Box Office Supervisor

Fixed-term contract from Wednesday 11 June — Monday 25 August 2025, full-time.
£13.88 per hour, paid weekly in arrears by bank transfer (plus holiday pay).

We are seeking a motivated and passionate Box Office Supervisor to support our box office team this summer. This is a great opportunity to build on existing box office or supervisory experience.

This is an ideal development opportunity for candidates wishing to build on existing Box Office experience, either at supervisor or assistant level, in a world class festival environment. You will have exceptional customer service skills and the ability to effectively handle any queries or complaints. You'll also have previous experience of supervising, training and mentoring staff in customer-facing environment and a positive, calm manner under pressure.

The post is based at our office on George Street, Edinburgh and at the Festival site at the Edinburgh Futures Institute during August. Normal hours of work are 09:30 – 17:30, Monday to Friday during June and July (35 hours per week), apart from the Public On Sale weekend when staff will be required to work on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 2025.

Additional hours will be required during the Festival itself (42 hours per week), when staff should expect to work a six-day week (most staff are usually scheduled to have two days off during the Festival). Rotas are issued in advance of the Festival.

Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from Saturday 9 August - Sunday 24 August 2025.

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Opportunities

  • Administrator
    Apply before 12:00pm on Friday, 21st March 2025

    An exciting opportunity to contribute to the shaping of a world leading cultural festival. The Administrator will be key member of the Operations team at the Book Festival. The Book Festival team is small and friendly, with several temporary staff members coming on board as in the April to August period.
    Reporting to the Head of Operations & Finance, the role will include: office management, administration tasks, specific festival 2025 administration, HR support. You will act as a central point of liaison internally and externally, responding to queries promptly.

    Find out more

  • Box Office Manager - Fixed Term Contract
    Apply before 11:59pm on Sunday, 16th March 2025

    Full time, fixed-term contract from Tuesday 6 May — Monday 25 August 2025.
    Rate of pay: £16.51 per hour

    This is an on-site role at the Edinburgh International Book Festival office on George Street, Edinburgh, and at our Festival site at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh. During June the Box Office handles the Friends Advanced Booking period and the opening day of sales to the public. Once tickets are on sale, the role will be focused on assisting with sponsor, publisher, author and other complimentary ticket bookings. The role is based at our offices on George Street. in August, the Box Office team move to our Festival site at the Edinburgh Futures Institute on Lauriston Place, Edinburgh. From here we operate a box office counter and a telephone room. During the Festival the Box Office is usually open 09:30-21:00 daily, but occasionally stays open later depending on the timing of the last event.

    This is an ideal development opportunity for candidates wishing to build on existing Box Office management experience, preferably at supervisor level, in a world class festival environment. You will have exceptional customer service skills and the ability to effectively handle any queries or complaints. You'll also have previous experience of supervising, training and mentoring staff in customer-facing environment and a positive, calm manner under pressure.

    Find out more

Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Edinburgh International Book Festival began in 1983 and is now a key event in the August Festival season, celebrated annually in Scotland's capital city. Biennial at first, the Book Festival became a yearly celebration in 1997. Throughout its history, the Book Festival has grown in size and scope becoming one of the largest public celebrations of words and ideas in the world. Today, the Festival programmes around 600 events for adults, children and schools each August and produces a wide-ranging Communities Programme across the year. 

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