Every great festival is experienced from the front row — and the Front-of-House Manager plays a central role in making that experience possible. Sitting within the operations team, you’ll be a key coordinator of all guest-facing activity across SGIFF’s screening and event venues, helping to ensure that every audience member, accredited guest, and VIP is welcomed, guided, and well looked after.

This is a practical, people-facing role that calls for strong organisational skills, a calm head under pressure, and a genuine enthusiasm for delivering great audience experiences. You’ll work closely with volunteers and multiple festival teams to keep day-to-day front-of-house operations running smoothly across the festival period.

If you have some experience in live events or venue operations and are looking to take on greater responsibility in a dynamic festival environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Period of Engagement: 1 September– 13 November 2026 (Two days per week)

Job Scope:

Volunteer Management

• Lead the screening and selection of volunteer applications, identifying candidates best suited to front-of-house duties.
• Develop and manage detailed duty rosters to ensure full venue coverage across the entire festival period.
• Design and deliver on-site training and orientation, equipping volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to handle FOH procedures, guest service, and emergency protocols.
• Supervise volunteer performance day-to-day, providing clear direction, support, and constructive feedback as needed.
• Manage and disburse volunteer meal allowances accurately and transparently.

Guest Services & Audience Management

• Oversee all aspects of audience entry and exit across venues, managing rush queues and accreditation badge queues with efficiency and professionalism.
• Ensure dedicated concierges are in place to attend to accredited guests, sponsors, and VIPs at all times.
• Handle on-site issues — from ticketing disputes to audience concerns — with calm authority and a solutions-first approach.
• Implement and enforce the festival’s late entry policy, using sound judgment to manage latecomers with minimal disruption.

Venue Readiness & Compliance

• Take ownership of front-of-house readiness at all venues ahead of each screening and event.
• Ensure clear, consistent wayfinding signage is in place and film rating visibility is maintained at all times.
• Oversee age verification processes for restricted screenings in compliance with film rating requirements.
• Work alongside ushers and security staff to maintain safe, well-managed crowd flow throughout the festival.

Accessibility & Inclusion

• Develop a thorough understanding of each venue’s accessibility features for wheelchair users and guests with disabilities.
• Coordinate the provision of accessibility infrastructure including portable ramps, priority seating, and assistive services.
• Liaise with relevant teams to arrange AI-generated captioning, sign language interpretation, and any other required accessibility services, if applicable.
• Ensure all volunteers and staff are confidently briefed on how to support guests with accessibility needs.

Interdepartmental Coordination

• Serve as the key operational link between the Venue, Ticketing,and Guest Services teams, ensuring seamless day-to-day coordination.
• Keep festival leadership informed with timely, accurate on-the-ground updates throughout the event.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain thorough FOH incident logs and submit daily operational updates to the central operations team.
• Lead the FOH contribution to post-festival evaluations, bringing structured feedback and clear recommendations for future editions.

Skills Required:

• Proven experience in live event operations, venue management, or front-of-house leadership.
• Strong people management skills, with a track record of supervising and motivating volunteers or part-time teams.
• Calm, decisive, and confident in high-pressure, fast-moving environments.
• Excellent communication skills — clear and direct with your team, warm and professional with guests.
• Solid understanding of venue compliance, crowd management, and safety protocols.
• Proficiency in scheduling and coordination tools such as Google Sheets or Airtable.
• Flexibility to work long hours, evenings, and weekends throughout the festival period.
• Preferred:
  • Prior experience at a film festival, arts organisation, or large-scale cultural event.
  • Familiarity with accessibility best practices and inclusive event management.
  • Experience designing and delivering volunteer training programmes.

Who You Are

• You lead from the front — your team looks to you to set the tone, and you take that seriously.
• You’re a skilled problem-solver who makes good calls quickly and doesn’t need to escalate every decision.
• You hold yourself and your team to a high standard, but you do it with support and good humour.
• You understand that front-of-house is not just logistics — it’s the first and last impression every guest takes away from the Festival.
• You have a genuine appreciation for film, culture, or the live events industry.

What You’ll Gain

• A senior operational role at one of Asia’s most prestigious cultural events.
• The opportunity to build and lead a team that delivers the public face of SGIFF to festival-goers.
• Flexibility to work remotely or on a hybrid basis during the pre-festival period, with full on-site presence required during the lead up to the event and the Festival itself.
• Lasting connections with experienced professionals across the events, arts, and hospitality sectors.
• An opportunity to deepen your expertise in large-scale live event operations and advance your career in the events or arts industry.

In line with Singapore’s hiring guidelines, preference will be given to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds who meet this requirement.

We’d love to hear from you. Please send your CV and two professional references to recruitment@sgiff.com. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a formal interview.