Get Involved

Manchester Literature Festival has a long tradition of partnering with publishers, venues, other festivals and cultural organisations on the development and delivery of our live event programmes, new commissions and creative learning projects. We believe partnership working benefits the audiences, artists and communities we serve, and we are open to conversations about potential collaboration.

Some of our many current and recent partners include Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester UNESCO City of Literature, National Trust, Canal and River Trust, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, the BBC, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Z-arts, Media Cubs, Reform Radio and Greater Manchester schools and libraries.

If you share our artistic vision of encouraging everyone to discover a love of literature in all its forms and have an idea for an event, commission, or education project that you believe would be mutually beneficial to MLF and the organisation you represent, please do get in touch. In the first instance please email office@manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk and your message will be passed on to the most relevant member of the team.

Our team of Manchester Literature Festival volunteers plays an invaluable role in helping to create a welcoming and joyful experience for audiences and participants. With over 40+ events going on simultaneously across the city centre every October, volunteer support is crucial to ensuring the smooth running of Festival events, making sure that audiences and authors get the most out of the time they spend together.

MLF’s volunteers are public facing ambassadors for the organisation. Tasks include directing people to the event space, checking and selling tickets, answering basic questions about the event/venue, assisting latecomers, providing a roving mic during audience Q&As, and managing the book signing queues.

In addition to event support during the Festival, there is occasional administrative work in the Festival office; in particular the mailout of several thousand Festival brochures every August.

MLF volunteers usually get a lot out of helping with the Festival, including discovering new writers, getting to know other volunteers and gaining useful experience that could support a future career in publishing, the arts or event management.

Our registered volunteers are expected to attend a briefing meeting in early September and will then be invited to apply for event shifts.

We really value the work of our volunteers and offer free tickets to events where possible. To make sure everyone can volunteer their time at MLF we offer travel expenses to all volunteers to and from shifts.

Volunteering is open to anyone over the age of 18 who lives or studies in Greater Manchester. You don’t need any specific experience or skills, just an enthusiasm to get involved.

PLEASE NOTE: we have now filled all Volunteer positions for this year's Festival and applications are now closed. Please check back in July 2025 for Volunteer opportunities for next year's Festival.

Part-time (15 hours per week / 0.4 FTE)

12-month fixed term contract

Salary: £35,000 per year (pro-rata)

Manchester Literature Festival (MLF) is seeking to appoint a Marketing and Audience Development Manager to a new role which has been created to help the organisation expand its audience and increase the organisation’s long-term resilience as we celebrate our 20th year. We are looking for a dynamic and creative individual with a strong background in marketing/ communications and audience development to help us engage with new audiences, raise the Festival’s profile and support income generation activities. Applicants must be able to demonstrate experience of both strategic and hands on delivery of successful marketing/audience development campaigns within the cultural sector.

A firm believer in the transformative power of words and stories, MLF showcases and commissions some of the most interesting voices in fiction, poetry, literature in translation, song writing, activism and culture. Featuring both established and emerging writers, the Festival provides a platform for women writers, Global Majority writers, LGBTQ+ writers, and working class writers to reflect the rich diversity of Greater Manchester. This year’s Festival takes place 10 – 26 October 2025. We also present a small programme of Spring/signature events outside of the official Festival dates and a year-round Creative Learning programme engaging children and families from some of the most socially deprived areas of Greater Manchester.

To Apply

For a full Job Description, Person Specification and details of how to submit your application please download the Recruitment Pack and the Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form below.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 21 February 2025

Receipt of your application will be confirmed by email. Interviews will be held in person and are expected to take place on Thursday 6 March.

Manchester Literature Festival is committed to being an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are keen that our workforce profile reflects the diversity of our region and the audiences we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability (physical or learning), gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or social class. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who identify as being from the global majority and/or those with lived experience.