Assistant/Associate Professor of Sustainable Built Environment

Centre for Advanced Timber Technology

Assistant/Associate Professor of Sustainable Built Environment

Initial 2 year FTC – with potential to transition to a  permanent post.

NMITE is a new Higher Education provider, with an explicit focus on engineering, education, and impact. We have received philanthropic funding to establish a Centre for Advanced Timber Technology that will play a strategically influential role in supporting and expanding the use of timber in modern construction, intervening across the lifecycle from ‘seed to building’ towards more sustainable building practices. Working closely with the sector, CATT has developed a strategic approach to this, and we are expanding the team in response, requiring an Assistant or Associate Professor (subject to experience) to become a centre point to the team capable of working collaboratively to change the shape of educational delivery for the upskilling of Built Environment professionals.  

The educational approach of NMITE-CATT is to apply a student-centric learning methodology with a curriculum fuelled by real-world challenges, meaning that the approach will be distinctive in the marketplace and will attract a different sort of learner. The educational content to be delivered will be conceived and will be taught via a partnership approach working with external stakeholders, industry practitioners and academic collaborators. The partnership approach is core to the NMITE ethos and critically important to ensure those that are educated create value return to the sector and the community with an emphasis on sustainability.  

To achieve this ambition, we are now seeking to appoint an Assistant or Associate Professor subject to experience to develop  curricula and their contents to bridge predetermined knowledge gaps drawing upon available expertise and shaping it to address a competency framework derived in partnership with the sector. The successful candidate for this post will be instrumental in curating and then coordinating the delivery of the educational content and experiential learning activities working with the CATT team and its framework of partners. The curriculum content and challenge-based learning activities to be created will cover the following from September 2022 onwards:  

• Sustainable building design and circularity of construction  
• Building Information Modelling and Digitisation  
• Design for Manufacture and Assembly  
• Supply chain management and product certification  

• Building Performance (thermal and acoustic), Durability and Fire  
• Construction materials and the utilisation of timber 
  • Evolution of construction forms and advanced timber technologies, including mass timber systems 
• Offsite and modern methods of construction  
• Retrofit, restoration and heritage.  

As a founding member of the CATT academic team this role will help shape the Centre’s organisational development, its educational portfolio, industrial collaborations and impact profile.

This is a unique opportunity to make a difference to the sector and the region.  

Job Role 

• Teach, mentor and assess students as assigned; support initiatives that enhance attainment and experience of learners. 
• Support or work with others to create an impact beyond NMITE, thus contributing to NMITE’s impact strategy. 
• Contribute to a positive culture of collaboration, innovation, creativity and support, furthering the NMITE pedagogy. 
• Work with others to support the realisation of the vision, ethos and policies of NMITE, beyond the academic team. 
• Support or contribute to the delivery, development and promotion of the NMITE pedagogy and approach to education.  
• Maintain own continuing professional development and build a professional network. 
• Be flexible, adaptable and willing to take on other tasks as necessary to support the entire development and delivery of NMITE.  
• Integrate with the CATT team and framework of external partners to curate educational content and challenge-based learning activities for the purposes of education and outreach with an emphasis on sustainable built environment delivery utilising advanced timber technologies.  
• Work with the CATT director and wider NMITE team to draw upon research and industry project-based activities to create learning materials for varying levels of competency capable of upskilling and educating future and current built environment professionals.  
• Work with the CATT team to establish a regional and UK skills framework for sustainable built environment and advanced timber technology education with an emphasis on partnering with industry and external stakeholders.  
• Work with the broader academic and professional team to support the creation and implementation of an industry-relevant, forward-looking educational offering within a portfolio of knowledge exchange content to be used for the flexible delivery of degree programmes and financially sustainable CPD/life-long learning, in synergy with NMITE’s wider educational offering and academic staff  
• Support the CATT Director and wider NMITE team in attracting industry and professional support for the Centre to establish it as the leading national location for sustainable built environment education with an emphasis on timber technology uptake. 

Qualifications & Experience 

Passion for sustainable built environment research and alternative educational approaches.

Essential:

Passion for sustainable approaches to built environment delivery utilising regenerative design and natural materials with an emphasis on timber.  

A desire to facilitate the development of future built environment professionals in a forward-looking, unique, start-up.  

