Makerspace Technician

Northeastern University•Oakland, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Makerspace Technician will assist with the day-to-day operations of a fabrication shop, Makerspace Classroom (and other makerspaces as needed) on the Oakland campus. This position reports to the Oakland Makerspaces Director. The Technician will assist with the installation, maintenance, and instruction for safe use of all equipment, technology, and machinery in a fabrication shop setting which includes textile fabrication, soldering, electronics, 3D printing, vinyl cutting, hand tools, CNC router and robotics, and/or woodworking and metalwork. This position will assist in the coordination and training of a team of student staff to supervise all open hours of these facilities, and they will directly supervise various weekly open hours. They will conduct safety trainings and orientations on fabrication-oriented skills both in response to curricular needs as well as in their own areas of making expertise. They will work closely with the Oakland Makerspace Director and Makerspace Managers of Design and 3D Fabrication to ensure all practices are safe and in compliance with university and governmental requirements. The Technician will frequently work with faculty, staff, and students as necessary for effective operation of equipment, software, and machinery, as well as for instruction, course projects, and research. They will assist with machinery repair and/or schedule repair and maintenance of machinery. This is a student-facing role, so the Technician must be available during classes for problem solving and training faculty, staff, and students as appropriate. They will provide support to departments for special events that rely on the Makerspace infrastructure, and assist the Makerspace Director in tracking and updating shop inventory. They will complete other fabrication or instructional related projects/duties as needed, and as delegated by the Makerspace Director. This role may grow to additional shops in the Oakland Makerspaces footprint. May require evening and weekend availability.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Art, Design, Engineering, or related field; or 3 years of experience as lead staff in a makerspace or fabrication lab environment.
Experience with most shop equipment, including textile fabrication, soldering, CNC routing, laser cutting, and 3D printing.
For wood/metal shop, experience with table saw, bandsaw, miter, drill press, MIG, TIG, and various hand tools.
Effective problem-solving, organization, and communication skills.
Commitment to safety practices.
Ability to work independently.
Ability to lift 50 lbs.
A strong desire to acquire new skills and expertise.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, Cura, CAD-CAM-CNC workflow, and Fusion 360.

Responsibilities

Assist with the day-to-day operations of a fabrication shop and Makerspace classroom, including the installation, instruction, maintenance, repair, and safe use of all equipment, technology, and machinery.
Assist in the fabrication of makerspace-related storage and furnishing.
Assist in the management, coordination, scheduling, and training of a team of student staff to supervise all open hours of facilities, and personally supervise weekly open lab hours.
Conduct safety trainings, orientations, and workshops on foundation and fabrication-oriented skills both in response to curricular needs as well as in their own specialty.
Edit, refine, and create instructional content to support the NEU Oakland community in the areas of textile fabrication, electronics, soldering, woodworking, CNC routing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting and robotics, or woodshop and metal shop.
Assist with, or make updates to, safety policies, shop inventories, and compliance documentation.