WANTED – PRODUCER, POLARIS FESTIVAL 

JOB POSTING – PRODUCER, POLARIS FESTIVAL 

Polaris Music Prize
Contractor Full-Time

ABOUT POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE

The Polaris Music Prize is a registered charity that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A select panel of music critics judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity.

Mission: Polaris is dedicated to celebrating the art of music. We bring together music lovers, artists and a dynamic jury to discover, discuss and award the best in Canadian music based on artistic merit.

Vision: Through our awards and programs we inspire music fans in Canada and across the world to champion important Canadian music.

Core Purpose: We believe in the value of music as art. It has the power to transform culture and shape identity.

Polaris Festival

Building on the success of the Ontario Creates-funded 2025 Polaris Festival, Polaris will expand its public programming through a Canadian-first Festival that advances audience and market development, professional development, and business-to-business connections for artists, industry, and audiences.

The Festival includes concerts featuring previously nominated artists, Polaris Salons (professional development and critical conversations), Listening Sessions, and charitable mission aligned creative activations.

In 2025, the Festival delivered approximately 20 events, engaged nearly 11,000 attendees and partnered with 14 venues and community organizations. The 2026 Festival will deepen this impact through stronger coordination, revenue integration, and measurable outcomes.

ROLE OVERVIEW:

Polaris is establishing a Festival Producer role to unify and maximize the planning, delivery, revenue, and marketing coordination of the Polaris Festival.

The Festival Producer will consolidate program development, partner and venue coordination, ticketing and registrations, donation and sponsorship solicitation and integration, creative and video production timelines, and performance measurement and reporting into one integrated leadership position.

This role is responsible for ensuring that the Festival:

• Expands performance opportunities for past Polaris nominees
• Strengthens partnerships with venues and cultural organizations
• Sponsorship and grant identification, solicitation, integration, and reporting
• Embeds sustainable revenue systems (ticketing, donations, sponsorship integration)
• Delivers measurable outcomes aligned with organizational and funder objectives
• Enhances the visibility and prestige of Polaris and Canadian artists nationally and internationally

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Festival Planning & Curation

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Festival operational plan including timelines, budgets, and workflows
• Update organizational legacy documents including critical path
• Coordinate programming across Concerts, Salons, Listening Sessions, and activations into a coherent season
• Support staff-led curation drawn from the 700+ past Polaris nominees with diverse programming and representation as a key priority
• Introduce selective programming innovations that deepen audience engagement
• The Producer will also assist with all Polaris events as needed

Partner & Venue Coordination

• Identify, vet, and negotiate agreements with venues and collaborators
• Structure value-exchange partnerships (in-kind AV, space, production support) to maximize Festival reach while preserving cash resources
• Manage contracting, deliverables, and communication with Festival partners
• Ensure sponsor and partner brand alignment and fulfillment

Ticketing, Registration & Revenue Integration

• Oversee ticketing and registration platforms (including donation-capable systems)
• Create programming that achieves ticket revenue targets
• Standardize registration flows across events
• Embed donation prompts and revenue opportunities within all Polaris-managed registration systems
• Track ticket sales, donations, bundles, discount codes, and per-attendee yield strategies

Sponsorship & Deliverables Coordination

• Work in collaboration with development leadership to ensure sponsor deliverables are integrated into programming and marketing
• Identify and solicit new sponsor prospects to assist in achieving set revenue targets in support of the Polaris Festival expenses
• Develop sponsor-ready reporting assets and proof-of-performance documentation
• Execute partner stewardship and complete all recognition benefits

Marketing & Promotion

• Lead Festival creative and video operations in collaboration with pro-bono creative partners
• Stand as lead point of contact for artists to deliver promotional content
• Manage branding, graphics, sponsor decks, and promotional assets
• Create promotional asset marketing campaign plan and assist with graphic design where possible
• Oversee in-house event capture and production of recap/sizzle videos
• Ensure all creative assets are aligned with on-sale and reporting timelines

Reporting & Measurement

• Track and report on key performance indicators including:
  • Attendance and geographic reach
  • Artist fees paid
  • Professional development sessions delivered
  • Business-to-business meetings and touchpoints
  • Ticket and donation revenue
  • Sponsorship deliverables
  • Media coverage and digital impressions
  • Equity and accessibility metrics
• Generate comprehensive post-Festival reports to inform strategic planning and funder reporting

CONTRACTOR FEE: The contractor will be paid $80,000. The contractor will work 40 hour weeks from March- December 31, 2026 with work hours to be agreed upon.

The contractor will invoice at the end of each month with the total number of hours worked.

EQUITY & INCLUSION 

Polaris Music Prize is committed to equity, access, and representation in our hiring and workplace practices. We welcome applications from individuals who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, Deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, Francophone, newcomers to Canada, and members of other equity-seeking communities.

We recognize that experience and leadership take many forms and encourage applicants to share relevant lived and professional experience. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process upon request. Please contact amber@polarismusicprize.ca if you need any additional information or accommodations in your application.

APPLICATION DEADLINE 

Please email your cover letter and resume to amber@polarismusicprize.ca by March 1, 2026 to be considered.