Lecturer Fashion Digital at Birmingham City University

Location: Parkside

Closing Date: 23.59 hours GMT on Tuesday 27 February 2024

Birmingham City University (BCU) are seeking a Digital Fashion Design Lecturer to teach and contribute to curriculum development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels; initiate, lead and participate in research, and other scholarly activities leading to publications in refereed journals and/or exhibitions; and undertake academic and departmental administrative duties within the College of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles. Join our team under new management with an exciting vision for the future. 

The post requires someone with specific expertise in fashion design skills with a fundamental grounding in innovative digital design approaches. Applicants should have practical industry experience, and be research active within the realms of digital innovation in fashion (digital fashion sketches, 3D design techniques, AI design development, digital garment prototyping, CAD, digital textile development, etc.). The candidate must be able to demonstrate fashion technology in extended reality?(metaverse and avatar creation and interaction design such as virtual showroom) including digital applications for augmented reality, mixed reality, or other related design areas in fashion; or other related areas in fashion design technology; you will be constantly responding to the  evolving global digital landscape and enrich the programmes with cutting edge, innovative digital design techniques to prepare our students for successful careers in the creative industries of the future. 

Within The College of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles 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.  

About You   

We are looking for a creative, self-motivated person who can contribute to the digital landscape and innovative design approach across our BA and MA Fashion Design courses. You should have a qualification within the relevant area and/or have significant experience in an area related to digital design.  

The successful applicant will have: 

• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud software:  
• Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign (essential) 
• Premiere, After Effects and Lightroom (highly desirable)  
• Blender/Cinema 4D / Rhino (desirable)  
• ClO3D or equivalent software experience (Style3D, Gerber, Browzwear etc.)  
• Flat pattern cutting skills
• Garment construction knowledge
• A focus towards craftsmanship  
• Excellent fabric knowledge  
• Global and diverse approach to fashion design   
• Understanding of contemporary fashion design, print or textile processes
• Understanding of digital landscapes and augmented realities  

You will be someone who:

• Demonstrates a commitment to professional and academic development 
• Has externally published or presented practice-based research (Highly desirable) 
• Research practice interests aligning to subject and teaching
• Has experience of leading research funding proposals (desirable)  
• Has experience in developing and delivering teaching and student-centred learning, with an extensive knowledge of fashion design practice
• Develop and maintain links within the fashion industry to strengthen the teaching programmes, research, and other associated activities
• Has an awareness of diversity and ethical issues as they relate to fashion design and higher education practice
• A team player and able to work in a transdisciplinary mindset

Has an awareness of diversity and ethical issues as they relate to fashion design and higher education practice. 

A team player and able to work in a transdisciplinary mindset.  

With around 24,000 students from 80 countries, Birmingham City University is a large and diverse place to work. We put students at the heart of everything we do, giving them the best opportunities for future success. The University has an enviable reputation for providing quality, student-focused education in a professional and friendly environment. Our superb courses, state-of-the-art facilities, first-rate staff, and focus on practical skills and professional relevance is producing some of the country’s most employable graduates. 

The College of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles is one of the largest academic departments in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media. We are a progressive and creative team working with an exciting new management structure and leadership. You will be joining a diverse community of about 1000 students and 100 staff. We are committed to supporting a rich diversity culture that reflects our local communities and student body. Therefore, we particularly welcome candidates from black, brown, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds. 

The college offers a range of design, media, and business courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. We encourage, research, enterprise, creativity, and ethical awareness and all our courses strongly engage with industry and professional communities. 

For more information, please contact Joe Turvey Course leader BA Fashion Design at Joe.turvey@bcu.ac.uk   

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to enter the LGPS scheme will be able to do so, and will be employed by Birmingham City University directly.

Further details:   

Job Description    

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.