Director of Design-Build Program; Lecturer Calendar

Overview

About UMass Amherst:
The flagship of the Commonwealth, a public land-grant research university. Located on nearly 1,450 acres in Western Massachusetts, it offers undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges. The university is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community and to achieving excellence while addressing environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges.

Building and Construction Technology (BCT) is part of the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) within the College of Natural Sciences and the School of Earth and Sustainability. BCT collaborates with Architecture and Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning in the UMass John W. Olver Design Building. The ECo department includes programs in Building and Construction Technology, Natural Resources Conservation, Environmental Science, and Sustainability Science, with a focus on interdisciplinary teaching and diverse faculty recruitment.

Department of Architecture is part of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. It offers an undergraduate BS in Architecture, a Master of Architecture, and a Master of Design. The program emphasizes design education grounded in the art and science of the built environment and provides a path to licensure through the NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture program.

The Building and Construction Technology Program (Department of Environmental Conservation) and the Department of Architecture invite applications for a full-time lecturer position to be the director and primary instructor for the UMass Design Build program. The successful candidate will provide core organizational, administrative, and instructional leadership for a service-learning program in which students construct a house or project each year and contribute the structure to a local community partner and/or university housing efforts.

This is a collaboration among the BCT program, the Department of Architecture, and the Five Colleges Architectural Studies program.

Required focus on design-build pedagogy and experience in both architectural design and full-scale construction.

This is a calendar-year Lecturer (100% appointment, 12 months), joint hire between ECO as primary and Architecture as secondary.

The initial appointment is two years with renewal based on performance and program need. The successful candidate will be a core faculty member of BCT and Architecture and will engage with UMass groups and regional industry. Emphasis is placed on faculty-student interaction, teaching, and mentoring; a departmental mentoring committee and access to university professional development programs are provided.

Presumed start date:
September 1, 2026.

Teaching Duties:

• Spring: Teach a 6 credit undergraduate and graduate Design Build design studio leading to construction documents for the upcoming project.
• Summer: Instruct two 6-credit Design Build courses during which the structure is built.
• Fall: Teach BCT 313 (3 cr.) on light-frame, residential construction; may coincide with the design/build project completion duties.

Service Duties:

Construction Management Duties:
Perform tasks required for successful construction of the design-build project, including:

• Prepare the UMass Design Build site for student arrival (tools, materials, equipment, safety, etc.).
• Procure materials and equipment for the build.
• Instruct students in construction procedures, including tool and job-site safety.
• Coordinate with code officials, municipal authorities, contractors, and suppliers.
• Complete construction after summer builds and deliver to the community partner.

Program Management Duties:
Manage the UMass Design Build program, including the following:

• Solicitation and procurement of Design Build projects.
• Negotiations and agreements with community partners and collaborators.
• Fundraising for projects and for the grant-funded faculty position.
• Overseeing program and construction finances with University accountants.
• Interfacing with UMass Legal for annual agreements and managing multi-party agreements.
• Student recruitment and outreach to media, donors,…