Lecturer in Illustration

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Birmingham Institute of Creative Arts
Location:  Parkside
Salary: 
£41,814 to £45,449
per annum
Permanent
Post Type:  Full Time
Release Date:  16 February 2024
Closing Date: 
23.59 hours GMT on Friday 01 March 2024
Reference:  022024-87

Birmingham City University are recruiting for a Lecturer to join our popular undergraduate Illustration course, someone who has an established practice within the field of illustration and experience of teaching.  A candidate who has the enthusiasm and skills to develop an engaging learning experience and to contribute to our research community in the College of Art & Design.

We are looking for someone with an established digital illustration practice who can teach a range of software across different modules. Experience in narrative illustration, storytelling, and character development is also highly desirable, as this is a popular aspect of our course, which is expanding quickly. The candidate should have a solid grounding in contemporary illustration to support this.

Essential Skills

• You will possess a degree and a postgraduate qualification in a related subject area, or the equivalent demonstrated through practice. 
•  A serious engagement with your own practice and be responsive to the varied and specific needs of the students.
• A thorough knowledge of contemporary illustration practice, pairing this with academic teaching experience.
• A recognised teaching qualification or a willingness to undergo one is essential.
• An in-depth knowledge of materials and processes and confidence in engaging with contemporary contexts.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite appropriate to Illustration.
• Evidence of effective teaching, learning, or professional practice to support excellent teaching, pedagogy, and inclusivity.
• A versatile approach and ability to work with others – collaborating with both academic and industry professionals.
• Exceptional communication skills to enable you to adapt messages for diverse audiences in an inclusive and accessible manner.
•  A commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.
• Confident in the use of information and communication technologies to meet the requirements of the role.

Desirable Skills

Knowledge/ experience of one or more of the following skills or software would be advantageous:

• Traditional and/ or digital 2D animation
• Blender
• Cinema 4D
• Adobe After Effects

Within the College of Art and Design we are committed to supporting a rich diversity of culture that reflects our local communities and student body. Therefore, we particularly welcome candidates from black, brown, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.

OUR VISION

Birmingham City University is growing in quality and standing, with an academic STEAM agenda at the heart of our ambitions. We are transforming the lives of students and their communities and want outstanding academics to join us in taking us on the next stage of our exciting journey.  

We are continuing to invest in new academic roles across the full range of subjects and disciplines that we offer in all four of our Faculties .

Our students learn through doing. They are empowered throughout their educational journey, achieving significant educational gain and personal transformation. In recognition of this we are looking to recruit exceptional academic staff who are at the cutting edge of their disciplines, as makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators.  

There has never been a better time to join us. Come and be part of the next exciting stage of our journey – apply now.

FACULTY OF ARTS, DESIGN & MEDIA

We are one of the country’s leading providers of training for the cultural and creative industries through the work done in our Faculty of Arts, Design and Media (ADM). We blur the boundaries between academia and practice and encourage our students to be bold and innovative with their own work.

As an institution, Birmingham City University is rooted in a history of the creative arts. We grew out of the Birmingham Government School of Design which opened its doors in 1843. This heritage is important, but we are anything but backward-looking. Our staff and our students lead the way in ensuring that we are constantly re-imagining our relationship with the world through our creative subjects.

Our cutting-edge facilities enable the delivery of innovative teaching and ground-breaking research, and we have a firm commitment to inter-disciplinarity through our focus on STEAM. When subjects and disciplines combine, they create new ways of thinking – and this is what we encourage our students to do.

Our staff are the key to our success – supporting our graduates to leave with skills fit for the future through their industry knowledge and expertise. And our research too, is changing the face of society – with world-leading outcomes across English, media, music as well as art and design, in areas which leave a lasting impact on society.

HOW TO APPLY

Click Apply Online at the bottom of the screen and complete the Application Form.

In support of your application, we will ask you to provide:

• A cover letter of no more than two pages offering an overview of your career and expertise, and how that experience makes you the ideal candidate for this role.
• An up-to-date CV including your publication list and research and/or professional practice and consultancy activity.
• A copy of two of your publications or outputs, or evidence of your creative practice, exhibitions or performances, including digital links to them where possible. If providing digital links, please include these on your cover letter document.

For guidance on the above, please refer to the Application Guidance document below.

ABOUT BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

At the heart of our 2025 Strategy is our mission is to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio. 

