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Job Posting: Artistic Director, Festival Accès Asie

(Full-time / Permanent)

Festival Accès Asie is seeking a new Artistic Director.

Reporting to the Board of Directors and working closely with the Managing Director, the Artistic Director will implement the Festival’s mission of celebrating Asian arts and cultures. They will be responsible for developing the Festival’s annual programming, including the May festival, the provincial touring program (Fleur de lys, Fleur de thé), outreach activities, and other related initiatives.

Main Responsibilities

· Determine the Festival’s annual programming and special projects related to its mandate;
· Promote and advance the Festival’s artistic mission, orientations, and strategic objectives among artists, arts organizations, partners, and the public;
· Determine and oversee the conditions required for the realization of artistic projects within the programming (venue, number of performances, target audience, etc.);
· Develop and strengthen a network of strategic alliances with other Asian cultural and arts organizations across Canada;
· Represent the Festival with the media, the artistic and cultural communities, and various partners;
· Participate in the development and implementation of artistic and cultural outreach projects;
· Collaborate with the Managing Director on the development and implementation of fundraising and financing activities;
· Collaborate with the Managing Director in preparing government grant applications for various projects;
· Develop and strengthen new private and public partnerships and strategic alliances at the local, regional, national, and international levels;
· Develop and maintain professional relationships with funders.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Core Skills

· Ability to develop and articulate an artistic vision that is consistent with the Festival’s mission and identity;
· Ability to manage and mobilize a team and various collaborators (up to 8 employees during the high season);
· Strong verbal and written communication skills;
· Bilingualism (French/English), both spoken and written;
· Strong leadership and decision-making skills;
· Ability to analyze and evaluate artist submissions;
· Ability to develop and maintain strategic partnerships and strong relationships with artistic and cultural communities;
· Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team;
· Excellent time-management and priority-setting skills;
· Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Interpersonal Skills and Conflict Resolution

· Collaborative leadership and the ability to foster an atmosphere of trust, respect, and safety within teams;
· Excellent communication, active listening, and conflict-resolution skills;
· Intercultural sensitivity, an inclusive approach, and the ability to work with diverse communities and perspectives;
· Diplomacy and the ability to navigate artistic, financial, organizational, and human-resource constraints.

Knowledge

· Knowledge of Festival Accès Asie’s mandate and vision;
· Knowledge of the realities, issues, and artistic practices related to Asia and Asian diasporas;
· Knowledge of the nonprofit sector and governance;
· Knowledge of and interest in a diversity of artistic disciplines, such as visual arts, dance, theatre, video, film, music, comedy, poetry, literature, performance, new media, and culinary arts.

We value diverse professional backgrounds. A combination of relevant experience, skills, and knowledge may be considered equivalent to the qualifications sought. Previous professional experience as an Artistic Director is not required.

ASSETS*

*”Assets” are non-essential qualifications. However, they may be considered by the selection committee when making a final decision among candidates.

Experience

· Experience in programming, producing, or developing cultural and artistic projects, particularly within a festival, arts organization, programming committee, collective, or independent projects;
· Experience evaluating artistic proposals, particularly as part of a programming committee, jury, or selection process;
· Experience in financial planning and management, including private-sector fundraising;
· Experience writing grant applications.

Knowledge

· Understanding of the issues faced by organizations focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion;
· Knowledge of Asian communities and the organizations and institutions that represent them;
· Knowledge of the network of Asian heritage organizations across Canada.

WORKING CONDITIONS

· Status: Permanent, full-time position, 35 hours per week.
· Start date: Fall 2026, exact date to be determined.
· Salary: $50,000 to $54,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.
· Work arrangement: Hybrid, combining remote work and in-office work at 1200 de Bleury Street, in downtown Montréal. Increased in-person presence is required during production and festival periods.
· Flexible schedule: Generally 35 hours per week, with occasional evening and weekend work during festival periods and certain events.
· Work-life balance: Flexible work arrangements may be possible, subject to organizational needs and approval by the Board of Directors.
· Vacation and holidays: 3 weeks of annual vacation, plus 2 weeks of office closure during the holiday season.
· Sick leave: Unlimited sick days, subject to certain conditions.
· Professional expenses: Reimbursement of expenses incurred as part of the position, in accordance with the organization’s policies, including an allowance or reimbursement for professional use of a mobile phone.
· Professional development: Opportunities to participate in Montréal’s cultural life, including Festival activities and other cultural events throughout the year.
· Work environment: Close collaboration with the Managing Director, a small team, and a Board of Directors committed to the Festival’s mission.
· Artistic autonomy and leadership: Significant latitude in developing the Festival’s programming and artistic vision, while respecting its mission, strategic orientations, and resources.
· Accessibility: The workplace is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Interested in applying?

· The position will remain open until filled. For priority consideration, please submit your CV/resumé and letter of interest by midnight on Sunday, September 13, 2026, to [email protected].
· Interviews will take place in September/October 2026.
· Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

We strongly encourage applications from people from Asian communities, racialized people, First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people or people living with chronic illness, members of the 2SLGBTQIAA+ community, and others.

If you feel comfortable doing so, please disclose your identities in your application and/or share lived experiences that you would like the selection committee to take into consideration. Please note that this information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

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About Festival Accès Asie

Founded in 1995, Festival Accès Asie is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and intergenerational arts organization and festival based in Tiohtiá:ke-Mooniyang-Montréal. Every year in May – the Asian Heritage Month in what is known as Canada – the Festival presents the work and artistic practices of artists from Asia and its diasporas.

The artists featured in the Festival’s programming primarily come from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. The programming includes a variety of cultural outreach activities and festive events, and encompasses a wide range of artistic practices, including performing arts, visual and media arts, literary arts, interdisciplinary arts, and culinary arts.

In addition to its May activities, Festival Accès Asie organizes Fleur de lys, Fleur de thé, which presents the work of Canadian-Asian artists in regions across Québec during the summer, as well as various year-round activities featuring the work of Asian artists, in partnership with other presenters and festivals.

The Festival is managed by a small team of employees and interns, as well as a Board of Directors composed of artists and members of the Asian community. For more information, please visit : https://accesasie.com/en/a-propos/about-us/