Head of Fashion Programming

The Organisation

Melbourne Fashion Festival Ltd. is Australia’s largest major fashion event, with the purpose of developing, supporting and showcasing local and emerging fashion talent and delivering growth to the entire Australian fashion industry. A not-for-profit organisation, the Festival joyously delivers an unrivalled world-class event that celebrates and elevates every aspect of fashion and creativity, and proudly reinforces Melbourne’s position as Australia’s fashion capital.

Role Objective

The Head of Fashion Programming is responsible for leading the planning, development and delivery of the Festival’s fashion programming, ensuring the official program is strategically coherent, creatively compelling, commercially relevant and operationally excellent.

Reporting to the Creative Director, the role works in close collaboration with the Creative Director to translate the Festival’s creative vision into a high-quality, well-curated and commercially credible program of runway shows, industry events, designer initiatives, education partnerships and public-facing fashion experiences.

The role requires a senior programming and events leader with deep knowledge of the Australian fashion landscape, strong industry relationships, excellent project management capability and proven experience delivering live fashion or cultural events for both public and industry audiences.

The Head of Fashion Programming will work across the organisation, collaborating closely with the Creative Director, COO, Partnerships, Marketing, Event Operations and other senior leaders to ensure programming concepts are delivered to a high standard, aligned with Festival strategy, within budget and in support of audience, industry, partner and commercial objectives.

This role is responsible for the design, scheduling, coordination and execution of the Festival’s official fashion program, ensuring that all programming activity is delivered on time, on budget and to a standard that strengthens the Festival’s reputation as a leading fashion platform.

To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to ***email_hidden*** with the subject line "Head of Fashion Programming".

Key Responsibilities

Programming Strategy and Creative Delivery

• Work closely with the Creative Director to interpret and deliver the Festival’s creative vision across the official fashion program.
• Lead the development of the Festival’s fashion programming schedule, ensuring it reflects the Festival’s strategic direction, creative ambition, commercial priorities and industry role.
• Develop, cost and recommend programming concepts informed by market trends, designer insights, audience expectations, partner opportunities and the Festival’s broader business objectives.
• Ensure all programming activity is coherent, high-quality and aligned with the Festival’s desired positioning, brand values and creative standards.
• Collaborate with the Creative Director, COO and senior leadership team to shape programming priorities and ensure the Festival delivers a compelling mix of designer, consumer, industry and education-led events.
• Contribute to the evolution of the Festival’s programming model, identifying opportunities for growth, innovation, commercialisation and improved audience and industry engagement.

Festival Program Design and Delivery

• Lead the design, planning and delivery of all fashion programming, including runway shows, designer presentations, industry events, education initiatives and other official program activities.
• Oversee the scheduling of the Festival program to ensure effective sequencing, audience flow, commercial value and operational feasibility.
• Lead the development of programming briefs, proposals, presentations and planning documents for internal and external stakeholders.
• Work with Designers and other stakeholders who participate in the Festival programming.
• Ensure all programming activity is delivered in line with agreed budgets, timeframes, creative expectations and operational requirements.
• Work with the Event Operations team and external suppliers to ensure the seamless delivery of all runway and fashion event experiences.
• Oversee key runway programming elements, including designer groupings, collection reviews, model talent casting, guest experience, front-of-house and back-of-house considerations, entertainment, set, environment and production requirements.

Collaboration with Creative Director and Senior Leadership

• Report to and work in close partnership with the Creative Director to ensure the Festival’s creative vision is translated into practical, deliverable and high-impact programming.
• Provide the Creative Director with clear programming recommendations, schedules, budgets, risk assessments and delivery plans.
• Work collaboratively with the Executive to ensure programming decisions are operationally viable, financially responsible and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Actively participate as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to Festival strategy, growth planning, reporting, risk management and organisational performance.
• Work cross-functionally with Partnerships, Marketing, Communications, Event Operations, Ticketing and Finance to ensure programming supports commercial, audience, brand and stakeholder objectives.

Industry Relationships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain a strong and current understanding of the Australian and global fashion landscape.
• Build and nurture positive relationships with designers, industry leaders, creative collaborators, fashion institutions, suppliers and other key stakeholders.
• Act as a credible and informed representative of the Festival in fashion industry conversations.
• Champion the voice of the Australian and Victorian fashion industry internally, ensuring industry needs, expectations and opportunities are reflected in programming decisions.
• Manage the Festival’s relationships, partnerships and collaborations with fashion education institutions.
• Lead the participant engagement plan for designers, institutions and programming partners, ensuring a best-in-class experience before, during and after the Festival.

Commercial and Partnership Alignment

• Work with the Partnerships team to identify programming opportunities that support sponsor, partner and commercial objectives without compromising creative integrity.
• Contribute to the development of commercially compelling programming proposals and partner opportunities.
• Support the articulation of the value of programming initiatives to sponsors, partners, government stakeholders and other external audiences.
• Ensure programming decisions consider audience development, ticketing potential, partner value, brand impact and long-term Festival growth.

Team Leadership and People Management

• Lead and manage the Fashion Programming team, ensuring clarity of priorities, responsibilities, timelines and expected outcomes.
• Build a high-performing, collaborative and accountable team culture.
• Provide direction, feedback and support to team members to ensure the successful delivery of programming goals.
• Ensure the team operates with professionalism, discipline and strong attention to detail in all planning and delivery activities.

Budget, Governance and Risk Management

• Manage all programming budgets, ensuring the program is delivered on time and within approved financial parameters.
• Ensure accurate forecasting, tracking and reconciliation of programming expenditure in line with Festival policy.
• Identify risks, dependencies and operational challenges early, escalating issues and proposing solutions as required.
• Ensure all programming activity complies with relevant Festival policies and procedures, including event policies, diversity, equity and inclusion requirements, accessibility standards and participant obligations.
• Support ongoing review and evaluation of programming activity to improve quality, efficiency, commercial impact and stakeholder experience.

Key Skills and Experience

• Tertiary qualifications in fashion, events, arts management, business or another relevant discipline.
• Ideally 8+ years’ experience in fashion programming, events, runway production, arts/cultural programming or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of the Australian fashion industry, with an informed understanding of global fashion trends and market dynamics.
• Proven experience curating, programming or delivering live events for public and/or industry audiences.
• Demonstrated experience in runway production, event design and fashion event delivery.
• Strong industry relationships and the ability to build trust with designers, creative collaborators, education institutions, suppliers and commercial partners.
• Proven leadership capability, with experience managing teams, projects, budgets and complex stakeholder relationships.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple timelines, priorities and dependencies.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to develop programming that supports audience, partner and business outcomes.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to develop compelling proposals, briefs and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and diagnostic capability, with an aptitude for problem-solving and practical decision-making.

Personal Attributes

• Highly collaborative, with the ability to work effectively with a Creative Director and translate creative vision into delivery.
• Creative, commercially aware and operationally disciplined.
• Deeply connected to the fashion industry and curious about its future.
• A confident leader who inspires trust across internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Practical, organised and clear-minded under pressure.
• Audience-focused, with a strong understanding of experience design.
• Comfortable balancing creative ambition with budget, timeline and delivery realities.
• Committed to excellence, inclusion, quality and continuous improvement.