General Director

The École Nationale de Cirque de Châtellerault (ENCC), established as a French non-profit association under the 1901 law, is a professional artistic education institution specialising in circus arts.
The ENCC holds a unique position within the national and European landscape of circus arts training. It is a member of the FFEC and FEDEC.

The school develops three main areas of activity:

• the General Baccalaureate with a Circus Arts specialisation;
• the CPES Circus Arts Preparatory Programme for Higher Education;
• a recreational sector open to children, teenagers and adults from the local area.

The ENCC also runs a programme of artistic residencies and supports professional artists’ projects. It organises a circus festival dedicated to fostering encounters between artists, students and audiences.
The ENCC has an 800 m² training facility at the Manufacture de Châtellerault, as well as educational and administrative spaces, and a fully equipped self-supporting circus tent with:

• a 518-seat audience stand;
• equipment provided to the ENCC by Grand Châtellerault.

The school is funded by the French State, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Vienne Department, the Grand Châtellerault urban area, and the City of Châtellerault.

Job description

Under the authority of the association’s President, and in collaboration with the Board and the Executive Committee, the General Director is responsible for the artistic, educational, administrative and strategic management of the institution.

The General Director ensures the implementation of the school’s overall project, the coherence of its educational orientations, the development of partnerships and the national and international visibility of the ENCC.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the overall management of the institution, in close collaboration with the President, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.
• Implement the school’s strategic project and guarantee consistency between artistic, educational, administrative, financial and partnership objectives.
• Lead the artistic and educational direction of the ENCC, ensuring the quality of training programmes, the high standards of learning pathways and personalised support for pupils and students.
• Oversee the General Baccalaureate with Circus Arts specialisation, the CPES Circus Arts programme, the recreational sector, workshops, training courses, masterclasses and interdisciplinary projects.
• Manage, coordinate and support the permanent team, including educational, administrative, technical, communication and development staff.
• Encourage collective reflection, strengthen internal communication and implement management, monitoring and evaluation tools for the school’s activities.
• Maintain dialogue with the school’s public partners and represent the ENCC with the French State, the DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Vienne Department, Grand Châtellerault, the City of Châtellerault and the Ministry of Education.
• Develop collaborations with cultural, educational, social and artistic organisations locally, as well as with performing arts professionals across Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
• Strengthen links with national and international circus arts training networks, including the FFEC, FEDEC, higher education and preparatory schools, festivals and professional platforms.
• Develop the ENCC’s artistic residency programme and encourage encounters between professional artists, pupils, students, teaching staff and audiences.
• Support pupils and students in their progression towards higher education institutions, professional networks and contemporary creation pathways.
• Maintain ongoing awareness of developments in contemporary circus, artistic education, performing arts, public policies and European challenges in training and education.
• Contribute to fundraising efforts, resource diversification, development of the apprenticeship tax scheme, sponsorship and private partnerships.
• Ensure responsible and sustainable management of the institution’s human, financial, material and technical resources, and implement the ENCC’s commitments regarding social and environmental responsibility (RSO), gender equality, diversity, inclusion, safety and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence and harassment (VHSS).
• Produce activity reports, assessments, strategic outlooks, statistics and analytical documents required for the monitoring of the institution, association bodies and public partners.

Candidate profile

Skills and experience

• Higher education qualification or proven experience in managing cultural institutions, artistic education, cultural project management or the performing arts sector.
• Strong knowledge of circus arts, contemporary developments within the sector and the challenges of professional artistic training.
• Good understanding of the cultural and artistic performing arts network, particularly contemporary circus.
• Good knowledge of administration, pedagogy, production, communication, artistic and cultural education, and development activities.
• Ability to lead an institutional project, develop a strategy, organise its implementation and evaluate outcomes.

Personal qualities

• Proven management and leadership skills.
• Autonomy, responsiveness and a strong sense of responsibility.
• Ability to work as part of a team and supervise staff.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with teams, pupils, families, artists and public partners.
• Professional working proficiency in English.
• Valid driving licence (Category B) required.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Commitment to public service values and responsibilities.

Employment conditions

• Ability to respect duties of confidentiality, loyalty and discretion.
• High availability required depending on the period, including occasional evening and weekend work.

A minimum of five years’ experience is expected in a management position, general coordination role, educational leadership role, cultural project management position or team management role.

Experience in the performing arts sector, artistic education, contemporary circus or cultural non-profit organisations is highly desirable.

Additional information

Start date : 1 october 2026
Application deadline: 19 August 2026
Salary: According to the applicable institutional agreement and the candidate’s experience
Location: Châtellerault (86) (FRA)
Website : www.ecoledecirque.org 
Working hours: 28 or 35 hours per week, depending on the candidate's profile
Contract: Permanent full-time contract (CDI)

The application package must include:

• a cover letter;
• a CV;
• a statement of intent (maximum five pages) outlining the candidate’s understanding of the school’s project, proposed artistic and educational vision, and management priorities.

Interviews will take place on a date to be communicated at a later stage.

To apply: https://www.profilculture.com/annonce/directeur-rice-general-492948.html