Applications Open for Part Time Technical Assistant

ESW IS SEEKING A SKILLED, POSITIVE AND PROACTIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANT

JOB OPPORTUNITY – TECHNICAL ASSISTANT, PART TIME 

Deadline for Applications: midnight on Sunday 12 November 2023.

Interviews will take place at ESW on Thursday 16 November 2023 (applicants invited to interview will be advised on 14 November 2023).

We have arranged an opportunity to visit ESW which is on Thursday 9 November at 3.30pm. Please book on Eventbrite.

We are seeking a highly motivated Technical Assistant to become part of our small, dedicated team. The successful applicant is likely to be someone who has experience in one of our specialist areas accompanied with the interest and ability to learn across other parts of our facility.

This role is for a 1 day a week contract and there are sometimes additional hours available.

The postholder will facilitate supported access to making at ESW and will assist the Technicians in the management of workshops, other workspaces and storage areas. They will also be active in the public use of the building through our courses, learning and exhibition programmes.

Following the departure of a previous Technical Assistant we are now able to offer a key technical position within our team.

The successful applicant will also be supported in training and have access to our workshop facilities for making their own artwork, by arrangement. The emphasis of this role is on learning within the job but we do expect the applicants to have some prior experience and to be able to work with some autonomy at times.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop provides spaces, equipment and resources designed to provide an ideal environment for production, research and learning. The sculpture centre was developed in two stages. The Bill Scott Sculpture Centre which opened in 2012 houses 26 artist studios, further short-term studio space in our Project Spaces, workshops supporting various processes, education and research spaces and two artist apartments. Adjacent to this is the Creative Laboratories which opened in 2015 and provides outdoor working areas, spaces for presentation and seminars and a public café. Together these two buildings provide a unique facility which is a major resource for contemporary sculpture. We have Metal, Wood, Ceramic, Plaster and Casting Workshops with kilns and a Foundry.

The Technical Assistant will be involved in carrying out and demonstrating the Health & Safety and Environment policies, inputting to reviews of cost / resource efficiencies in our processes and contributing to the safe functioning of the workshops and other work areas. You will be involved in team Risk Assessments and ensuring the safe use of the workshop equipment and materials within the building.

We are looking for an individual with some experience within one of our specialist areas or workshop processes, an interest in and demonstrable ability to quickly learn about our other processes. The application of this experience will be in supporting artists and ensuring the safe and efficient management of all production processes. The ideal candidate will be adaptable to the busy environment and sensitive to the contrasting needs and requirements of the different communities working at ESW.  We are anticipating that the Technical Assistant will have built up existing skills through their own artistic projects and facilitating learning for others. Through this recruitment call we are interested in hearing about all skill sets, please detail this in your application. It’s also essential that we find someone who is keen to learn new skills as well as developing their existing ones. These skills sets will complement those of existing team members and meet the interests of community members at ESW.

We will also work with the postholder to identify appropriate training to continue their development.

ESW is committed to equal opportunities in employment and we positively welcome applications from all sections of the community, including people currently under-represented in the creative and cultural sector, or under-represented in technical roles. A proactive approach to equalities, diversity and inclusion is also an important keystone to all roles at ESW, including this Technical Assistant role, in terms of how we plan and interact with others and also in respect to personal ongoing learning and development.

We have prepared the Frequently Asked Questions section below in order to expand on some aspects of the job and the application process but please do bring up any questions in advance.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Technical Provision

• Providing Technical Support.
• Providing training and professional development in sculptural processes for artists, groups and public users, one to one and in groups.
• Exhibition installation and project planning, production, set-up and delivery.
• Utilising existing skills and learning new ones which are useful to the artists at ESW.

 

Health & Safety

• Monitoring activities in the context of the organisation’s Health & Safety policy.
• Ensuring ESW’s duty of care to the staff, users and visitors is applied across all activities.
• Attending Health & Safety meetings.
• Work with other colleagues to carry out and maintain ESW’s risk assessment records.
• Be responsible for providing first aid within the building and at events (most ESW team members are First Aid trained) (following training).

Facilities

• Keeping the facilities in good condition which will involve maintenance of the fabric, fixtures and fittings.
• Assisting with the implementation of weekly, monthly and annual test schedules.
• Be actively involved in the implementation of ESW’s Environment policy.
• Liaise with our cleaners, security firms and café operators where appropriate.
• Occasionally, liaise with external contractors.
• Managing waste, reuse and recycling.
• Managing workshops related storage within the building.
• Stock taking and regular updating of inventories for equipment and consumables.
• Operating the forklift (following training).

