Lecturer in Digital Animation

Location: Curzon Building

Closing Date: 23.59 hours GMT on Wednesday 20 March 2024

Birmingham City University is a large, vibrant, and diverse higher education provider based in the heart of the city, and we currently have an exciting opportunity for a FT Lecturer to join our brand-new programme, BA (Hons) Digital Animation within the College of Digital Arts.

The Role

The post-holder will be expected to understand the creative industry’s ever-changing landscape and prepare graduates for exciting opportunities within the Film/TV and Games sectors. We are seeking to appoint someone who is visionary, with high-level creative practice and experience of teaching animation principles, in both the 2D and 3D mediums at university level. Our course is based within the Arts, Design, and Media (ADM) Faculty, situated in the Curzon Building in the new Eastside area of Birmingham. We are just a short walk away from the main transport links which connect across the Midlands and beyond.  

The post-holder will have a sound knowledge of the theories and practices of digital animation (None stop motion) and will be expected to develop these across the programme. Candidates should possess a record of professional practice and/or research, with a proficiency in animation principles and practice. Candidates will also have strong understanding of the technical aspects of animation pipelines and demonstrate conceptual problem solving. There will be evidence of proficiency in a variety of software packages and the ability to be able to teach across a range of established undergraduate modules, as well as contributing specialist interests to the curriculum, particularly in the areas of visual storytelling, story development (storyboarding and story art), performance animation, concept and visual development, and visual literacy. 

Ideally, the successful candidate will have experience of teaching digital animation and preferably a teaching qualification, HEA Fellowship and/or Postgraduate Certificate in Education. The successful candidate will plan, deliver, and assess a range of modules teaching animation skills using a variety of technologies and approaches to deliver a vibrant education to our students that can be translated into real-world skills.  

• Module leadership – including administration of registers, online course support, assessment, and moderation of work. 
• Planning, preparation and delivery of lectures and workshops and tutorials for delivery on campus. 
• Undertaking level co-ordination as required. 
• Recruitment at Open day and Applicant days, this may include Saturdays and Sundays. 
• Personal and pastoral tutoring. 
• Supporting creative and theoretical projects. 
• Delivering report writing and presentation skills. 
• To maintain currency through research and innovative practice in digital animation.  

In the supporting statement of your application form please give evidence to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification; you are advised to address each item on the person specification in turn and give specific examples of activities you have undertaken. 

Essential Skills and Experience

• Postgraduate qualification in animation (or related subject area), or equivalent industry experience with established and peer-recognised practice. 
• Proficiency across the subject area, with an understanding of digital processes. 
• Established national and international professional networks in animation to support subject and student achievement. 
• A high-quality portfolio with up-to-date professional expertise and experience within the creative industries  
• Evidence of teaching at HE level.
• A commitment to providing an excellent and inspiring student experience, evidencing an understanding of pedagogy in Higher Education including teaching theory through practice and technology enhanced learning. 
• A clear understanding and experience of evidence-led and research-informed teaching, and its contribution to learning, teaching, and assessment. 
• Experience of course and curriculum development, project management.  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with effective interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently and as a member of a team with enthusiasm, flexibility, and commitment. 
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout the region and beyond. 

Desirable Skills and Experience

• A Higher Education teaching qualification. 
• Fellow or Senior Fellow of the HEA. 
• International profile in an area of animation. 
• Evidence of an emerging research profile.

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.