Technical Adviser in Art & Design

College of Arts, Humanities and Education

As a Technical Adviser in Art and Design, you will play a crucial role in supporting teaching and research activities within the School of Arts.

Job details

Responsible to

Technical Team Leader

Location

Markeaton Street and Britannia Mill, Derby Campus

Closing date

Thursday 13 February 2025

Salary

£27,280 to £29,634 per annum for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £34,090 per annum

Job grade

ATOS 5

Reference

0486-24

Contract type

Permanent

Post type

Full-time

Adaptive working type

Onsite
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location.

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Inspiration, stimulation and real-world insight sums up our approach to learning and research across the College of Arts, Humanities and Education. Our strong creative community of staff and students, combined with a dynamic, energetic flourishing creative economy, will allow your talent to thrive and for you to realise your ambitions.

The School of Arts sits within the College of Arts, Humanities and Education and is a place where talent thrives, and ambitions are realised. Our impressive facilities range from our producing and learning theatre, photography lab and purpose-built studios.

As a Technical Adviser in Art and Design, you will play a crucial role in supporting teaching and research activities within the School of Arts. Your primary focus will be on Therapeutic Arts, encompassing Arts, Drama, Dance, and Music pathways. You will be responsible for ensuring that equipment and workspaces are prepared and maintained to facilitate high-quality academic delivery and enhance student learning. Working across a variety of environments, including classrooms, studios, and workshops, you will provide technical demonstrations and advice to students on a wide range of art and design techniques. This includes assisting with exhibitions, maintaining specialist equipment, procuring and ordering materials, stocktaking, and promoting safe practices aligned with health and safety regulations.

Anticipated interview date – 25th February 2025

We are looking for a self-motivated team player with a strong foundation in general art and design processes and a willingness to expand their expertise. You will have excellent communication and organisational skills, allowing you to manage multiple tasks efficiently and meet tight deadlines. A relevant qualification in Art and Design or equivalent experiential learning is essential. While experience in providing technical demonstrations in areas such as printmaking, ceramics, textile art, or woodworking is advantageous, applicants are not required to have experience in all these areas, as training will be provided to support your development.

You will demonstrate flexibility, professionalism, and a commitment to continuous development, both personally and in support of the wider team. Experience in health and safety practices, particularly COSHH and risk assessments, is crucial. 

  1. Undertake any technical work related to School of Arts. This will include general workshop/studio maintenance, preparation of space in line with teaching requirements.
  2. To support students with workshops and projects, responding to queries, providing advice on a variety of art and design techniques.
  3. Organising and maintaining specialist equipment in workshop/studio spaces, liaising with other advisers over shared equipment and facilities.
  4. Ensuring the efficient and safe operation of work areas and the implementation of all relevant Health and Safety regulations and policies, in conjunction with Technical Instructor or Team leader.
  5. Assist with the supervision and induction of new staff and students into facilities, providing training on all aspects of their use.
  6. Participate in processes which monitor and enhance compliance by staff and students in matters relating to Health and Safety at Work regulations in the use of equipment and materials.
  7. Providing technical assistance, guidance and demonstrating to support student learning as agreed with the line manager.
  8. Keeping up to date records of consumable stock, capital purchases and assets.
  9. Advising on procurement needs and the ordering and purchase of materials and other items as necessary. This will also include restocking resource areas as necessary.
  10. Support building and hanging student work for exhibitions across university campuses and external venues.
  11. Participating in the University’s Appraisal process and engaging with staff development activity as agreed with the line manager.
  12. Undertaking any other duties as required in agreement with Technical Instructor, Technical Team Leader or Technical Manager.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

  • Higher National Diploma or Degree in general Art & Design subject, or equivalent experiential learning in a related Art Therapy subject

Experience

  • Experience in support role, working in an education environment
  • Experience in Health and safety for workshops and studios particularly COSHH and risk assessment
  • Experience demonstrating art and design processors such as printmaking, textile art, sewing, ceramics, mould making, wood and metal work

Skills, knowledge & abilities

  • Self-motivated with the ability to achieve deadlines
  • Demonstrable high level of organisational and practical skills
  • Able to use standard IT applications such as Word and Excel
  • Ability to work flexibly under direction both alone and as part of a small team
  • General wood working skills and use of power tools to build and display student work

Business requirements

  • Flexible, accommodating and professional approach to working with others
  • Excellent and proven verbal communication skills and able to communicate effectively to students and staff
  • Manage own time/prioritises work of others in the team effectively
  • Has a methodical work approach
  • Create a team spirit, which engages and motivates others to innovate and perform effectively
  • Support organisational change and helps individuals to achieve their potential
  • Set a high standard for self and others i.e. quality orientated
  • Commitment to the University values and behaviours
  • Some evening and weekend work may be required

Desirable Criteria

Experience

  • Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and develop new skills and techniques to support areas across the wider School and College. Such as printmaking, textile art, sewing, ceramics, mould making, wood, metal, music and filming.

Skills, knowledge and abilities

  • Knowledge of software packages such as Photoshop, Illustrator
  • Pat tester or willingness to be trained
  • First aider or willingness to be trained
  • Understanding of audio and video file capture formats and video and still camera operation
  • Knowledge of maintaining musical instruments
  • Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
  • Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
  • Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
  • Discounted onsite gym
  • Discounted access to Devonshire Spa
  • Cycle to Work scheme
  • A flexible working environment
  • A commitment to personal and professional development

Find out more about rewards and benefitsFind out more about rewards and benefits

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Jo Newton, Technical Team Leader via j.newton@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Please visit Applying from Overseas for more information.

 

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

For more information on equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby, please visit our website.

 

A university that celebrates you

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2040.

 

Environment and sustainability

Unlock your potential and apply today.

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

 

Further details

Download Technical Adviser in Art & Design job descriptionDownload Technical Adviser in Art & Design job description

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.

Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy here.