Research by our staff and students creates new knowledge, catalyses innovation, and has global impact. Through our research, we make new discoveries and deliver benefit to culture, industry, society, and the environment. Ground-breaking projects include changing health and care guidelines, improving policy and practice regarding Islamophobia, optimising energy efficient homes, promoting human dignity worldwide, improving critical care nursing, and exploring issues faced by jazz musicians. 

OUR STAFF COMMUNITY 

Birmingham is home to a rich and diverse range of communities.  Our students reflect this rich cultural mix, and we are continuing to work to make sure that this is also reflected in our broader university community. By working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential. 

You can read more about Birmingham City University’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion here .

OUR VISION

Birmingham City University is growing in quality and standing, with an academic STEAM agenda at the heart of our ambitions. We are transforming the lives of students and their communities, and want outstanding people to join us in taking us on the next stage of our exciting journey.  

Our students learn through doing. They are empowered throughout their educational journey, achieving significant educational gain and personal transformation.  

There has never been a better time to join us. Come and be part of the next exciting stage of our journey.

ABOUT BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

At the heart of our 2025 Strategy is our mission is to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK’s second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.  

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio. 

OUR STAFF COMMUNITY 

Birmingham is home to a rich and diverse range of communities.  Our students reflect this rich cultural mix, and we are continuing to work to make sure that this is also reflected in our broader university community. 

Birmingham City University values the quality and diversity of our staff. Our staff and student community is defined by our core values, which outline who we are as a University and how we work with each other. Our core values are we create opportunity, we think differently, and we build community. 

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, continuously reviewing and improving our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential. 

We hold an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.

Our University is located in one of the most culturally rich and diverse Cities in the UK, and it is our ambition to be the University for Birmingham and the surrounding region. The events of 2020 have highlighted the stark inequalities that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities face and we are committed to removing the institutional barriers that our staff and students face and improve the representation, progression and success of staff and students from all backgrounds within higher education.  To demonstrate this, we have signed up to the Race Equality Charter to show our commitment.

Birmingham City University has been recognised for its progress on LGBT+ equality with a Gold award in the Stonewall Index and have entered the Top 100 Employers 2023 for LGBT+ inclusion. Meanwhile, we are Disability Confident (Committed) and are on an exciting journey to advance our University to progress through the Disability Confident scheme.

We are also a Mindful Employer, which means we are committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of our staff, and we have also signed up to the Mental Health Charter led by student mental health charity Student Minds.   Furthermore, we are signed up to The Technician Commitment – a university and research institution initiative supported by the Science Council and Gatsby Foundation – aiming to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research.

WORKING AND LIVING IN BIRMINGHAM

The youngest city in Europe with under-25s accounting for nearly 40% of the population, Birmingham is a city full of energy and enthusiasm and is a great place to live and work.

Based in the heart of England, the city is easily accessible by road, rail and air. Birmingham New Street station has recently undergone major redevelopment, while the city is at the heart of the high-speed rail network, HS2.  HS2 will provide new rapid rail travel connecting Birmingham City Centre to London and the rest of the network from the new Curzon Street Station – adjacent to Birmingham City University’s City Centre Campus – and will be one of the most environmentally friendly stations in the world.

The city’s appetite for progression is boundless, and it has been championing innovation since the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, reflected in Birmingham City University’s new STEAMhouse building which opened in October 2022 and is home to an inter-disciplinary community of entrepreneurs, businesses, academic researchers, and students offering a wealth of support to companies of all sizes to boost growth through innovation to address commercial and societal challenges.

Birmingham is brimming with great theatres, museums, the world-famous Birmingham City University Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, as well as beautiful historical buildings and the iconic Library of Birmingham. It also has amazing concert and sporting venues including Edgbaston Cricket ground, which Birmingham City University has a long-standing partnership with.  It is also home to the Alexander Stadium, which is the stunning new home for Birmingham City University’s sport courses.  The Stadium was one of the main event spaces for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, which saw the eyes of the world on the city, and Birmingham City University staff and students played pivotal roles – including designing the official medals for winning athletes. 

Birmingham’s vibrant dining scene offers something for all tastes, including Michelin star restaurants, Spiceal Street at the Bullring, the Chinese Quarter, and the famous Balti Triangle.

The city also provides a great place to shop, being home the Bullring and Grand Central, the luxurious Mailbox Birmingham and the world-famous home of British bling – the Jewellery Quarter, which is home to Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery.

From Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and the beautiful arcades and independents, to the city’s historic markets in Digbeth, the shops in Birmingham offer a plethora of choice.

BCU Values underpin how we work in achieving the ambitions set out in our Strategy and Priorities, and are the principles that unite the way we work together and for our students.