Track record in curating educational and outreach content to influence change on construction delivery. 

A broad understanding of construction and the sustainable delivery of the built environment (see future curriculum content) and with specialist knowledge in selected areas.  

A desire to engage with, mentor and motivate students 

Experience of teaching sustainable construction, ideally in a higher education context   

Desirable:

Experience of using and/or developing novel learning strategies and environments. 

Experience of teaching a built environment subject area with an emphasis on sustainable design and ideally advanced timber technology in a higher education context.  

Interest in using and/or developing novel pedagogies at a module level or smaller scale.

Educational and Professional  Attainment  

Essential:

A Bachelor’s degree in a built environment, architecture, construction or a cognate discipline. 

Desirable:

Member of professional body or institution  

Postgraduate qualification in subject relevant to responsibilities of the role including - but not confined to - business, management, or education. 

A teaching qualification  

Fellow or Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy  

Impact to others’ professional practice 

Knowledge Required 

Essential:

Knowledge of Further Education, Higher Education or UK skills/lifelong learning sector 

Sustainable building practices and regenerative design approaches  

Knowledge and experience of advanced timber technologies. 

Digital design tools with an emphasis on Building Information Modelling 

Desirable:

Sustainable building design approaches and codes of practice (PassiveHouse, BREEAM etc)  

Digital twinning 

Timber industry supply chain and network. 

Alternative fields of knowledge that could make a positive contribution to NMITE’s mission 

Experience Required:

Essential: 

Experience of:

- having improved own performance in response to feedback from others. 

- Working successfully in teams in any context 

- evaluating own performance and setting goals of own performance 

- developing educational and/or outreach materials  

- delivering educational content utilising innovative techniques 

- built environment education or research. 

- Project coordination and stakeholder engagement 

- Codifying and presenting complex information coherently to varying audiences.  

- Agile working, experienced in contributing to a team environment.  

Desirable: 

Experience of:

- working with a variety of different groups of people. 

- teaching and learning theory and practice, particularly in an HE context. 

- experience in teaching and learning at Further or Higher Education level. 

- Construction software’s and Building Information Modelling  

- Data management, post processing and analysis  

- Design team experience 

- Mentoring or developmental experience with junior staff, students, mentees, or pupils  

- Guiding and directing the work of others  

- Project, people and stakeholder management, ideally in a rapidly evolving and growing organisation 

Interests

Essential:

Interest in the skills agenda and the development of a broad range of students and life-long learners 

Interests in sustainability and/or sustainable development 

Desirable:

Circular economy  

Widening participation, diversification, and inclusive growth  

Interests

Essential:

Effective communicator, networker and team player  

Self-starter 

Culturally aligned with NMITE 

Problem solver, creative and open to new ideas.

Collaborative mindset 

As a new and founding member of the NMITE-CATT team you will need to perform with agility and be capable of working closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop mutually beneficial relationships between employers, industry bodies, HEI’s, and the CATT. You will be passionate about delivering the built environment more sustainably via the utilisation of advanced timber technologies encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and excellence in a manner that is inclusive and empowering for all staff and students.

Cultural Alignment

• Equality focused
• Inclusive
• Respectful
• Creative
• Honest
• Non-judgemental

Our offer

We offer competitive salaries (Assistant Professor Salary range: £34,348 - £44,579, Associate Professor Salary Range: £41,656 - £50,425) and a competitive benefits package, including pension scheme, life assurance, 30 days holidays (plus Bank Holidays & closure days), ongoing training & development. We also have a clear progression framework in place.  This post is an initial 2-year fixed term contract with a structured review at 18 months for a permanent academic position.  We offer you the opportunity to be the change that you want to see.

Location: Hereford

To apply

Please email a full academic CV, covering letter and a two-minute video to vacancies@nmite.ac.uk. In your video, explain why you want the role, and how you feel you could contribute to NMITE.  Your covering letter should outline how you meet the person specification.

Informal questions about the roles can be addressed to the CATT Director, Professor Robert Hairstans (Robert.hairstans@nmite.ac.uk)

NMITE is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community – a place where we can be ourselves and succeed on merit. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in engineering education. Part time proposals and secondment arrangements may also be considered.

The opening date for applications is Friday Thursday 8^th July 2021. The closing date for completed applications is Friday 6^th August 2021.