Technician B Casting Birmingham 2024

Birmingham city university is a large and diverse place to study right in the heart of the vibrant city. We are currently looking to appoint a new technician to work within our technical services team in the Faculty of Art Design and Media. The role is situated at the school of jewellery building our Vittoria Street campus.

The role

The role will require working 9- 5pm, 5 days a week. The School of Jewellery technical team support learning in a wide range of creative jewellery-based disciplines such as Jewellery and Silversmithing, Fine jewellery, Design for industry, Horology both clock and watch design repair and manufacture.

This role will require the post holder to support staff and students through lessons and assignments by undertaking the moulding, waxing, and sprucing of student work, then casting the resulting cans and fettling the castings ready for collection by the students in line with the range of course needs as directed by academic staff. As well you would be involved in explaining and demonstrating to groups aspects of the casting process to support the academic learning objectives. In addition, you will also be a mobile resource to support students individually when they require support in resolving design and make challenges.

There will be the need to supervise others and mange student and staff interactions with occasionally potentially hazardous operations a good knowledge of jewellery fabrication techniques and a capability to work with a range of resistive materials both using hand tools and machinery would be an advantage. Crucially you will be ensuring resources and activities are working effectively and safely. This role requires excellent inter-personal and communication skills.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Assist with learning and teaching activities largely associated with but not exclusively linked to the casting process in environments such as studios workshops as needed.
• Provide technical advice, guidance and assistance to students, academic colleagues, and external clients particularly regarding specialist techniques such as casting and allied processes.
• Demonstrate the use of a range of equipment including both digital and ‘traditional’ equipment as needed. To both individuals and small groups during the academic year.
• Set up equipment and materials.
• Undertake routine maintenance and repair of equipment including planned preventative maintenance and, on the spot fixes.
• Ensure that working spaces and equipment are properly maintained and kept in good order to ensure an appropriate academic and technical working environment.
• Support academic staff with the purchase of equipment and materials for learning and teaching.
• Raise orders for materials on the university systems and liaise with managers and finance resolve issues pertaining to those orders to ensure positive relations between the university and its suppliers.
• Maintain electronic and hard copy records relating to equipment and consumables in particular the electronic records of casting work undertaken, and the charges levied to students and courses. And other digital information such as inventories, records of stock levels and equipment loans
• Maintain records of precious metals used in the casting process.
• Ensure that standards of work are fully compliant with university health and safety policy and relevant regulations.
• An organised approach to work with the ability work on own initiative.
• Ability to prioritise different tasks efficiently.

Essential skills and experience

A working knowledge in at least two of the following areas with a willingness to learn and develop in all the technical disciplines:

• Casting in a jewellery context advising on the process requirements as well as producing the castings.
• Jewellery rubber and silicon mould making and cutting.
• Capability to wax sprue and tree work ready for casting.
• Knowledge of jewellery workshops and manufacturing in the sector.
• Competent in the supervision of students in workshop environments.

Desirable skills and experience

• Capability to demonstrate jewellery-based processes to students individually and in small groups.
• Ability to source and maintain materials stocks and equipment.
• Experience of technical roles in further and/or higher education.
• Certified First Aider.
• Any qualification in Health and Safety.
• Any qualification in COSSH assessment.

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

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.