Design Center Coordinator

Barnard College • New York City, NY

15h • $67,000 - $72,000

About The Position

The Barnard College Design Center is seeking a full-time Coordinator to support the Center’s robust set of services and programs, while also prioritizing teaching and learning in a makerspace environment. This position will be central to supporting general tool and equipment use, helping with machine maintenance, supporting graduate and undergraduate student employees while on-shift, and assisting the Associate Director with providing instruction and workshops within the Center.

Requirements

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Demonstrated ability to work on a team in a collaborative environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
• Bachelor’s degree (or minor) in a design-adjacent subject area, such as architecture, urban planning, fashion design, engineering, or others.
• Competencies in one or more of the following areas: intermediate to advanced sewing skills, textile artistry, hand or machine embroidery, 3D printing, laser cutting, woodworking (with handheld tools or power tools), or experience programming arduinos/raspberry pis/wearable microcontrollers.
• Proficient with one or more of the following software: Adobe Illustrator (Photoshop and/or InDesign is a plus, but not required); AutoCAD or Rhino, Tinkercad, or similar software.
• At least 1 to 3 years of related work experience, or a combination of education and related experience.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in a design-related graduate program, such as architecture, education, instructional design, or similar programs.
• Demonstrated experience providing technology or makerspace tool support to student, staff, or faculty communities.
• Experience working in education, especially higher education.
• Experience developing and teaching instructional content.

Responsibilities

• Daily Operations: the Coordinator will Provide front-facing support for Design Center users during designated “open hour” periods, emphasizing safe and responsible tool-use throughout the space. This includes taking regular photography of projects that users are working on, for sharing on social media and archiving in Center back-end files. Assist the Associate Director with maintaining tools and equipment, either via self-repair or by liaising with equipment vendors for troubleshooting instructions. The Coordinator will also help keep equipment and consumables organized, and help keep track of when supplies need replenishing. Offer individual and group consultations (both walk-in style, and appointment based) to guide users through project ideation processes, or on how to use Center equipment safely. Assist the Associate Director with Mentoring and/or training new student employees who are learning Center tools and equipment for the first time; supporting student employees while on-shift, should they run into troubleshooting issues or user questions they need help answering.
• Instructional and Curriculum Support: the Coordinator will Lead regular, weekly or more often, safety orientations and register new Center users into our back-end systems. Provide weekly “Getting Started” demonstrations on popular Center tools and equipment, such as the 3D printers, laser cutter, vinyl cutters, sewing machines, and more. Co-teach project-based design workshops alongside the Associate Director or Center Graduate Design Advisors, whenever applicable topics arise where combined expertise would be beneficial; also, solo-teach similar workshops as required to support Design Center programming. Assist the Associate Director in collecting and analyzing Center usage data and generating reports that communicate key data points to Center stakeholders.
• Community Building: the Coordinator will Contribute to inclusive and welcoming makerspace shop culture, and help ensure that users adhere to similar practices when interacting with others throughout the space. Update Design Center social media feeds and website content when needed (for example, when advertising Center-specific workshops, or creating and posting tool-related instruction guides, etc.)
• Additional job responsibilities and duties as needed

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level