Makerspace Director at Union College

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Location: Schenectady, New York

Union College (NY) seeks applicants for the Director of the Union College MakerSpace Consortium. This position reports to the Dean of Academic Departments and Programs and has responsibility for leading the growth of the maker culture at Union College. The goal of the program is to establish and sustain an interdisciplinary and student-driven culture of craftsmanship at the college. Beyond administration of our makerspaces, the director will have opportunities to teach undergraduate practica, oversee independent studies, and lead events and initiatives with faculty. We welcome applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups. Applicants are encouraged to write in their cover letter how they will support diverse students and faculty and enhance the diversity of educational experiences at the college. Please upload a cover letter, resume, and names and contact information for three referees to http://jobs.union.edu. Application review will begin June 29th, 2018, and will continue until the position is filled.  **Note date has been extended to July 6, 2018.

Specific Responsibilities

  • Develop and sustain the maker culture at Union College, and administrate our distributed campus makerspaces.
  • Provide creative and strategic leadership for the redesign and renovation of student-driven, interdisciplinary makerspaces that include a variety of digital fabrication tools (laser cutters, milling machines, 3D printers, woodworking tools, electronic bench supplies, computers, etc.)
  • Maintain the various maker facilities distributed throughout the college. This includes: developing training materials and policies; routine maintenance and repair of equipment; administrative tasks including record keeping and budgeting; acquisition of new equipment, parts, and supplies.
  • Hire, train, supervise, and mentor an interdisciplinary group of students tasked with daily operation of the campus makerspaces.
  • Propose and develop faculty and student workshops and events
  • Develop and supervise undergraduate maker-related practica and independent studies.
  • Seek internal and external grant funding to support work of Makerspace activities
  • Explore opportunities to develop Makerspace activities with K-12 education and local communities

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s Degree preferred, terminal degree a plus
  • Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills. Ability to promote and advocate for Makerspace activities, solve problems, and discover innovative applications.
  • Demonstrated ability to work with diverse faculty, staff, and students across a wide range of interdisciplinary situations.
  • Working knowledge and experience in Makerspace and manufacturing labs and on/or advanced manufacturing or rapid prototyping tools including 3D printers/scanners, laser cutters, and other CNC machinery
  • Excellent planning and organization skills; proven ability to manage, priority, and complete multiple projects
  • Experience teaching creative course and workshops that include opportunities for experiential learning a plus
  • Grant writing experience a plus

Note: All new hires of Union College are subject to a thorough education, work experience, and criminal history background check.

Link to job ad: http://jobs.union.edu/cw/en-us/job/492408/makerspace-director