ESW is seeking a skilled, positive and proactive Technician

THE DEADLINE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS NOW PASSED

Many thanks to all applicants, the interviews will take place on the 8 and 15 March 2023. We will contact all applicants in due course.

JOB OPPORTUNITY – TECHNICIAN, PART TIME  

Deadline for Applications: midnight on Monday 30 January 2023. 

We are seeking a highly motivated Technician to become part of our small, dedicated team. The postholder will facilitate supported access to making at ESW and have responsibilities for 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 some adjustments in our staffing provision 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. 

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, 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 Technician will be responsible for implementing the Health & Safety and Environment policies, looking for cost / resource efficiencies in our processes and organising the safe functioning of the workshops and other work areas. This includes competing 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 a similar role with priorities around 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 Technician will have a wide range of skills, learned through their own artistic projects and past experience 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 the we find someone who is keen to learn new skills and work on 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 post holder 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 Technician 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 specialist 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 and providing information for Health & Safety reports to the Director and Board of Directors. 
• Ensuring all staff (permanent, freelance and volunteers) have the required support and supervision to facilitate the highest standard of health & safety. 
• Work with other Technicians through consultation with 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) 

Facilities 

• Keeping the facilities in good condition which will involve maintenance of the fabric, fixtures and fittings. 
• Implementing 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. 
• 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. 
• Maintaining administration files and records, monitoring costs and working to budgets. 
• Operating the forklift. 

Programmes and Activity 

• Work with other Technicians and the Programme Team 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 

• Managing expenditure within dedicated budget area. 
• Regularly review 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. 
• General advanced making skills and aptitude for learning and instructing on new technical processes. 

• Knowledge of contemporary sculpture and in particular, the skills and processes involved. 
• Experience of workshop facilitation. 
• Experience passing on skills to others. 
• 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 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 during 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 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 (3 days per week). 
• Two 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. 

• There will be a regular or advanced planned schedule of days within each week. This will occasionally include evenings and other weekend times. 
• There are sometimes more days per week offered, created by specific project requirements on the team. 
• Salary: £23500 – £26569 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. 

 

To Apply 

 

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 Monday 30 January 2023. 

Applications should be sent to laura@edinburghsculpture.org with subject line ‘Technician 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/ 

We understand that it might be useful to visit to see the facilities at ESW while you are preparing your application.

Please book to come to the tour and opportunity to meet the team members on Tuesday 24 January at 2pm, on this link: Tour and Opportunity to Meet the Team Tickets, Tue 24 Jan 2023 at 14:00 | Eventbrite

The interviews for shortlisted candidates are currently scheduled to take place in late February or early March 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 with Laura Simpson. Please contact laura@edinburghsculpture.org to arrange and we are considering setting up visit slots if there is interest. 

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 Technician role is always focused on art making in terms 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 as a Technician 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 is another Technician in post (working 4 days a week) and two Workshop Assistants (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: (need to work on this page). 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 Technician 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. 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. If anything new happens with the pandemic we will reassess but we have been able to work safely at ESW since the summer of 2020. 

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 Monday 30 January 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.  

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

The interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place on two of the following dates Monday 20 February, Tuesday 21 February, Monday 27 February and Tuesday 28 February 2023 in person at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. There will be a practical element to the interview. 

Please check back on this page for info about our procedures as they are confirmed. We will update info about the interview dates on 6 January on this page and will also post a notice on this page around the 15 February when we have invited people to interview so that all applicants can know what stage we are at.

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.