Job Description

Join a vibrant campus community whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. West Chester University of Pennsylvania's Department of Art + Design invites applications for the position of Part-Time Ceramic Studio Technician (Machinist). This is a flexible 30 hour per week temporary appointment during the academic year.


West Chester University, a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, is a public, comprehensive institution committed to offering high-quality undergraduate education, selected post-baccalaureate and graduate programs, and a variety of educational and cultural resources for its students, alumni, and citizens of southeastern Pennsylvania. We are a community of educators dedicated to developing graduates who succeed personally and professionally and contribute to the common good.


WCU proudly offers a positive and purposeful work environment; a University mission to support employee personal and professional growth including training and development, and advancement opportunities.


The College of Arts and Humanities employs over 230 faculty, offering 22 undergraduate degree programs, 12 graduate degree programs, and 38 undergraduate minors. The faculty are artists, scholars, writers, and world-class teachers who care deeply about student success and learning. The Department of Art + Design offers Drawing, Design, Color Theory and Art History, with a broad range of upper-level courses in graphic and interactive design, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and ceramics.


As a key contributor, the Ceramic Studio Technician manages the studio work for the ce­ramic classes by assisting students and instructors; oversees kiln work and testing; assists with equipment maintenance; and monitors open studio.


The ideal candidate will demonstrate experience firing and loading gas kilns; excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills; and the ability to work independently.



Responsibilities include: 

• Load and fire electric and gas kilns
• Mix clay and glaze
• Process student projects through firing
• Assist with inventory
• Assist students and instructors with special projects and materials
• Ensure safe set up and operation of studio and equipment
• Report safety concerns or equipment damage
• Perform preventative maintenance for all studio equipment 
• Studio cleanup

• Four years of experience in the machinist trade, or completion of an approved apprenticeship; or
• Any equivalent combination of experience and training that affords the applicant with the Required Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities

Required knowledge, skills and abilities: 

• Knowledge of methods, materials, tools and practices used in the machinist trade
• Knowledge of the occupational hazards and safety precautions of the machinist trade
• Knowledge of the operation and repair of a wide variety of tools, machinery and machine equipment
• Ability to care for, use, and operate a wide variety of metalworking hand tools and power driven machinery
• Ability to work from sketches, blueprints, and models
• Ability to gauge work carefully, using micrometers and other precision- type measuring instruments

• B.F.A. in Ceramics, currently in degree seeking program, or equivalent training
• Over two years of experience in the field of ceramics 
• Experience firing and loading gas kilns
• Experience mixing clay and glaze
• Experience firing and loading electric kilns
• Experience with safety procedures in ceramics
• Experience assisting students

About West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester University (WCU) of Pennsylvania is among the top regional comprehensive public universities in the nation, serving more than 17,500 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels with a national reputation for excellence, value, and student success. Founded in 1871 as an institute for teacher preparation, West Chester offers more than 118 undergraduate and 103 graduate programs in more than 50 fields of study. In addition to the main campus in West Chester, the University offers programs through its graduate center, the Philadelphia campus, and online. Five colleges and two schools comprise the University: Colleges of Arts and Humanities, Business and Public Management, Education and Social Work, Health Sciences, and the Sciences and Mathematics, as well as the School of Music, and the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies. Located in Chester County (25 miles from downtown Philadelphia) the area combines the best of enjoyable daily living with easy access to the full spectrum of country and city attractions. We are a community of educators dedicated to developing graduates who succeed personally and professionally and contribute to the common good.

Connections working at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Job Tags

Temporary work, Part time, Flexible hours,

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