / visual arts.

Recruitment Information

– Applicants must be over 18 and must be able to prove their legal right to work in the UK.

– Unfortunately, we are unable to contribute to accommodation, living or travel expenses.

– Interviews will be held on Zoom or in person throughout May and June 2024.

– Essential training takes place between 25th and 30th July (dates will differ depending on department) and all applicants must be available to work on these dates.

– All applicants must be available to work on for the full run of Fringe, Wednesday 31st July – Monday 26th August 2024.

– All Press Office staff will be issued a 6 week long, fixed term contract at 40 hours per week.

Perks

All staff will receive a staff pass which gives you:

– First-come first-served access to shows which are not sold out

– Discounts on food and drinks in the Summerhall bars

Summerhall Information

Summerhall is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all sectors of the community. We expect employees to support these commitments and to assist in their realisation. If you require any assistance with your application or need the form in a different format, please contact recruitment@summerhall.co.uk

Application Process

To apply for this role, please send a CV and Cover letter to press@summerhall.co.uk

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 22nd May at 12 noon. Due to the volume of applications, we unfortunately won’t be able to get back to unsuccessful applicants.

(Photo credit: Cat Thomson)