SFFILM

The Bay Area's home for the world's finest films and filmmakers.

Programming

Guest Office Assistant

OVERVIEW:

The SFFILM Programming team is seeking an organized, enthusiastic, and welcoming candidate to support the activities of the SFFILM Guest Office for the 2023 SFFILM Festival.

The Guest Office Assistant supports all activities of the Guest Office Department, including communications and hospitality for all the guests attending the Festival (filmmakers, speakers, industry, and jury). This position would work closely with the Guest Office Manager, Coordinator and all Programmers, and would provide public facing and behind the scenes support. This position is ideal for someone with excellent communication skills and attention to detail seeking to enhance their experience in guest/artist relations. Film festival experience strongly preferred.

This is a full-time temporary role from 3/27 to 5/3, paid at an hourly rate of $20 per hour. This role has the expectation of some overtime pre-festival, with a high volume of overtime expected during the SFFILM Festival (April 13-April 23).
Covid-19 Safety: Seasonal staff at the 2023 SFFILM Festival may be required to engage in public-facing roles and thus are required to provide proof of vaccination and booster for employment.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES:

  • Acts as a liaison between Guest Office, Programming, Operations, Transportation, Development, Theater and other staff.
  • Provide administrative support to both the Guest Office and Programming Department as assigned, including but not limited to: liaising with multiple hotels, assigning and supervising accommodations to guests, maintaining master hotel grid, purchasing flights and overseeing airfare reimbursements.
  • Support the Guest Office Manager with the overall project management platform, scheduling, distribution of tasks and general communications.
  • Coordinate creation and disseminating welcome packs for all Festival Guests.
  • Work with the Guest Office Manager to ensure SFFILM Guests website is up to date and accurate.
  • Staff the guest services desk in the Hospitality Suite when needed during the Festival to welcome and facilitate all guests.
  • With guidance from Programming, select and hire all interpreters needed for the festival’s international guests.
  • Support the Programming Team with AMPAS hospitality.
  • Works with the Special Events Team to manage guest invitations to receptions, dinners, and other guest hospitality.
  • Work with the Guest Office Manager to coordinate excursions during the festival for filmmakers.
  • Provide administrative support for Festival Industry Days including scheduling, welcome packet assembly, and ad hoc administration. Industry Days is a two day in-person event providing networking and panel discussions.
  • Provide Administrative support for all Festival Coffee Talks.
  • Work with the Transportation department to ensure smooth overall communication between Guest Office and Transportation for guests.
  • Assist with the Guest Office wrap report.

EXPERIENCE/SKILLS REQUIRED:

  • Strong organizational, communication skills and time management skills.
  • Ability to work in a fast paced environment while juggling multiple projects.
  • Creative problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to be welcoming and comfortable interacting with people with vastly different backgrounds and roles.
  • Previous Guest/Artist Relations or Film Industry experience and/or Film Festival experience is strongly preferred but not required.
  • Experience with FileMaker Pro, Zoom webinars, G Suite, Google Forms, Microsoft Word and Excel is preferred.
  • Ability to quickly learn and implement new software and systems.
  • Experience hiring and managing volunteers is a plus.
  • Knowledge of Basecamp and foreign languages is a plus.

SUPERVISION:

Reports to the Guest Office Manager.

Guest Office Coordinator

Overview

This position has been filled for the 2024 SFFILM Festival.

The Guest Office Coordinator supports execution of all events and activity as relates to festival guests. The Guest Office Coordinator is a full time, seasonal position that reports to the Guest Office Manager and works closely with seasonal and year-round SFFILM roles and departments, and externally with SFFILM Festival guests.

This position supports all activities of the Guest Office department, including communications with all visiting guests at the San Francisco International Film Festival (filmmakers, speakers, industry, and jury).This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in film festivals, guest management or customer service to support a programming and guest services team and learn more about film festivals and nonprofit arts events.

As an instrumental member of the Festival team, this role will be expected to work from our SOMA office several days per week depending on department needs. Some night and weekend availability is required, especially leading up to and during the SFFILM Festival (April 24 – 28).

The ideal start date for this position is February 26, 2024. This position is paid hourly at the rate of $20 per hour and is eligible for overtime. The end date for this role is May 2, 2024.

Responsibilities

  • Coordinate creation and dissemination of welcome packs for all Festival guests. 
  • Staff the guest services desk in the Hospitality Suite during the Festival to welcome guests and facilitate all guest needs.
  • Select and hire all interpreters needed for the Festival’s international guests.
  • Collaborate with volunteers in pre-Festival activities and during Festival screenings.
  • Act as a liaison between Guest Office, Programming, Operations, Transportation, Development, and other staff. 
  • Coordinate Industry Days communications and activities as instructed by the Guest Office Manager. Industry Days is a two day in-person event providing networking and panel discussions for 100+ filmmakers. 
  • Oversee poster distribution before and throughout the festival. 
  • Support the Guest Office Manager with festival benefit management for all guests, assisting with ticket requests and group sales. 
  • Coordinate the creation and dissemination of the Industry Delegate Guide.
  • Support the Guest Office Manager to ensure a representative from Programming or Guest Office is present for screenings with guests in attendance to liaise between Guests, Programmers, Theater Operations, and other staff.
  • Support all expense reconciliation post-festival and coordinate the Guest Office wrap report.

