About the YFF

The Yackandandah Folk Festival is a music festival that has been held in the township annually in March since 1998. It attracts quality performers from Australia and overseas and around 2,000 patrons. In 2026 it will be held from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd March.

As a primarily volunteer-run organisation we have generated healthy profits most years. Each year the YFF Committee decides where these profits go. For the last 8 years we have supported a local non-profit environmental organisation – Totally Renewable Yackandandah Inc., whereby 50% of profits go to them. This has delivered about $30-40,000 per year towards renewable energy and climate-resilience projects in our local area. TRY is nationally-famous for its energy and climate work. Recently, we turned on our second community battery. TRY leverages the funding provided by the Folk Festival to obtain government and other grants towards renewable energy projects.  

YFF organisational structure

The YFF is a legally incorporated association registered with the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission.

YFF is managed by a volunteer Committee of Management assisted by a large team of Festival volunteers who undertake specific roles in the lead up to the Festival, during the Festival and then in the weeks following the Festival. Some specific functions are outsourced to private service providers (eg. facility and equipment hire).

Administrative Assistant Role

As a non-profit organisation, the YFF has mostly relied on volunteers to undertake the considerable administrative workload. With the retirement of some key experienced long-term volunteers, the YFF has decided to engage an Administrative Assistant to ensure that these tasks are continued. Some of the main tasks are set out below.

Performer applications

Each year hundreds of artists apply to be performers at the Festival. The decision about who we engage lies with a Performance Selection Committee. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for compiling a spreadsheet of applications to guide the Selection Committee and ensuring that all information is kept up to date in the Festival Pro computer program.

Tasks include:

• Liaison with artists and artists’ agents.
• Entering performer applications into a spreadsheet along with information about their technical requirements. accommodation preferences, requested performance fee etc.
• Following up with artists for additional or missing information (eg. insurance details).
• Liaising with YFF volunteers including in relation to billeting, transport, technical and logistical requirements.
• Communicating with both successful and unsuccessful applicants.
• Arranging contracts and payment for performers.

Volunteer management

The Festival relies on the voluntary contribution of hundreds of volunteers in different roles. The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for managing a database of volunteers and scheduling volunteers to different jobs before, during and after the Festival.

Tasks including:

• Assistance with the recruiting and training of volunteers.
• Liaising with YFF co-ordinators regarding their volunteer requirements.
• Managing the database of volunteers through our Festival Pro program.
• Communicating with volunteers both individually and en masse.
• Allocating and re-allocating volunteers to various roles as some volunteers cancel and others join late.
• Co-ordinating the volunteer welcome event before the Festival and the volunteer thank you event after the Festival.

Festival Ticketing

YFF has an established ticketing system run by experienced staff. However where issues arise, the Administrative Assistant may be asked to assist, including documenting requests for refunds.

Festival Programming

Decisions around performer scheduling and venue allocation will be made by the Performer Selection Committee. The Administrative Assistant will assist in the drafting of the Festival Program and liaising with artists.

Skills and Personal attributes

Essential

• Good people skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to punctuality and reliability.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to work autonomously.
• Interest and competency in community engagement.
• Access to a computer and mobile phone.
• Ability to learn to use our Festival Pro software for both performer and volunteer management and scheduling.
• Proven Administrative skills in managing and disseminating information, including both paper based and electronic systems, including cloud-based sharing of documents.
• Ability to attend regular evening meetings in Yackandandah (or via remote login).
• Communications experience including managing bulk emails.
• Commitment to confidentiality in relation to personal and financial information.

Desirable

• Connections with the Yackandandah community.
• An understanding of the music industry and Festival organisation.
• Experience with Festival Pro software or similar computer-based project management tools.
• Experience with publishing software (eg. Canva or similar) for the preparation of flyers, posters, programs, signage, social media posts and other Festival materials.
• Book-keeping experience.
• Ability to attend the 2026 Festival (free ticket provided).

Other Tasks

• Liaison with other local community organisations such as local schools and community groups that participate in the Festival.
• There will inevitably be other tasks to be negotiated with the successful applicant, so a proven ability to adapt and adjust to changing circumstances would be highly valued.

Employment conditions

• The status of the Administrative Assistant will be as an independent contractor. This means that you will need your own Australian Business Number (ABN) and the ability to cover your own taxation, workers compensation, leave arrangements and other employment arrangements.
• The Administrative Assistant will work closely with the YFF Secretary and will be supervised by them.
• The Administrative Assistant is expected to attend (in person or online) and report to meetings of the YFF Management Committee, which are usually held monthly in the evenings.
• Other meetings outside normal working hours may also be required.
• Hours of work will be negotiated with the successful candidate however it is likely that hours will be less during the months of April to December and then increase in January and February with a peak in March. As a rough guide, we expect the hours to be the equivalent of 3 months full time work spread over 12 months.
• The start date will be negotiated with the successful candidate however early August would be preferred.
• Remuneration will be based on hours worked and will be consistent with Administrative Assistant salaries in the non-government, non-profit sector.
• The position is for 12 months only during which time the Committee will assess the success of the role and determine whether it can be a continuing position. Ideally we are looking for someone we can work with in the long term, however any future contracts will be subject to the Committee’s determination.
• There will be an initial 3 month probationary period for both the Administrative Assistant and the YFF Committee to assess the relationship and whether to continue with the remainder of the contract.

If you need more information, please ring Max Horvath on 0438 302 015.