Festival Associate Manager, Safety & Security

Sundance Institute; United States; Hybrid; USD 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid sick leave

Employee assistance program

Wellness initiatives

Festival Passes

Job summary

Sundance Institute in Boulder, CO is seeking a Festival Associate Manager, Safety & Security to oversee safety and evacuation planning for the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. The role requires coordinating with internal departments, venue safety, and security vendors, with on-site work in hybrid mode.

The position runs Sep 21, 2026 to Feb 12, 2027, 40 hours weekly, with extended hours during the festival, including weekends and holidays.

Qualifications

• Valid driver’s license and successful completion of MVR background check.
• 3 years of experience in the security industry or related work experience.
• Conflict resolution skills with a background that includes handling stressful situations.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills to work with a variety of people.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize.
• Experience in incident management is preferred.
• Experience in venue or event safety or security operations preferred.
• Ability to maintain confidential information.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage varying security and safety situations that arise during the 2027 Festival.
• Implement and clearly communicate elements related to operational safety and security for the 2027 Festival.
• Prioritize tasks to ensure projects and deadlines are met.
• Consistently have effective, clear, and concise communication with internal staff, security vendors, and external stakeholders.

Skills

Driver's license

MVR check

Security experience

Conflict resolution

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Incident management

Venue safety

Confidential information handling

US work authorization

Job description

Career Opportunities with Sundance Institute

A great place to work.

Careers At Sundance Institute

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

Our employees are distributed across four main hubs: Los Angeles, California, Boulder, Colorado, New York, New York, & Salt Lake City, Utah.

Festival Associate Manager, Safety & Security

The Festival Associate Manager, Safety and Security, is charged with operational safety elements for the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. This work includes venue safety and evacuation planning, incident management, safety resource distribution, and security management.

Working closely under the direction of the Manager, Safety and Security, the Festival Associate Manager, Safety and Security supports Sundance Institute’s commitment to providing a safe Festival experience for the entire Institute Community.

This temporary position works full-time (40 hours per week) from Monday, September 21, 2026 to Friday, February 12, 2027 and will be required to work extended hours, including some evenings, weekends, and holidays to meet key deadlines and respond to on-call needs as assigned. This position is based out of our Boulder, CO office in order to work onsite in a hybrid capacity throughout its employment.

This role is critical to operations and requires a highly flexible schedule during the Sundance Film Festival (January 21-31). Team members should expect to work every day of the Festival, including weekends, and extended hours depending on operational needs. Advance notice will be provided whenever possible although the nature of this work may require flexibility and last minute schedule changes as safety and security needs evolve in real time.

Top priorities include but are not limited to…

• Playing an active role in and often leading work related to delicate and sometimes high-level safety situations.
• Managing updates to safety, emergency, and evacuation plans for all Festival venues and events.
• Executing implementation of the Festival Incident Management system.
• Maintaining timelines related to security operations during the Festival, including tracking and updating changes.
• Working with internal departments to ensure all security and safety needs are considered and addressed.
• Acting as the main liaison for security vendors including overseeing their schedules and communicating updates.
• Creating and distributing all internal and external safety manuals.
• Leading safety and security training sessions for internal employees and volunteers.
• Supporting the Safety and Belonging team with various safety and security projects, including attending security-sensitive events and scheduling/performing walkthroughs, etc.
• Conducting daily onsite visits to official Festival venues and managing security guard sign-in and out process.
• Completing Safety and Security project-based assignments as directed and providing support to the team.
• Writing a comprehensive wrap report.

You have the following direct or transferable skill sets:

• Valid driver’s license and successful completion of MVR background check.
• 3 years of experience in the security industry or related work experience.
• Conflict resolution skills with a background that includes handling stressful situations.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills to work with a variety of people.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize.
• Experience in incident management is preferred.
• Experience in venue or event safety or security operations preferred.
• Ability to maintain confidential information.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.

You will be successful in this role if you...

• Lead and manage varying security and safety situations that arise during the 2027 Festival.
• Implement and clearly communicate elements related to operational safety and security for the 2027 Festival.
• Prioritize tasks to ensure projects and deadlines are met.
• Consistently have effective, clear, and concise communication with internal staff, security vendors, and external stakeholders.

In addition to an hourly pay of $24.50, this position* is eligible for benefits & perks, highlights include:

• Paid sick leave and Institute holidays
• Employee assistance program
• Employee Wellness Initiatives
• Sundance Film Festival passes and benefits (varies each year)

*Applications open 9/1/2026 and will be accepted for at least one week