Leadership
We have thirteen Leadership Roles open and we’re looking for awesome humans to help lead the charge! Whether you are local or traveling in, we would love to have enthusiastic volunteers step up to help run these departments.
Some roles work best for folks who already have experience—either in the Burning Man community or in related skills outside of it. A few positions do require living in the greater New Orleans area, but many are open to participants from anywhere.
ALL LEADERSHIP ROLES COME WITH SOME COMMITMENT: Whether it’s joining planning meetings, organizing volunteers, responding to emails from the public regarding your department, communicating with your teammates, and helping rally people to fill shifts and keep your department running smoothly.
As a thank you for stepping up, LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS QUALIFY FOR THE LOWEST TICKET TIER OF $100!
Come help co-create the magic!
Board Member
The Board is responsible for making sure that everything that needs to happen, happens. The most rewarding role is also the most demanding. If you have strong organizational skills, can keep a level head under pressure, collaborate as a teammate, and can commit several hours a week to lead Engulf, you may be a good fit for the Board. The Engulf Board meets every Monday for one to two hours. As we get closer to the event there will be organizational tasks that you will handle or lead that take additional time. During the event each Board member rotates crucial 12-hour shifts as the on-duty leader of the Engulf organization, overseeing and supporting Area Facilitators, Team Leads, and other volunteers. If this challenging opportunity to shape the future of Engulf calls to you, reach out and apply for one of our open Board seats.
Art Department
ARTery Lead
The ARTery is the Heart of the Art, and the ARTery Lead helps ensure it keeps beating. You are the liaison for all potential Engulf artists. In close collaboration with artists, you present their proposal to the Board for grant consideration, work closely with them to ensure they have considered all their proposal needs before the event, coordinate with City planning for placement, and confirm they breakdown in accordance with their contract. The ARTery Lead also assists in filling volunteer shifts within ARTery and helps ensure the department runs smoothly.
DMV Lead
This position is responsible for working with art car artists before and during the event to make sure they are well “artified” and run safe and sound. This person will help with submisions and grant acceptance. Ideally this position is for someone with experience as a mechanic or with small engines and motors.
Art Administration Lead
This Lead is the project manager for the Art Department, handling schedules, timelines, the art budget, and related logistics for art installation and removal. This role helps to ensure that Art Department tasks are completed on time.
City Planning Department
DUST-app Lead
You are in charge of collating information submitted by theme camps, artists, and various Engulf departments, in order to upload theme camp descriptions, events, art, the map, and other Engulf content onto the Dust app. This position will coordinate with multiple departments. You don’t need to have a tech background, but you must have knowledge of Google Sheets or be willing to learn. There will be support available if you have any questions. This is a pre-event role that can be done from anywhere, where the final product is a comprehensive catalog of the content mentioned above onto Dust.
Cartography Lead
Creates the Engulf map so that it is both beautiful and informative! Experience with SketchUp or another graphics tool we could use for map-making required. This only requires time before Engulf, no responsibilities during or after the event.
Mobility Lead
Are you passionate about accessibility? The Mobility Lead helps to make Engulf more accessible for participants with mobility challenges. This Lead will organize the mobility shuttle system, parking permit program, and theme camp rest stops. This position will coordinate with multiple departments and handle accessibility registration. You will also conduct training before the event and manage shift leads and volunteers on-site.
Safety Department
First Aid Lead
Lead the team of first aid volunteers that keep people safe when accidents happen. Duties include ordering of first aid supplies, as well as setup and breakdown of the supplies during the event. You will be expected to join planning meetings, communicate with your teammates, and help rally people to fill shifts. We prefer a licensed health professional that is an EMT or higher and is a local member of our community.
Site Ops Department
Earth Guardians Lead
This is for the most passionate Leave No Trace advocate. Help us keep Mother Nature clean and Engulf a successful Leave No Trace event. This position requires you to lead our effort to make sure the wilderness is back to a pristine condition when we leave. In this role, you lead your roving team of volunteers across the Piney Playa a few times over the course of the event to ensure that no MOOP is left behind.
Ice Lead
You can create the party that keeps everyone cool! The Ice Lead is responsible for managing the ice sales cash box, ensuring that our ice gets delivered, and managing the volunteers that run the daily ice sales.
Street Lighting Lead
This Lead coordinates the street and pathway lighting, transforming the festival grounds after dark with safe, navigable illumination and immersive ambient light. To accomplish this, we install LED bucket lighting around the walking and driving paths. In this role, you will manage volunteers that drop, install, and power these buckets of light. This role will also support other Engulf departmental stations with lighting as needed. Your organization of inventory, early set up and breakdown of lighting equipment, and your volunteer direction will be pivotal to site and city operations.
Fire Department
Fire AF Lieutenant
You will assist the AF in communications and operations with all things fire. Must be organized and be the point of contact between the firefighters, FART, conclave, and burn perimeter leads. This role does NOT require firefighting experience. Rather, this is a communications and administrative role connecting all fire-related departments.
Fire Fighter Lieutenant
In this role, you MUST have experience, or be willing to gain experience and certification, as a firefighter. You will serve as second in command to the firefighting team.
We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re interested in any of these leadership roles for Engulf 2026, please email the Engulf Board (board@engulfburn.org) a resume and/or a list of your skills and experience, and why you would be perfect for the position! Please list all positions you’re interested in!