Project Manager: Square Lake Film & Music
Square Lake Film & Music
Project Manager
Part time position (20+ hours/week)
Work hours: daytime w/occasional nights & weekends for SqLk events
Hourly pay - $25/hour
Square Lake Film & Music is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization with twenty years programming history. Since 2002 we have organized the annual Square Lake Film & Music Festival near Stillwater, Minnesota. Since 2020 we have also branched out into a variety of filmmaking-focused projects at statewide and regional settings. A belief in the transformative and unifying power of storytelling permeates and guides all of our work.
A Square Lake Film & Music Project Manager position helps us reach our 2026 project goals and commitments, and prepare a mission-directed path for our work in 2027 onward. This project manager will work in direct collaboration with director Paul Creager. Our primary projects for 2026 are:
Stillwater Film Festival: 9/24-27, 2026
MN Films at the Fair: 8/28-29 & 9/4-6, 2026
Minnesota Citizen Journalism Conference: July 2026 (in partnership with Indian NGO Video Volunteers)
St. Croix River Tales: yearly “Open Calls” till 2028
Performance Expectations - Essential Job Functions
- Work with Director Paul Creager on various project management tasks pertaining to our 2026 events and projects including: event logistics, website management, stakeholder communication, film program development, marketing and communications, on-site event support, etc.
- Maintain project and partner communication
- Fundraising project management participation (participate with grant writing, sponsorship solicitation & fundraising strategy)
- Assist with volunteer and intern recruitment and management
- Communicate with accountant
- Complete reports (e.g., simple accounting, updates, etc.) for awarded grants
- Social media management (e.g., posting, metrics, etc.)
- Share film solicitation info with partners, newsletters, publications, etc.
- Review film submissions and contribute to jury communication
- Speak to outside organizations to raise awareness/interest in Square Lake Film & Music.
- Support timely response to Square Lake Film & Music email inquiries
- Participate in weekly Square Lake Film & Music board meetings (Wednesdays 10AM)
- Receive Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Citizen Journalism training
- Participate in St. Croix River Tales class preparation and classes
- Process St. Croix River Tales registrations, book orders, and contractor invoices as needed.
- Exude contagious positive energy, enthusiasm, and belief in storytelling for community development and social change
Relevant Skills/Experience
We are looking for candidates who:
- Arts background and/or visual storytelling experience
- Demonstrated experience and/or interest in arts organizing - required
- Recognized for consistently providing excellent customer service - required
- Record of meeting and exceeding performance expectations - required
- Positive feedback from trainees, clients, and colleagues - required
- Graphic design proficiency
- Possess aesthetic and creative opinion
Desired Personal Characteristics
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Integrity, honesty, and discretion; someone who consistently earns and maintains trust
- Prefers to work within a structure/plan but able to make on-the-spot changes as needed
- Good at improvisation and on-your-feet thinking.
- Comfortable giving and receiving feedback in the interest of continuous improvement
- Belief in storytelling for community development and social change
- Enjoys traveling and is willing to travel for business, including some weekends and evenings
What’s Square Lake Film & Music’s hiring process?
You will get an email when your application is submitted, confirming that it has been received. Within one week of the end of the job posting period (see timeline below), you will hear whether or not you have been selected for a phone interview. If you are selected for a phone interview, you will hear within a week of the phone interview whether or not you have been invited for an in-person interview.
Draft Hiring Timeline
Job Posted through April 17, 2026
Phone Interviews: April 18-21, 2026
In-Person Interviews: April 26, 2026
Ideal Start Date: May 1, 2026 (or sooner)