About Litquake
Cofounders Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware
The Litquake festival was founded in 1999 with a 20-author reading in Golden Gate Park, and in the 23 years since, has stirred the heart of San Francisco’s storied literary scene. Today the festival touches just about every aspect of the Bay Area’s vibrant writing world. Our many thousands of fans, friends and colleagues include authors, publishers, journalists, librarians, poets, booksellers and readers.
Litquake’s greatest strength is in providing a spotlight for diverse, new and emerging voices. It was the first national literary festival to devote a major programming track to LGBTQ+ writers, and in recent years Litquake has led the pack in events for BIPOC authors and poets. This commitment to inclusion – for both writers and audience members – has made Litquake unique among festivals. It’s no surprise that our most successful ideas have been copied around the globe – most notably, the Lit Crawl, which has been replicated in dozens of cities from Seattle and New York to London and Wellington, New Zealand.
Litquake is governed by a committed Board of Directors. The staff is comprised of part-time and full-time employees, as well as several independent contractors. A strategic plan was recently completed, which outlines Litquake’s direction in the years to come. Litquake is at a critical time in its history, with the Founding Directors helping to shepherd the organization into its future. One co-founder has begun working half-time, and the other will be doing the same this summer, opening up a chance for new leadership to drive the next phase of Litquake’s history.
Litquake’s greatest strength is in providing a spotlight for diverse, new and emerging voices. It was the first national literary festival to devote a major programming track to LGBTQ+ writers, and in recent years Litquake has led the pack in events for BIPOC authors and poets. This commitment to inclusion – for both writers and audience members – has made Litquake unique among festivals. It’s no surprise that our most successful ideas have been copied around the globe – most notably, the Lit Crawl, which has been replicated in dozens of cities from Seattle and New York to London and Wellington, New Zealand.
Litquake is governed by a committed Board of Directors. The staff is comprised of part-time and full-time employees, as well as several independent contractors. A strategic plan was recently completed, which outlines Litquake’s direction in the years to come. Litquake is at a critical time in its history, with the Founding Directors helping to shepherd the organization into its future. One co-founder has begun working half-time, and the other will be doing the same this summer, opening up a chance for new leadership to drive the next phase of Litquake’s history.
Current Employment Opportunities
Executive Director
Litquake’s new Executive Director will be responsible for providing highly specialized organizational leadership that will assure the continuation and evolution of both festival and organizational planning. This unique opportunity seeks an entrepreneurial ED with direct program design, organizational leadership, fundraising, and advocacy experience. They will be responsible for fiscal due diligence, ensuring a healthy, safe and productive working environment, and positive positioning of the organization at all times with key stakeholders. They will be fluent in fundraising methodology, and have no constraints on their solicitation efforts from previous employment. Litquake’s new ED will champion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ensuring that these values are embedded within all parts of the organization.
Duties will include:
Litquake’s new Executive Director will be responsible for providing highly specialized organizational leadership that will assure the continuation and evolution of both festival and organizational planning. This unique opportunity seeks an entrepreneurial ED with direct program design, organizational leadership, fundraising, and advocacy experience. They will be responsible for fiscal due diligence, ensuring a healthy, safe and productive working environment, and positive positioning of the organization at all times with key stakeholders. They will be fluent in fundraising methodology, and have no constraints on their solicitation efforts from previous employment. Litquake’s new ED will champion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ensuring that these values are embedded within all parts of the organization.
Duties will include:
Leadership
- Serve as leader on implementing Litquake’s strategic plan
- Actively contribute to a positive, professional, and respectful work environment for both Staff and Board
- Embrace the commitment to make the annual Festival a success and understand that evening and weekend work will be expected at times, in exchange for fewer demands during other times of the year
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, as well as a sense of humor, are a must
- Must be able to creatively problem-solve and collaborate in an open, dynamic and continually shifting environment
- Be a strong link between Board and Staff; work with the Board on its committees
Fundraising & Communication
- Oversee Litquake’s budget, spending and income, and offer regular updates to the Board
- Work with development director on fundraising efforts
- Work with grants team to oversee proposals and evaluate new funding opportunities as they arise
- Conduct financial reviews and ongoing payroll processing with external accountant
- Work with Programs Director to oversee communications (newsletters, social media) provided by staff and interns
- Steward donor, board and partner relationships
- Serve as organizational representative for any media inquiries
- Represent Litquake at literary events in the Bay Area and beyond
- Oversee organization’s communications to the public via news releases and newsletters
Programming
- Oversee development of programming for the fall festival, as well as year-round events and initiatives
- Help manage high-profile authors
- Brainstorm event ideas with staff
- Work with Programs Director to:
- Identify and reserve venues for events
- Project-manage printed collateral, including festival poster and booklet
- Ensure the enlistment of a logistics coordinator to handle A/V and other event details
- Ensure that the festival’s bookstore coordinator is on task
- Oversee master festival event outline
- Work with marketing and PR teams to raise awareness of the organization and upcoming events.
- Communicate with the leaders of Litquake’s subsidiary programs like Kidquake and the Elder Project
Operations
- Be the Human Relations link with staff; work with them on salary and benefits
- Touch base with staff on their job satisfaction or challenges
- Hire contractors for curation, video services, etc.
- With Programs Director, oversee interns
- Get involved with volunteer committee, schedule meetings, keep them engaged
- Oversee and review all contracts (with venues, contractors etc.), and ensure legal compliance
Qualifications
- Five years of relevant work experience, including writing, planning and executing literary programming and events
- Experience with event-planning management on a large scale
- Experience with fundraising, including ability to solicit major donors. Familiarity with potential donors is a plus.
- Skill in managing a staff of full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers.
- Enthusiasm and passion for literature and literacy
- Knowledge and experience in publishing industry, including awareness of contemporary trends in publishing
- Excellent communications skills (oral, written, and presentation)
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
- Media and public relations skill
Benefits
- Excellent health plus dental
- (Possible 401K match)
- Access to many books, including advanced reading copies
- Unlimited amount of fabulous literary events
Deadline for application: March 3
Start date: June 1
Email resume to: apply@litquake.org
Salary: $95,000 - $105,000 depending on experience
Start date: June 1
Email resume to: apply@litquake.org
Salary: $95,000 - $105,000 depending on experience