3D Fine Arts Lab Lead Technician

About the role

The 3D Fine Arts Lab Lead Technician is crucial to the 3D Arts program, ensuring student success by managing the ceramics studio, glaze area, kiln room, sculpture studio and sculpture classroom. The position will be responsible to maintain equipment, uphold safety protocols, and keep labs ready for student and instructional use, which allows instructors to focus more on teaching and feedback, enhancing student learning outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Manages and maintains ceramics and sculpture labs for traditional and contemporary ceramics processes, ensuring all working areas are fully operational to support effective instruction.
• Maintains an extensive equipment inventory.
• Maintains, repairs, and manages equipment, including ceramic wheels, kilns, glaze formulation scales, table saw, hack saw, scroll saw, jigsaw, belt sanders, palm sanders, nail guns, spray booths, 3D printers and scanners, and a wide array of hand tools for both ceramic and sculpture.
• Captures open studio hours and staff schedules; monitors shift coverage and studio operations while liaising with the division office.
• Coordinates gallery installation, preparation, and de-installation for the annual 3D Fine Art show or annual topics show, and pop-up shows.
• Serves as the program’s designated Inventory Liaison for college-wide inventory reconciliation.
• Aids faculty in daily classroom instruction and preparation, providing technical support as needed.
• Supports 3D Fine Arts students and solves problems with equipment and software.
• Supervises and assists students using the facilities and equipment outside of classes.

Qualifications

• Must be familiar with the function, use, and construction of a wide range of 3D Fine Arts equipment related to both ceramics and sculpture.
• Ability to maintain, troubleshoot, clean, calibrate, and repair a wide range of equipment.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills and be able to work with faculty and students cooperatively.
• Proven ability to program, load, and operate computer-controlled electric kilns.
• Self-directedness is crucial for this role to manage multiple labs independently.
• Ability to take the initiative in problem-solving.
• Ability to maintain expertise through self-learning.
• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to provide clear technical instruction to a diverse population of students and faculty.
• Knowledge in a wide array of sculpture processes. Examples include: ceramics, wood fabrication, plaster casting, and mold-making.

Additional Considerations

• Experience managing the equipment, processes, and daily functions of a ceramics and sculpture laboratory.
• Experience with tracking inventory and staff scheduling.
• Experience in the advanced operation and routine maintenance of industrial laboratory equipment.
• Experience with basic software programs, including Microsoft Excel.
• Experience working in a professional Fine Arts studio environment, or academic laboratory.
• Experience or interest in emerging technologies, such as 3D scanning, 3D printing, and digital fabrication as applied to fine arts.

Benefits

The position offers a comprehensive health and dental insurance program, generous paid leave, deferred compensation plans, paid parental leave, state employee discounts, and a solid and secure retirement program.

Pay

$22/hr

Schedule

Monday – Saturday (day or evening shift) as scheduled. Not to exceed 29 hours per week.