Assistant Lecturer in Sustainable and Circular Design (Strategy) - FTE 0.5

School / Unit :  School of Design / Creative Futures Academy

Department :   Design for Body & Environment

Post Title & Subject Area :   Assistant Lecturer in Sustainable and Circular Design (Strategy) - FTE 0.5

Grade :   Assistant Lecturer

Post Duration :  2 year funded specified purpose contract

Reports to :  Head of Department of Design for Body & Environment

Salary :  Assistant Lecturer New Entrant salary scale - €47,957 - €65,246 per annum pro-rata, i.e.

23,978.50 - €32,623

• per annum
• Candidates should note that as per Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform

guidelines, entry will be at the minimum point of the scale and the rate of remuneration will not be

subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

Different terms and conditions may apply if you are a currently serving civil or public servant.

Location :   This position is ordinarily based at the NCAD Campus, 100 Thomas Street, Dublin 8.

Background

NCAD drives radical and creative innovation through excellence in research-led art and design education. It empowers its students to shape the contemporary world through critical practice, studio-based learning, research and engagement.

The aim of the School of Design is to create a design culture engaged in ongoing debate on all aspects of design; a culture that thrives on new ideas, new ways of doing things and new areas of exploration. We encourage our students to experiment and take risks in order to carve new aesthetic paths and make technical innovations within, and beyond, their design discipline. We have extensive links with Industry, and students regularly work on live projects within a commercial, social or cultural context. The College seeks to ensure that our design students develop the necessary creative, technical, thinking and interpersonal skills to become highly employable graduates, entrepreneurs and thought leaders.

This post will be an integral part of the academic staff within the School and College. Lecturing staff actively contribute to the teaching and learning, research and commercialisation / knowledge transfer and internationalisation agendas of the College.

MA in Circular by Design

The MA in Circular by Design is a part-time programme for those who want to build a deep and nuanced understanding of sustainability and circularity and practically apply that knowledge to their own practice. The programme combines theory and practice and champions collaborative and pre- competitive processes. The MA reimagines design as a catalyst for systemic change challenging linear production models and enabling regenerative, life-centred approaches to materials, ecosystems, society, and culture. It supports creative practitioners in interrogating and disrupting current systems and in designing alternatives that are circular by intent. The programme combines theory and practice and champions collaborative and pre-competitive processes.

The Assistant Lecturer will be part of a cross disciplinary team of academics responsible for the delivery and ongoing development of NCAD’s Circular by Design programmes. This specific role supports participants to redesign strategies, ecosystems, and policy as well as the delivery and teaching of sustainable, circular and regenerative design principles and practices in rethinking systems through transformative circular strategies, ecosystem-based approaches, and policy-informed practice. The role will also contribute to related undergraduate and postgraduate awards, and support the integration of sustainable, circular, and regenerative design across NCAD’s wider curriculum.

NCAD recognises the urgent need to build circular innovation capacity across Ireland’s design sector. Its programmes aim to equip the next generation of changemakers with the skills, knowledge, and mindset to rethink the purpose, processes, and outcomes of design. The MA in Circular by Design and its constitutions programmes contribute directly to this mission.

The MA in Circular by Design is a part-time programme that reimagines design as a catalyst for systemic change challenging linear production models and enabling regenerative, life-centred approaches to materials, ecosystems, society, and culture. It supports creative practitioners in interrogating and disrupting current systems and in designing alternatives that are circular by intent.

Combining theory and practice, these programmes invite participants to engage through seminars, collaborative mapping, speculative design tasks, and peer dialogue. Using their own creative practice, research, and experience, participants will critically explore local and global challenges, positioning themselves as changemakers within their professional contexts.

Through live, industry-informed projects, participants collaborate with peers and external partners such as designers, policy makers, retailers, manufacturers, circular innovators, social enterprises, and local councils participants will question, critique, test and innovate new circular ecosystems, tools, products, and services.

Focused on rethinking design processes, ecosystems, and creative tools to drive change, these programmes support those who wish to develop a deep and nuanced understanding of sustainability and circularity within the creative sector. It encourages the application of knowledge to design practice, policymaking, and addressing ecological and social challenges across interconnected systems. These programmes integrate theory and practice, with emphasis on collaboration and pre- competitive innovation.

Role

This specified purpose contract supports a cross-disciplinary Circular by Design team in the development, coordination, and delivery of NCAD’s part-time MA in Circular by Design and related programmes. The role has a particular focus on design strategies, ecosystems, and policy, and involves delivering and teaching sustainable, circular, and regenerative design principles and practices to learners across the College as required.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and / or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.

equivalent professional experience

Desirable

For Further information on this role please contact :

Angela O’Kelly Head of Design for Body and Environment okellya@staff.ncad.ie