Lecturer, University Professor, Academic

Holidays: 28 days + bank holidays + Christmas shutdown

Reporting to: Dr. André Pusey

Location: Talgarth LD3

Black Mountains College is an educational charity; a radical new institution dedicated to climate action and adaptation. We offer three levels of education: further education (vocational training), higher education (undergraduate) and short courses, as well as public education delivered across the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

We help people in every sector and of all ages understand what the climate emergency means for them and prepare for just and appropriate responses to the multiplying impacts emerging. At the heart of our operations is Troed-yr-Harn farm, a beautiful venue for land-based learning and agro ecological experimentation on 120 acres of the Black Mountains outside Talgarth, Powys, in Wales.

We are recruiting for two roles to contribute to our undergraduate degree, a BA (Hons) in Sustainable Futures:
Arts, Ecology and Systems Change, which recruited its first cohort in September 2023.

Firstly, we are seeking to recruit a Lecturer in Futures Thinking to fulfil a 0.5 FTE role, leading on two modules – ‘How can we imagine the future?’ and ‘Designing the Future’, once in each term. There is potential to increase the role if the successful candidate has relevant expertise to contribute to other areas of the programme. This is a permanent contract.

Secondly, we are looking to recruit a Lecturer in Sustainable Futures with a focus on one or more of the following areas of expertise: agroecology, alternative economic futures or Socio Technical Systems. This is a 0.5 FTE role and there is potential to increase the role if the successful candidate has relevant expertise to contribute to other areas of the programme. This is a permanent contract.

All our teaching on the degree takes place in person at our campus in Talgarth where we have several dedicated teaching spaces.

Interviews are scheduled to take place during the week commencing 23rd March.

As a Lecturer, your responsibilities will include working with a wider team to: develop a programme of teaching, support Visiting Lecturers, curriculum development, and administration.

Duties include:

• Teaching across the programme, including leadership of two modules.
• Drawing on and developing innovative approaches to learning and teaching that extend the ethos of Black Mountains College, emphasising methods appropriate to the urgent challenges of the present and future.
• Assessing student learning through a variety of methods designed to allow each student to develop their own strengths and providing detailed feedback.
• Providing academic support and guidance to students.
• Leadership, management and administration.
• Working with others to ensure the College becomes an inclusive environment that centres and empowers communities and perspectives that might otherwise be marginalised.
• Advising and liaising with colleagues on aspects of learning, teaching, and assessment at Black Mountains College and our partner Cardiff Metropolitan University.
• Providing advice and support to students based on College and University policies, procedures, and guidance.
• Supporting and contributing to the ongoing development of the partnership between Black Mountains College and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
• Participating in the College’s recruitment, community engagement and promotional events.
• Acting as a personal tutor to students
• Acting as a student research project supervisor
• Assisting with programme development when needed

Thinking, Reading, Reflection, Practice

• Working with others to develop practice and engagement activities, including by applying for suitable funding if opportunities arise.
• Being aware and informed of developments in higher education relevant to development of new pedagogies, interdisciplinary education, and/or inclusive practices.
• Engaging in activities that put the Black Mountains College ethos into practice, helping to create systems change with others, in response to local and global challenges.
• Supporting the practice and reflection of colleagues, students, and the wider BMC community.

Engaging in…