Qualifications

  • Strong organizational and communication skills; friendly and welcoming demeanor.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office suite and experienced in database usage (FilemakerPro preferred).
  • Ability to juggle multiple tasks at once. 
  • Creative problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to be welcoming and comfortable interacting with people with vastly different backgrounds and roles.
  • Previous Guest/Artist Relations or Film Industry experience; Film Festival experience required.
  • Knowledge of foreign languages is a plus.

SFFILM is deeply committed to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) in both its internal management and external programming. Since 2018, the organization has actively been working in collaboration with two Advisory Boards focused on accessibility and inclusivity and officially began work with a DEI consultant in 2019 to further invest in and build on that work. Candidates are invited to discuss their interest and involvement in DEAI practices in their cover letter, and ask us more about our DEAI process in their interview.

SFFILM, in accordance with federal and state law, is an equal-opportunity employer. SFFILM does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy/childbirth, medical condition, disability, age, ancestry, marital status, citizenship or veteran status. This nondiscrimination policy covers all candidates, staff members, interns, and volunteers.

Guest Office Manager

Overview

This position has been filled for the 2024 SFFILM Festival.

The Guest Office Manager is a full time, seasonal position that reports to the Director of Programming and works closely internally with multiple SFFILM roles and departments, and externally with SFFILM Festival guests.

This position will supervise the Guest Office team, which is responsible for all hospitality for visiting guests at the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival. The individual will help hire and manage a team of individuals to execute the below duties for the spring Guest Office and will be responsible for at least two direct reports in the lead up to the festival (January – May). This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience supporting filmmakers and managing teams and budgets, and interested in developing their skills with the preeminent Bay Area festival.

The Guest Office Manager will partner with the SFFILM Programming department, including the Transportation team, and will work with SFFILM fundraising, operations, education and artist development team members to create an exceptional guest experience during the SFFILM Festival. As a key point of contact for invited SFFILM guests, this role will be expected to work from our SOMA office several days per week depending on department needs. Some night and weekend availability is required, especially during the SFFILM Festival (April 24 – 28).

Application review begins January 4 but will be rolling after that. The ideal start date for this position is mid-January. This position is paid hourly at the rate of $25 per hour and is eligible for overtime. The end date for this role is May 9, 2024.

Responsibilities

  • Provide guest management and hospitality for high-level talent and filmmakers for the SFFILM Festival and ad hoc events in the winter.
  • Supervise all activities of the Guest Office department, including direct management, and allocation of tasks to the Guest Office Assistant Manager and Coordinator for the festival season.
  • Manage department budget, working closely with the Director of Programming (DP) to ensure hospitality expenses remain within scope.
  • With support from DP, collaborate with the Transportation department to ensure smooth overall communication between Guest Office and Transportation for the festival season.
  • Oversee departmental communications for all SFFILM guests, including personal itineraries, updating invitations and welcome letters, creating, and disseminating welcome packs, and overseeing the SFFILM Guest Office Website.
  • Oversee accommodation for all festival guests, including liaising with multiple hotels, assigning accommodations to guests, maintaining master hotel grid, and overseeing airfare reimbursements. 
  • In collaboration with the Development Department, actively contribute to management and billing with Festival Partnership Hotels. 
  • Ensure all event/festival benefits are available to filmmakers as appropriate, assisting with ticket requests and communication with producers/studios/distributors, and ensuring internal holds are efficiently managed. 
  • Manage all guest check-in staffing and workflow for guests for all SFFILM events.
  • Oversee all guest support for Talks as needed at the SFFILM Festival.
  • Revamp and publish the Guest Office Website and keep all information current in the lead up and during the festival.
  • Provide support during Industry Days to Programming and Makers. Industry Days is a two day, in-person event providing networking and panel discussions for 100+ filmmakers. 
  • Oversee Jury accommodations and execute the Jury luncheon. 
  • Create a cohesive wrap report for each position, reconcile all expenses, and close out all accounts. 
  • Work with the Programming Team to ensure Thank Yous are dispatched upon the festival’s conclusion to key constituents.

Qualifications

  • 2+ years of Guest/Artist Relations or Film Festival experience required. 
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Demonstrated experience in budget and staff management required.
  • Ability to juggle multiple tasks and competing timelines.
  • Excellent decision-making and creative problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to be welcoming and comfortable interacting with people with vastly different backgrounds and roles.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office suite and experienced in database usage (FilemakerPro preferred).
  • Proficient in Squarespace website creation and management.
  • Knowledge of foreign languages is a plus.
  • Bay Area based

SFFILM is deeply committed to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) in both its internal management and external programming. Since 2018, the organization has actively been working in collaboration with two Advisory Boards focused on accessibility and inclusivity and officially began work with a DEI consultant in 2019 to further invest in and build on that work. Candidates are invited to discuss their interest and involvement in DEAI practices in their cover letter, and ask us more about our DEAI process in their interview.

SFFILM, in accordance with federal and state law, is an equal-opportunity employer. SFFILM does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy/childbirth, medical condition, disability, age, ancestry, marital status, citizenship or veteran status. This nondiscrimination policy covers all candidates, staff members, interns, and volunteers.

Programmer

This position is no longer accepting applications.