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Associate Lecturer - Design Futures (part time and full time)

Job details
Posting date: 12 August 2025
Salary: Not specified
Additional salary information: Includes London Allowance
Hours: Part time
Closing date: 11 September 2025
Location: London, UK
Remote working: On-site only
Company: The Royal College of Art
Job type: Temporary
Job reference: 072-25

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Summary

Associate Lecturer (0.2 – 1.0 FTE)
MDes Design Futures Programme
Royal College of Art
Academic Year 2025–26

The MDes Design Futures programme at the Royal College of Art invites applications for Associate Lecturer positions ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 FTE across the 2025–26 academic year. These roles offer an exciting opportunity to teach postgraduate students and contribute to the delivery of electives and core units within a forward-thinking, interdisciplinary design programme.

We are seeking candidates who bring both theoretical and practical expertise in design futures and have experience teaching postgraduate students in one or more of the following areas:

Design ethics: exploring ethical considerations in design practice, behaviour change, and the social and environmental impacts of design decisions

Design for resilience: addressing sustainability, future forecasting, systems thinking, leverage points, and emerging technologies

Design innovation: focusing on models and strategies for change, entrepreneurship, and business model innovation across private, public, and third-sector contexts

This is an opportunity to influence the next generation of designers, researchers, and innovators within a prestigious institution renowned for its creative excellence.

Application deadline: Monday 25 August 2025

For more information on the Design Futures programme, please visit:
https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/programme-finder/design-futures/

Role Overview
Associate Lecturers at the RCA play a vital role in delivering high-quality postgraduate teaching that enriches the core curriculum. ALs bring specialist industry knowledge and academic expertise from a variety of disciplines, ensuring students receive a rich and diverse learning experience that reflects contemporary design practice and thinking.

Reporting to the Senior Tutor, Head of Programme, or Dean, Associate Lecturers will undertake duties such as:

Learning & Teaching Responsibilities
Deliver stimulating and relevant teaching content tailored to the needs of individual students and the programme

Contribute to cross-disciplinary and cross-school teaching activities that enhance the student experience

Provide academic, pastoral, and technical support through regular one-to-one tutorials and group sessions

Offer constructive, timely feedback to help students refine their skills and progress their work

Keep subject knowledge and professional practice up to date, ensuring teaching reflects current developments

Participate in the assessment and moderation of student work

Engage with innovation and best practice in pedagogy and curriculum delivery

Academic Delivery, Administration & Citizenship
Attend programme and school-wide planning meetings as appropriate to your role

Support student learning on field trips and other off-site activities, ensuring health and safety requirements are met

Conduct risk assessments as necessary and adhere to RCA policies and procedures

Assist with curriculum design and development of teaching materials to maintain academic rigor and innovation

Participate in Staff Student Consultative Committees, contributing to continuous programme improvement

Demonstrate commitment to RCA’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion objectives and participate in mandatory training

Person Specification
We are looking for candidates who demonstrate:

A strong commitment to delivering excellent teaching and fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment

Dedication to ongoing professional development and scholarly practice

Ability to engage and work harmoniously with students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds

Experience delivering teaching and tutoring both in-person and online, including blended learning formats

Industry experience relevant to design futures and the themes of the programme

Expertise in teaching entrepreneurship, innovation, and business model development within design contexts

If you are passionate about shaping future-focused design education and enjoy working within an intellectually stimulating, collaborative environment, we encourage you to apply.

Please see the information pack for more details.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

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