Programmes and Activity

• Work with Technicians and other colleagues to facilitate safe management of the programme including review of risk assessments.
• Working on commissions and installations.
• Leading building inductions and H&S briefings.
• Planning for and with individual artists.
• Working with individuals and groups.
• Providing first-aid and technical support at events.

Financial

• Following financial procedures and providing accurate documentation.
• Input to team review of standard and type of services and supplies relating to the management of the facilities to ensure value for money and efficiency.

Other duties as allocated and needed within the role and team.

Person Specification

Essential

• Knowledge of the equipment and processes used across one or more of the Wood, Metal, Ceramic, Plaster, Casting Workshops.
• Advanced making skills in at least one area and aptitude for learning and instructing on new technical processes.
• Knowledge of contemporary sculpture and in particular, the skills and processes involved.
• Experience passing on skills to others.
• Good awareness of personal Health & Safety within workshop environments.
• Experience of scheduling and ability to work to deadlines.
• Ability to work on own initiative.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft software packages – Word, Outlook and Excel.
• Strong commitment to working against inequality and to providing a welcoming environment for all to come to ESW. This is a key element of the job and will be an ongoing focus when working here.
• Strong commitment to environmental sustainability in long term planning and day to day work, including elements of decarbonisation, recycling, sharing resources.

Desirable

• Experience of workshop facilitation.
• Experience in practical day to day, scheduled and planned preventative maintenance as well as working with contractors.
• Good knowledge of current best practice in Health & Safety.
• Experience in training others one to one and in groups.
• Experience in delivering formal inductions to equipment and processes.
• Experience of working across different teams within an organisation.
• Certified training in Health & Safety policy and procedures, First Aid and carbon management reporting experience / environmental sustainability (according to guidelines set down by Creative Carbon Scotland).
• Forklift License.

Pay & Conditions

• Part-time basis (1 days per week).
• There are sometimes more days per week offered, created by specific project requirements on the team.
• One year fixed term contract.
• At least one member of the technical team works on a Saturday each week and flexibility about this is a requirement of the job. Saturdays will be a regular feature of the Technical Assistant role.
• Currently we rarely work in the evening but might do so more in the future.
• There will be a regular or advanced planned schedule of days within each week. This will occasionally include evenings and other weekend times.
• Salary: £20495 – £22495 pro rata (dependent on experience and certified training).
• ESW offers the statutory pension scheme for all employees.
• Annual Leave: 35 days annual leave pro rata.
• Additional paid time allowed for professional development which is currently two weeks pro rata for all team members.
• Access to the workshops and facilities for your own art projects, by arrangement.

Please submit as one PDF in this order:

Cover Letter

A no more than A4 page statement which outlines clearly how you meet the job and person specification and mentions your skills and level of experience, being clear about what level of skills you have in different areas, for example ‘I have used MIG welding for several large projects of my own in the past but am not a certified welder’; ‘I have worked with ceramics for 5 years including looking after my own electric kiln’.

CV

This should be no more than two A4 pages including the names of two referees. List past education, job history, professional development, certified training, projects. If you are invited to come for an interview, we might want to contact one of your referees at that point. Please can you mark next to the two referees if this is possible or not (other references would be followed up prior to confirming the job offer).

A note on access and timeframe.

On the final page, please write your address and contact details, any notes about access requirements or other personal information you want us to know in reviewing your application or hosting you for interview and add a note about your notice period, other commitments and potential start date.

See information about alternative formats in the FAQs below.

Applications must be received by email no later than midnight on Sunday 12 November 2023.

Applications should be sent to laura@edinburghsculpture.org with subject line ‘Technical Assistant Application’.

Any questions about the role can be directed to Laura Simpson, Director, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, at the above email address in the first instance.

Please review the information on our website about the organisation and all our activity while you are thinking about applying including the pages on each of the workspaces:  

https://edinburghsculpture.org/  

https://edinburghsculpture.org/workspaces/  

The interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place in November at ESW and will be advertised on this page in person at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (we previously listed dates here but they are in review).

FAQs

I have some questions who can I ask?

Please look at all the information about our organisation, our activity and our workspaces on the website initially and then contact laura@edinburghsculpture.org with any outstanding questions. She will answer in the first instance and connect to any other colleagues as appropriate. 

Can I visit ESW prior to sending an application?

Yes but only at pre arranged times, if we have a lot of interest we may set up a group visit time, any information will be on this page.

I have a non arts background but would like to apply, is that ok?

Yes. Please bear in mind though, that all our team are committed to ongoing engagement with contemporary visual art and the Technical Assistant role is always focused on art making in terms of facilitation, so this is an important element to attend to on your application and would be a big part of the role.

I don’t have employment experience in this area but think I have the relevant skills to do the job through my own practice or other types of work, can I still apply?

