Director of Design-Build Program

Building and Construction Technology (BCT) is one of the programs in the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) within the College of Natural Sciences and the School of Earth and Sustainability at UMass Amherst. BCT is co-located in Amherst with the Departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning in the UMass John W. Olver Design Building, a nationally acclaimed sustainable building on the Amherst campus.

The ECo department hosts a multi‑disciplinary group of faculty with programs in Building and Construction Technology, Natural Resources Conservation, Environmental Science, and Sustainability Science. Unifying themes across these programs include conservation of natural resources, sustainable development, and reconciliation of humans with the natural environment. Special emphasis is placed on faculty‑student interaction, interdisciplinary activities, and cooperation among faculty.

Department of Architecture is part of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The Department offers an undergraduate degree (BS‑Architecture), a graduate professional degree (Master of Architecture), and a graduate post‑professional degree (Master of Design). It provides an accessible, intellectually rigorous education grounded in the art and science of the built environment, with a socially progressive and environmentally responsive design focus.

The Building and Construction Technology Program (in the Department of Environmental Conservation) and the Department of Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invite applications for a full‑time lecturer position to serve as the director and primary instructor for the UMass Design Build program. The successful candidate will provide core organizational, administrative, and instructional leadership for the UMass Design Build program, a service‑learning effort that allows students from multiple disciplines to construct a small house or other project each year as an academic exercise and then provide that structure to a local community partner and/or the University for its affordable housing efforts.

The program is a cooperative effort by the BCT program, the Department of Architecture, and the Five Colleges Architectural Studies program.

This position is a calendar‑year Lecturer (100 % appointment, 12 months), joint hire with the Department of Environmental Conservation as the primary department and the Department of Architecture as the secondary department.

The initial appointment will be for two years, renewable based on performance and program need. The successful candidate will be a core faculty member of the BCT Program in the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Architecture, and will interface with other academic groups at UMass and industry throughout the region.

The presumed start date is September 1, 2026.

• Spring:
  Teach a 6‑credit undergraduate and graduate level Design Build design studio that leads to the construction documents for the upcoming project.
• Summer:
  Instruct for two 6‑credit courses during which the structure will be built.
• Fall:
  Teach the BCT 313 course (3 cr.) on light‑frame residential construction, which may coincide with instructional duties for the completion of the design/build project.

• Prepare the UMass Design Build site for student arrival, providing tools, materials, construction equipment, safety equipment, etc.
• Procure all materials and equipment necessary for the build.
• Instruct students in all aspects of construction procedures, including tool and job‑site safety.
• Communicate and coordinate with code officials, municipal authorities, specialty contractors, and materials suppliers.
• Complete construction as needed following the summer build courses, ensuring delivery to the community partner.

• Solicit and procure projects for the Design Build program.
• Negotiate and secure agreements with community partners, the University, and other potential collaborators for Design Build projects.
• Fundraise for the projects and support the grant‑funded faculty position.
• O…