Design Education and Operations Manager, Texas Inventionworks, Cockrell School of Engineering

Job Posting Title:

Design Education and Operations Manager, Texas Inventionworks, Cockrell School of Engineering

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Hiring Department:

Cockrell School of Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.

Texas Inventionworks is a vibrant hands-on education program and innovation hub based in the Cockrell School of Engineering. The Texas Inventionworks staff is dedicated to fostering exploration, building experience, cross-discipline collaboration and working to solve real problems.  In addition to online training, support for curriculum development and guidance for product development, the program operates more than 25,000sf of lab space.  There are 6 professional staff members and a highly-empowered 60+-member student staff who establish a vibrant culture and peer-to-peer learning. The vision is a design, fabrication and innovation ecosystem at UT Austin that empowers students from all backgrounds to easily learn, collaborate, build and invent together.

Purpose

The Design Education and Operations Manager role is a broad, flexible and vital role within the Texas Inventionworks organization.  The position will coordinate and support the creation and execution of projects related to courses, clubs, competitions and student-led product development, as well as events for students, campus groups, alumni, advisory boards and Cockrell School supporters.  It will also include building and coordinating connections to companies and alumni and developing a team of guest mentors to work with students in curricular and extra-curricular programs.  The position will also play a key role in program operations which can include digital infrastructure (databases, project management, online resources), communications, machine and lab usage and maintenance, purchasing, lab access, storage and workbench assignments. The position will; help build a network of relevant and engaged companies, coordinate with team members, student staff and volunteers to support external engagement, develop web, video and other social media communications, and facilitate outreach to students, campus organizations, companies and an advisory board. The role will be charged to help position Texas Inventionworks as a campus asset and ensure alignment of projects and other operations with the strategic direction of the program.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in the cultivation of a culture of safety, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.

• Facilitate the development of hands-on, design-related assignments, modules and courses including collaboration with faculty members in all seven engineering departments and several other colleges.

• Provide operational coordination and support to various types of activities that will run through Texas Inventionworks program, such as company-sponsored engineering projects, courses, competitions, clubs and open innovation.

• Coordinate and help to establish advisory boards, corporate supporters and Cockrell School of Engineering development initiatives.

• Develop and coordinate various internal projects and events including coordinatio