Position: Communications Specialist
Position Type: Full time, permanent
Compensation: $42,000 plus commensurate benefits
Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible
Reports to: Executive Director 

Overview:  

The Communications Specialist is a key role within the Marketing, Communications, and Development Team. Reporting to the Executive Director and working in very close collaboration with the Marketing Specialist, the Communications Specialist strategizes, executes, manages, and reports on all internal and external communications in support of Fringe Theatre’s year-round operations and activities.  

The Communications Specialist expertly improves on the brand, voice, engagement, and impact of Fringe’s reach in local, national, and international markets. Offering a strategic approach to professional communications, this role leads communication and stakeholder engagement in support of all Fringe Theatre activities, programs, and initiatives, including the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, the Fringe Theatre Season, Fringe Grounds Cafe, Fringe Theatre Arts Barns, Indigenous Innovation Program, Volunteer recruitment, Fringe Learn, Fringe Shop, FringeTV, community events, audience engagement, and more. 

Is it you we’re looking for? 

You’re creative and passionate. You have exceptionally strong writing chops and understand the power of story in building brand awareness. You think strategically and communicate clearly. You’re comfortable managing multiple projects with exact deadlines. You highly value collaboration and love working as part of a big, creative team full of big, creative personalities. You thrive in an evolving environment where no two days are the same. You are a collaborator who believes in supporting the arts community. You bring an open and positive energy to everything you do. You’ve got a great sense of humour and desire to make the arts industry (if not the world!) a better place. A love for Fringe, live theatre, and the local arts scene helps, too!  

Job Description:  

• Integrate traditional and emerging communication channels, tools, and strategies to achieve organizational goals;  
• Manage and integrate brand, key messaging, and voice of the organization across all internal and external communications, advertising, and activities;  
• Develop, manage, execute, and measure the effectiveness of communication plans and strategies; 

• Collaborate with the Marketing Specialist to develop, manage, execute, and measure the effectiveness of communication activities that engage audiences and build awareness;  
• Collaborate with all departments to support communications to key stakeholders: artists, patrons, volunteers, donors, sponsors, industry, community, staff, funders, and more; 
• Collaboratively support all activities of the Development team, including sponsorship and fundraising activities; 
• Support development of key messaging and speaking notes for spokespeople;  
• Collaborate with the Marketing Specialist regarding the role of social media, public relations, and communications within the larger marketing and communications plans and strategies;  
• Collaborate with the Marketing Specialist to develop creative content for marketing and promotional campaigns;  
• Support the development, ad sales, printing, distribution, and evaluation of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival Guide;  
• Collaborate to support special events for sponsors, media, patrons, and key stakeholders; 
• Manage Fringe Theatre’s social media channels, and develop, execute, and measure the effectiveness of social media strategies and content that grows stakeholder and new audience engagement;  
• Develop, manage, execute, and measure the effectiveness of website strategies and content that grows stakeholder and new audience engagement;  
• Develop, manage, execute and measure the effectiveness of e-newsletter content for all stakeholder groups;  
• Manage email and social media patron inquiries throughout the year;  
• In collaboration with Graphic Designer and all departments, project manage the development and execution of Fringe Theatre Arts Barns signage and Fringe Festival signage; and 
• Collaboratively support all activities of the Marketing, Communications and Development Team. 

This is a full-time, permanent position. While our usual hours of operation are Monday – Friday, as a busy cultural space supporting more than 500 events year-round and as the producers of the largest, longest running Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, there is an expectation that staff are reasonably available evenings and weekends based on season and Festival event activity.  

To Apply 

Please submit your cover letter and resume to Megan Dart, Executive Director, at  with the subject line “Communications Specialist Application” by Friday, January 27, 2023.  

The ideal candidate has training and at least a few years’ experience in communications. If you have the drive but not the years’ experience, still throw your hat in the ring. We want to work with someone who wants to learn. We thank everyone who applies, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Why Fringe?  

At Fringe Theatre, we foster artists. We nurture audiences. We take chances. Fringe Theatre cultivates safer spaces for brave ideas and big artistic risk.    

Since its very beginning, Fringe Theatre has been the meeting place where experience, perspective, diversity, and passion are explored, uplifted, and celebrated. Representation onstage, backstage, in the Front of House and Box Office, in our administrative spaces, and in our mentorship and training programs matters. The future of theatre in Treaty 6 is equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible. We believe representation within our organization will lead to greater equity, diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility in our community.  

We are a collaborative, playful, creative, flexible, hard-working team where big ideas and out-of-the-box approaches are encouraged. We know you have a big, beautiful, busy life outside of Fringe and we will do everything in our power to honour your humanness beyond the great work you do with us.  

Our base of operations is the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns in Edmonton, AB (10330 84 Avenue). Our hours of business are typically 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday, though as a busy cultural space supporting more than 500 events year-round and as the producers of the largest, longest-running Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, there is an expectation that staff are reasonably available evenings and weekends based on season and Festival event activity.  

Employees are expected to uphold and champion Fringe’s Safer Spaces and Anti-Racism programs and abide by our Code of Conduct. 

COVID-19 Considerations:
We believe in care and kindness above all else – we’re all in this together. Fringe Theatre is a mask-friendly workplace where personal choice is respected.