Workshop Manager, Institute of Making (Available for Internal Candidates only)

at  University College London

ABOUT US

The Institute of Making The Institute of Making is a unique organisation that explores, celebrates, and investigates materials and processes through a wide range of activities. From large-scale public events to ground-breaking academic research projects, our diverse outputs and many audiences are united by a shared passion for materials and making. On a day-to-day basis, we bring together students and staff from across UCL, to provide a creative home in which to collaborate, innovate, contemplate and experience making from a wide range of disciplines. At the heart of the Institute of Making are our open-access facilities, which include multi-material workshops and the Materials Library.
The Institute of Making opened in Bloomsbury in 2013 with a workshop offering a broad range of tools and machinery for inducted members to use. The Materials Library is an ever-expanding repository of some of the most extraordinary materials on earth, including shape memory alloys and self-healing materials as well as some of the more ordinary materials that have also changed the world, like paper, beeswax, and copper. The Workshop and our Materials Library sit side-by-side, enabling users to experience first-hand the relationships between materials and tools that constitute processes of making. The space is also a stage for our expansive events programme and a home to a multitude of research projects.
The Institute of Making workshop team is responsible for establishing the safe and sustainable operation of the workshops and supporting our members in using the equipment and facilities across both the Bloomsbury and Stratford sites. The team’s main duties include supervising members’ access to the space, inducting new members, conducting tool trainings, advising members on design, materials, and processes, supporting the delivery of events, and contributing to the friendly, welcoming, imaginative, and open-minded atmosphere of the Institute of Making.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The post holder will oversee the portfolio of workshop-based activities that take place within the Institute of Making at Stratford. They will manage the day-to-day running of the space and technicians from the broader Institute of Making team when they are working at the Stratford site. They will also take responsibility for the overall health and safety of the space in relation to equipment, staff, members, protocols, and training. They will also collaborate in the recruitment of the intern team, who are a key part of the Institute of Making staff community offering tool trainings, events assistance, and support to members on a part-time basis.
They will work closely with the Head of Workshops and lead on the continual improvement, monitoring and reviewing of the arrangements for the Bloomsbury workshop. They should ideally have a passion for materials and a knowledge of making methods, tools, and processes. An approachable, friendly attitude is essential, and the successful candidate must be comfortable interacting with a wide range of people. They will also work closely with the Head of Events & Communications to ensure the safety of any visitor or participant in any Bloomsbury workshop-based events.
The post holder will act as Departmental Safety Officer and attend and contribute to faculty and departmental safety meetings as directed by the Head of Workshops. Through their management of the site, they will provide a safe, inclusive, and engaging environment for our members. The successful candidate will lead in providing a high standard of support to all workshop users, taking timely action on feedback. They will ensure technicians and members are equipped with the skills and confidence to use the workshop and may provide technical instruction where appropriate.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits some of which are listed below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insuranc