Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design

Company: Victoria College of Arts and Design

Job Title: Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design

Salary Range: £46K - £56K (by £2k increments annually)

Location: ON-SITE, Leeds, UK

Employment Type: Full Time

Reports to: Academic Dean or Designated Academic Manager

Overview:

We are seeking a Senior Lecturer to lead and develop modules for our undergraduate degree courses in Graphic Design at Victoria College of Arts and Design (VCAD). This is a unique opportunity to playa pivotal role in shaping, delivering and maintaining our Graphic Design focussed curriculum, validated by Arts University Plymouth (AUP), our Higher Education Partner.

If you're excited about teaching and passionate about design, this role offers you the chance to design and deliver transformative learning experiences that inspire and support students as they develop essential industry and academic skills to prepare for future success.

Key Responsibilities:

Teaching and Module Delivery:

• Plan, develop, and deliver high-quality, student-centred lectures, seminars, tutorials, and workshops for assigned modules on the Graphic Design extended degree.
• Utilise a range of best-practice teaching methods to support various learning styles, fostering engagement and inclusivity.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of subject areas, ensuring course content is relevant, current, and aligned with contemporary Graphic Design industry practice and research insight.
• Support the development of the student experience, aiming to foster creative and critical thinking and essential skills supported by hands-on industry insight and the use of live briefs and industry relevant assessment.
• Provide opportunities for students to learn from and network with industry professionals through the implementation of guest lectures and talks from the Graphic Design sector.

Curriculum and Module Development:

• Work collaboratively with faculty, management, students and external stakeholders to design, develop, modify and enhance engaging course content that reflects industry trends and academic standards and quality.
• As appropriate, devise, design, manage and deliver the continuous improvement of teaching resources, such as live briefs and industry projects, essential reading lists, use of online industry platforms, case studies, experiential learning environments and online learning content.
• Participate, as appropriate and when requested, in all Academic Development Committees including curriculum review committees, considering such things as the development of new and revised programmes.
• Participate in and lead team meetings focused on module delivery and enhancement.
• Gather and analyse appropriate data to create module reports to support action for quality enhancement initiatives.

Assessment and Feedback:

• Design, manage and assess formative and summative coursework assignments, ensuring flexibility, fairness, transparency, and relevance.
• Provide succinct, constructive, coherent and timely feedback to students, using written, recorded or written media, designed to aid students in their academic reflection, progress and development of core skills.
• Ensure that grading and feedback is in line with best practice and standards and quality across the Higher Education sector.
• Contribute to and attend Assessment Boards

Programme Management:

• Lead and attend relevant meetings with academic and teaching teams,
• contributing to continuous improvement in teaching standards.
• Ensure the quality and enhancement of modules taught, liaising with stakeholders to maintain alignment with VCAD’s goals.

Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement:

• Adhere to all VCAD and Partner institution policies, procedures, and quality assurance standards.
• Engage in peer review processes to improve and share good practices across teaching methods.
• Participate in teaching observation and evaluation processes to ensure good quality support, development and enhancement of teaching practice across faculty.

Student Support and Guidance:

• Act as an academic advisor and mentor to students, providing guidance on academic matters and supporting their professional aspirations.
• Organise and participate in student engagement activities and additional, non- curricular, learning and academic integrity support sessions.
• Address individual student needs, such as reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, and refer to appropriate support services as necessary.

Professional Development:

• Participate in academic development activities, keeping abreast of innovations and developments within the field of higher education teaching and learning and regulatory requirements.
• Participate in industry development activities, staying informed about innovations and advancements within the creative arts sector and emerging trends and standards in Graphic Design.

Industry and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Develop and maintain strong connections within the Graphic Design industry to facilitate student opportunities, such as placements, projects, and networking.
• Actively contribute to building VCAD’s image and reputation through collaboration with external agencies and industry partners.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Undertake, as required, administrative duties related to teaching, timetable management, module coordination, course management, marking, grading and other associated administrative tasks concerned with the efficient running of the Board, as well as any other appropriate duties reasonably requested by your line manager, including attendance and participation in departmental meetings.
• Actively contribute to departmental goals and participate in activities such as open days, student recruitment, induction events, knowledge transfer and other outreach work.
• Support VCAD initiatives, such as diversity and inclusion efforts, digital learning, and community collaboration.

Staff Management Responsibilities:

• Undertake line management responsibilities as per your various and occasional non-substantive role, such as module or programme leader. These roles will be recognised through such procedures as remission of teaching hours or honorarium payments and will be reasonably negotiated with the Academic Dean and VCAD Director and in keeping with established VCAD policy.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Essential:

• An undergraduate degree in Graphic Design or other relevant creative industries focused degree
• Enthusiasm for and knowledge of Graphic Design
• Some professional experience in Graphic Design
• Ability to effectively communicate and adapt teaching to meet varied student needs.
• Evidence of organisational and management experience.
• A commitment to innovation and creativity in teaching and learning methods.
• Experience of, and confidence in, the use of appropriate digital software such as Adobe and Microsoft

Desirable:

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field
• Teaching qualification and experience in teaching and module development in Higher Education
• Knowledge of the Higher Education Sector
• Experience with Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) such as Moodle and an ability to create engaging digital learning experiences for students
• Experience of mentoring and supporting students and / or colleagues’ professional
• development.

Personal Attributes:

• Commitment to inclusion and widening participation, with an understanding of its impact on educational settings
• Ability to work collaboratively across programmes and with the wider college
• Enthusiasm for contributing to the advancement of the Higher Education (HE) environment through impactful teaching and active industry engagement.

Benefits:

• Annual leave (5.6 weeks) plus bank holidays.
• Workplace pension scheme.
• Company Sick Policy (from January 2025).
• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) (until December 2024).
• Statutory maternity/paternity pays.
• Career development opportunities
• Training and self-development opportunities.
• Gym membership discounts
• Retail discount schemes
• Cinema discounts
• Grocery discounts
• Cycle to work
• Investing and savings opportunities
• Financial wellbeing – personal debt advise.
• Financial wellbeing education
• My Mind Pal (mental fitness)