Lecturer in Commercial Music

University of the West of Scotland – Faculty of Creative Arts, Business & Social Sciences

Ayr Campus

Part time: 21 hours per week

This role may be eligible at this time for visa sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. If requiring visa sponsorship, it is the successful candidate's responsibility to ensure they meet the individual criteria to satisfy Home Office visa sponsorship requirements. If the role is offered on a part-time basis, this might also affect eligibility. More information on eligibility can be found on the Government website.

Please note that the information provided in this advert is correct at the time of writing. The University cannot guarantee sponsorship, and we encourage you to keep up to date with any changes that the Home Office may introduce.

THE POST – Lecturer in Commercial Music

The University of the West of Scotland are recruiting for a Lecturer in Commercial Music to join the Faculty of Creative Arts, Business and Social Sciences.

The music subject area at UWS has been developed over 25 years, aligning industry experience, excellence in creative practice and outstanding research and scholarly practice, and placing this at the heart of our offer to students. As part of our continuing development of this subject area, we are looking to appoint a Lecturer in Music (AC3) with a specific focus in studio-based production, to bolster our existing expertise in this area. This role will be predominantly based on our Ayr Campus within our recording studios and associated technical spaces, as well as classroom-based spaces.

The Lecturer in Music will be an autonomous, creative and inquisitive teacher / researcher / practitioner, who brings passion for the subject, an understanding of developing industry landscapes, immersion in contemporary pedagogies and a substantial track record of professional and academic practice. They will be committed to the goals and values of the university, as laid out in our Strategy 2030 documentation.

The successful candidate will work across three main areas; designing and delivering excellent studios-based teaching and assessment of students across the music portfolio; research and scholarly activity; and the organization and management of activities related to the Faculty and its students including module coordination, student recruitment etc.

The post holder will be working predominantly within our ProTools-focused studios and technical spaces. While this does not preclude candidates whose studio practice revolves around other DAWs, the successful candidate will be able to show how their existing experience can be translated to our learning and teaching spaces and equipment. They will have substantial experience of teaching music creation & production, particularly within the commercial music sector, combined with excellent organisational skills, and an active professional network. They will also  play a central role in delivering an excellent practice and research-based student experience and will join a team with expertise in music creation and performance, business and digital music production as well as the research-based academic study of music and its impact.

The successful candidate should have the following:

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline OR significant equivalent industry experience of the music industries
• Candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have a strong network of professional activity in the music industries in Scotland or the wider UK.
• Music and studio-focused teaching experience in a higher education institution or another relevant educational context at a level commensurate with career stage
• A previous history in working as a music studio-based practitioner in an appropriate context
• Evidence of research and/or professional track record (including creative practice) commensurate with career stage
• Understanding of digital learning platforms
• Evidence of extensive experience in the music industries in roles that would inform contemporary creative industries practices / Evidence of a range of high-quality research outputs and a track record of engagement in impactful research and scholarly activity

About us

University of the West of Scotland is a placemaking institution that is proud to be an integral part of its local communities, with a national and international reach: the University has four campuses in Scotland in Ayr, Dumfries, Lanarkshire and Paisley, as well as a campus in London Docklands. UWS has almost 100 international partnerships and its student community comprises more than 100 nationalities.

UWS is committed to providing education opportunities for all, empowering individuals to reach their full potential. The University creates meaningful impact locally, nationally and globally through innovative learning and teaching, pioneering research, and transformative partnerships. UWS is committed to the UNSDGs and was ranked joint 1st in Scotland and joint 4th in the UK for quality education (SDG4); and 1st in the UK and 39th globally for  our contribution to decent work and economic growth (SDG8) in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026.

90% of UWS research was classed as world-leading, internationally excellent, or recognised internationally in the REF (Research Excellence Framework) 2021.

The Faculty of Creative Arts, Business & Social Sciences at UWS is a vibrant and collaborative community, delivering innovative learning and teaching alongside a rapidly growing research and enterprise profile. Bringing together expertise across the creative arts, business and the social sciences, the Faculty is committed to producing world-class research and education that addresses contemporary challenges and promotes social justice locally, nationally and internationally.

You will join a supportive, multidisciplinary and multicultural community of scholars and students, where you will play a key role in inspiring the next generation of graduates and contributing to impactful research and knowledge exchange. Our students benefit from strong industry and community partnerships, research-informed teaching, and opportunities to engage with organisations across the public, private and third sectors, both in the west of Scotland and through our global network of partners.

We offer our staff a caring and supportive environment, across five campuses, and a competitive benefits package which includes:

• 35 days of annual leave, plus a further 12 days for public/university holidays
• An additional days leave on your birthday
• Defined benefit contribution pension scheme (including death in service benefits upon joining the scheme
• A flexible approach to working pattern and work-life balance
• Employee discount scheme across 3,500 retailers
• Fitness facilities across our campuses
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing resources, including occupational health, physiotherapy and access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Professional, career and research development opportunities.

Closing date: Friday 27^th November

Interview date: Wednesday 9^th December

Please note that the appointment will be made on the first point of the salary scale (unless by exception, where evidence would need to be provided)

The University reserves the right to shorten/extend the closing date of any position where a high/low volume of suitable applications are received. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, an early application would be encouraged.

You can find out more about how the University uses your personal data as part of the recruitment process by looking at the UWS HR Applicant Privacy Notice at www.uws.ac.uk

UWS are committed signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant.

UWS is committed to equality and diversity and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.

UWS is a “Disability Confident” employer.

University of the West of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC002520.