Yes, all applications will be assessed on their merits and we understand that some skills and experience are transferrable, although this is a serious core role within our team and the level of relevant expertise is one of the main elements we will look for in shortlisting so please clearly articulate the detail of your practical skills and expertise, including how you have worked with others.

I don’t have a formal arts education, can I still apply for this job?

Please see the details of the person specifications including the essential and desirable sections. We recognise that there are socio-economic barriers to accessing formal education and will consider applicants with suitable skills levels based on the evidence within their applications.

I did a lot of processes within my arts degree, will that level of skill be suitable for this job?

In your application, please be honest and detailed about the skills you have learned. We want to know how you have personally developed and used them over time within either work or project-based settings, because it is unlikely that the standard one-off introductory training in art making processes will have given you the appropriate level of skills for this job.

You mentioned certified training, what would that include?

This would include professionally delivered courses such as PASMA Mobile Tower Training, First Aid at Work, Managing Safely, Manual Handling, PAT Testing, Gas Handling, COSHH Awareness and other Risk Assessment, Abrasive Wheels, Forklift training; other training might include accredited training in specific processes or machine use. We also do and encourage other sorts of training across practical and interpersonal skills.

Who would I be working alongside?

There are two Technicians in post (working 3 and  days a week) and one Technical Assistant (working 1 or sometimes more days a week). There is a Building Technician (working 2 days a week). The makeup of the Technical team may change over time. The post is line managed by the Director and you can learn more about the wider team on this link: https://edinburghsculpture.org/about/staff-and-board/

At ESW we are a small team of around 10 staff working closely together on all our activity and welcoming people into the organisation. Many of the team are working part time. Interactions with and support for colleagues is one of the most important elements of the job.

Who would I be supporting and working with?

The Workshop Assistant will work with ESW Members, Studio and Project Space Holders, visiting and commissioned artists, other members of the public who want to use the workshops or are part of our engagement and course programmes, audiences, neighbours and colleagues within the organisation and within partner organisations.

Would I receive training within the role?

Ongoing training is important in the role and for this Technical Assistant role, learning will be a big part of your experience here as you learn on the job. We are interested in hearing from candidates who already have certified or other training but are also open to people who haven’t got this but can evidence strengths in other areas of the person specifications. ESW will provide training in some elements of the work and responsibilities, starting with induction to our facilities, but also including certificated training where appropriate over time (all staff receive regular First Aid training and we have also had Technical staff take part in Health & Safety, Lifting, Forklift, PASMA training in the past). Self-directed training and shared training / training between staff is an ongoing part of the role. There is also opportunity to have external training within specialised processes. All team members have two weeks pro rata professional development time each year. Cultivating an environment where we can learn from Members and other artists within our communities is also part of the job.

We also do group and individual training in a wide range of subjects such as equalities.

Is this post suitable for remote working?

The post is very hands on and focused around providing support for the organisation on site and facilitating access. There may be some circumstances where small amounts of home working are possible by prior agreement. We currently have this in place for all staff but most of the team work on site the majority of the time because of the nature of our work.

Can I submit my application in an alternative format?

Yes you can contact laura@edinburghsculpture.org to discuss alternative formats. Please describe what would work for you. You can also leave a phone message with this request on our answer phone if you call in the evening: 0131 5514490. Due to the technical aspects of the job it may be important to list experience or training but other elements of the cover letter could work as video or audio recording for example.

What is the deadline for applications and will you consider late applications?

The deadline is Sunday 12 November 2023 at midnight but we accept applications at any time during the open call period. Please start to prepare your application within good time and send it before the deadline because we cannot accept late applications out of fairness to other applicants. 

I have education and training certificates, should I include them with the application?

No, please follow the instructions on the preparation of the PDF application and don’t include any additional files. You are welcome to bring additional information or materials to an interview if you are shortlisted.

Will I receive an acknowledgment of my application?

All applicants will receive an acknowledgement of their application by email by the day following the deadline. If you do not receive this please contact: laura@edinburghsculpture.org to follow up.

What is the date of the interviews and where will they be?

The interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place in person at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop during November 2023. There will be a practical element to the interview.

Please check back on this page for information about our procedures as they are confirmed. We will post update notices on this page about the different stages of the process, for example when we have invited people to interview, so that all applicants can know what stage we are at.

Will you tell me if I have not been successful in being invited to interview?

Please check back on this page for notices about the progress of the process as we may not be able to contact everyone individually although we will try to.

Will you pay travel expenses if I am invited to interview?

Yes, standard class travel will be paid after receiving receipts.

I have particular access requirements, would you find that helpful to know?

Yes, please bring that up in advance of any visits, applications or interviews so we can work with you in the best way.