Education Associate

Company Overview

Who We Are:

Based in Stratford, Ontario, the Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year-round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between the months of April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of events designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on our stages, we have seven people working behind the scenes, some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced arts workers.

The Stratford Festival is committed to ongoing work to support equity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression in all areas of our work. These areas include play selection, casting, marketing and public relations efforts, education programs, production, design, recruitment of staff and volunteers, and the composition of the Board of Directors.

Why You Should Apply:

• Creative work environment     
• Paid operational shutdown in December, with flexibility of days being used at alternative times during the year
• Group Insurance Benefits
• Employer matched RRSP
• Employee Assistance Program to encourage work-life balance and strong mental health
• Complimentary & discounted ticket offers and events
• Employee discounts on merchandise and event space
• Being a part of the magic of live theatre!

Job Description

The Education Associate is responsible for organizing, coordinating, and implementing a wide range of education programs, workshops, events, and learning experiences that support the Stratford Festival’s educational mandate. This role involves developing teaching resources, facilitating chats and workshops, guiding teaching artists, managing program administration, and maintaining strong internal and external relationships to ensure high quality, inclusive, and engaging educational programming. Ensuring smooth program delivery, accurate administration, and meaningful participant experiences are central to this role.

Responsibilities:

• Organize, coordinate, and implement a wide range of Education programming, including workshops, post-show chats, InterACTive Preshows, the Teaching Stratford Program, and other events for students and teachers (elementary through secondary).
• Create pedagogical resources and develop, facilitate, and lead education programs, chats, workshops, and events for students, teachers, community partners, and groups both onsite and in schools/other locations.
• Work collaboratively with the Education department to support planning, program delivery, resource creation, event hosting, and engagement across programs.
• Schedule, guide, and support teaching artists in the facilitation of all education events and learning experiences.
• Liaise with stakeholders across the Festival and initiate, maintain, and strengthen internal and external relationships to support engagement and participation in Education programming and enhance the reach and impact of educational initiatives.
• Fulfill administrative duties for education programming including budget tracking, data entry, correspondence, registration, filing, reporting, etc.
• Gather and analyze feedback to assess program effectiveness and inform continuous improvement
• Act as a host for education events, ensuring programs run smoothly, on schedule, and in a welcoming, inclusive, and professional manner.
• Represent the Festival and fulfill all responsibilities with an ethic of care, respect and professionalism
• Adhere to the Stratford Festival Health & Safety Commitment and Procedures, and ensure that safe work practices and policies are supported and enforced within reporting structure.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• University undergraduate degree (four year program) or equivalent (i.e. BA, BSc, BComm, etc) in a field related to Education, Theatre, or Child and Youth Work, or a comparable combination of education and relevant experience
• 2 to 4 years of related experience creating and administering theatre arts programming within and/or outside of school contexts
• Clear Vulnerable Sector Check
• Proven commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in learning environments
• Proficiency working in administration using Microsoft Office Suite
• Experience working in a not-for-profit or performing arts environments and with data management/ticketing systems (such as Tessitura) an asset

Behavioural Competencies:

• Adaptability / Agility: seamlessly adjust to changes in environment or situation; readily learn alternative approaches and methods
• Communication: actively listen and effectively transmit and receive information
• Diplomacy: show discretion and tact in dealing with a variety of stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: able to identify challenges, analyze root causes, and develop practical solutions.

This full-time posting is for an existing vacancy located in Stratford, Ontario and will begin April 2026. This position requires the candidate to work onsite, with remote available when required. Regular work hours for this position are Monday to Friday, but may require the candidate to work holiday and weekend hours as scheduled.

Job Type: Full-Time

Annual Salary: $52,800 - $66,000

Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

Shared Values:

• Inclusion: contribute to an environment where everyone is welcome, valued and respected; consistently demonstrate an open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity that promote and celebrate the diversity of perspectives.
• Innovation: put experience and knowledge into creative problem-solving and the continuous improvement of the organization.
• Rigor: show integrity in behaviour, attention to detail in work and commitment to excellence and professional evolution
• Caring: be empathetic, understanding and attentive to others
• Connection: establish and maintain trusting relationships that are respectful and constructive

Who Should Apply: 

We welcome applicants of every identity, and encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Deaf, disabled and 2SLGBTQ+ folks. We are committed to accommodating people with disabilities throughout the recruitment process and beyond. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternative format documents, ASL Interpreter or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our recruitment team know.

No candidate will meet every desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we’d love to learn more about you!

If you would like to contribute your own remarkable talents to North America’s largest not-for-profit theatre, we’d like to hear from you.